Strawberry tree honey
Also known as: arbutus honey
Strawberry tree honey is a monofloral honey from the nectar of the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), an autumn honey, amber and very bitter.
Strawberry tree honey is a varietal honey collected from the flowers of the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), an evergreen shrub of Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. The plant flowers in autumn and winter, which makes this one of the last honeys of the year and one of the few bitter ones.
It is produced around the Mediterranean, most studied in Sardinia, and also in Greece, Corsica, Spain and on the French Atlantic coast. The protected names Miel de Corse, Miel des Landes and Miel de Asturias each include it as a type.
The Landes specification describes it as light amber, beige to amber, with a herbaceous, fresh aroma, notes of coffee grounds and dark cocoa, and a very bitter taste; Asturias adds hints of humus, fallen leaves and wild mushrooms. On average its colour is about 70 mm Pfund and its conductivity 0.74 mS/cm, and the EU honey directive exempts it from the 0.8 mS/cm limit.
The late harvest leaves bees little time to dry the nectar: water can reach 20–21 %, and samples from western Greece averaged 19.2 %. Their fructose/glucose ratio was 1.01, so the honey crystallises fast. Homogentisic acid, absent from other honeys tested, serves as its marker.
Why this matters to you: bitterness here is the signature of the variety, not a defect; keep the jar tightly closed, because this honey holds more water.
Facts
| Colour | Light amber to amber, about 70 mm Pfund |
|---|---|
| Taste | Very bitter; coffee grounds, dark cocoa, humus |
| Moisture | Up to 20 % (Miel de Asturias); 19.2 % average (western Greece) |
| Crystallization | Fast: fructose/glucose ratio about 1.01 |
| Season | Flowers in autumn and winter; late-autumn harvest |
| Region | Sardinia, Corsica, Greece, Spain (Asturias), Landes (France) |
How it connects to Honey & beekeeping
Strawberry tree honey → kind of → Blossom and honeydew honey → kind of → 🍯 Honey
Links
- Part of
- Monofloral honey, Blossom and honeydew honey
- Similar and different
- Miel de Corse - Mele di Corsica, Miel des Landes, Miel de Asturias, Chestnut honey
- Which plants it comes from
- Strawberry tree
Frequently asked questions
Why is strawberry tree honey bitter?
Bitterness is a natural trait of this variety; specifications describe it as very bitter, with notes of coffee grounds and cocoa.
When is it harvested?
In late autumn, as the strawberry tree flowers in autumn and winter.
Is it true that this honey has gone bad because it is bitter?
No. A bitter taste is the mark of genuine strawberry tree honey, not of spoilage.
Where is it produced?
In Sardinia, Corsica (Miel de Corse), Greece, Spain (Miel de Asturias) and the French Landes (Miel des Landes).
How is it identified chemically?
By homogentisic acid, 378 mg/kg on average in a 1999 study and not found in other honeys.
What to read next
- Chestnut honey — Monofloral honey from sweet chestnut nectar: dark, aromatic and distinctly bitter; by law its electrical conductivity must be at least 0.8 mS/cm.
- Miel de Corse - Mele di Corsica — Miel de Corse - Mele di Corsica is honey with an EU protected designation of origin (PDO) from the island of Corsica: six seasonal types from the maquis and chestnut groves.
Similar
Avocado honey · Dandelion honey · Phacelia honey · Coriander honey · Lychee honey · Mesquite honey
ℹ️ Honey is mostly sugars: about 82 g per 100 g. Do not give honey to babies under 1 year old because of the risk of infant botulism.
Sources
- Single document Miel des Landes PGI, OJ C/2026/3214 (EUR-Lex)
- Single document Miel de Asturias PGI, OJ C/2024/4791 (EUR-Lex)
- Miel de Corse - Mele di Corsica PDO, amendment application with single document, OJ C 134, 14.5.2013 (EUR-Lex)
- Council Directive 2001/110/EC relating to honey, consolidated text 23.6.2014 (EUR-Lex)
- Persano Oddo L., Piro R. (2004) Main European unifloral honeys: descriptive sheets. Apidologie 35 (Suppl. 1) S38-S81
- Tananaki C. et al. (2025) Chemical and Functional Characteristics of Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo L.) Honey from Western Greece. Foods 14: 1473
- Cabras P. et al. (1999) Homogentisic acid: a phenolic acid as a marker of strawberry-tree (Arbutus unedo) honey. J. Agric. Food Chem. 47: 4064-4067 (FAO AGRIS record)
- FAO, Krell R. (1996) Value-added products from beekeeping, Chapter 2 Honey