Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Honey

The Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Honey is hand collected and jarred in Mexico, and primarily sold in the Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon restaurants in New York. Their honeys are completely raw and come in several varieties (depending on the season and area where it was collected).

I had the privilege of sampling two of their honeys, the Golden Reserve and the Mesquite Blossom. Both honeys are very thick, with a slight granular texture. I found if they are warmed slightly (like spread on fresh toast) they will become the consistency of a non-creamed honey, and the Mesquite Blossom will become completely liquid when poured on hot oatmeal.

The Golden Reserve honey is made by skimming the layer of honey that rises to the top after gathering the Autumn Flower honey. According to Bromberg Bros. this honey is rich in pollen and propolis (beehive resin). This honey is smoother, and more liquid than the Mesquite Blossom. When it arrived it had settled into two layers (a thick, light golden at the bottom, and a darker liquid on top), however after churning it with a butter knife the honey became more uniform and then remained that way until I finished the jar. The Golden Reserve has a very light, floral taste to it. This variety is now my favorite honey paired with peanut butter, and because of its thickness it will not make your bread soggy if you spread it in the morning and pack the sandwich for lunch. This honey is also excellent on toast, ice cream, and drizzled (or spread with) cheese.

The Mesquite Blossom honey is gathered from bees pollinating Mesquite trees, and is especially thick because the climate is so dry during the Mesquite's blooming season. This honey can be scooped out almost as a solid, and is near impossible to drizzle. The texture is much more grainy than the Golden Reserve and the flavor is mild and sugary. I especially enjoyed this honey mixed into tea, and even more so straight from the jar! While I recently got over a cold, this honey was the perfect replacement for cough syrup. It's so thick it coats the throat and stays there, easing the sore throat and allowing the sweet flavor to linger. This honey would also probably make a great alternative to sugar in baking recipes.

Overall I really enjoyed these two honeys and will certainly be purchasing them again. I am hoping the other varieties of Blue Ribbon honey will be available soon, so I can try them, too!

I bought the honey from the Blue Ribbon Restaurants website, $7.50-8.50/12 oz. jar.