At a glance
Anise honey
Pimpinella anisum · anise
Colour
Amber to dark amberat least 85 mm Pfund
Aroma
Spicyintense and persistent
Taste
Sweet with a savoury notefull-bodied
Crystallisation
Low tendencyoften stays liquid
Season
Summerflowering of the crop
Region
Andalusiacultivated fields
Pollen reference
45%pollen is over-represented
Conductivity
up to 0.80 mS/cmhigh
In southern Spain, matalahúva is a regional name for anise. Its honey shares the spicy character of coriander, but its colour can be dark amber.
Anise and coriander belong to the carrot family. Both crops are grown for their aromatic seeds and both honeys recall spices. Their colour, taste and crystallisation are quite different.
Reading and tasting anise honey
This Spanish-language field guide compares botanical origin, tasting and laboratory findings. Use the profile together with the traceability of the lot.
Compare the two spice-scented honeys
- Use labelled coriander and anise samples.
- Note the aroma, taste and crystal size separately.
Comparing anise and coriander honeys
| Anise | Coriander | |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | at least 85 mm Pfund, dark amber | up to 80 mm Pfund, light amber to amber |
| Spice aroma | Pronounced, intense and persistent | Distinct against a mild floral background |
| Taste | Sweet with a savoury note | Clean sweetness |
| Crystallisation | Low tendency | Rapid |
| Conductivity | up to 0.80 mS/cm | up to 0.60 mS/cm |
| Pollen reference | 45% | 20% |
Both have a spice note. Anise honey is dark, with salty notes and slow crystallisation. Coriander is lighter and milder, and sets sooner.
Colour
Amber to dark amber, from 85 mm Pfund. Anise shares the darker end of the scale with holm oak honeydew honey, forest honey and pennyroyal honey. This is unusual for a field crop. Oilseed rape, sunflower and cotton all yield much paler honeys.
Anise honey on the Pfund scale
In the two darkest bands, with no stated upper limit. Its dark colour stands out among the field crops profiled. The colours on screen are illustrative. The measurement is made in a laboratory.
Aroma, taste and texture
Sensory profile
Our interpretation of the descriptions in the Guía de mieles monoflorales ibéricas. It is strongly aromatic, as are thyme, heather and eucalyptus honeys.
Aroma
The floral aroma carries a pronounced spice note. It is intense from the moment the jar is opened and lingers on the palate. Coriander shows its spice more discreetly.
Taste
A sweet taste with salty notes. The guide also records high conductivity, a useful accompanying observation when assessing a sample.
Crystallisation
It has little tendency to crystallise. A jar can remain liquid for months.
Interpreting the laboratory profile
| Parameter | Reference in the guide | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | at least 85 mm Pfund | Amber to dark amber. A pale sample would fall outside this profile. |
| Moisture | up to 18% | Fermentation risk increases above the guide value. The general EU limit for blossom honey is 20%. |
| Fructose and glucose combined | at least 60% | This result is consistent with a blossom honey despite the dark colour. Interpret it with the rest of the analysis. |
| Sucrose | up to 5% | One of the sugars reported in the analysis. |
| Electrical conductivity | up to 0.80 mS/cm | High, alongside a dark colour and salty notes. |
| Free acidity | up to 50 meq/kg | Can rise with fermentation or extended storage. |
| HMF | up to 40 mg/kg | HMF increases with heat and age. |
| Diastase activity | at least 8 Schade units | Indicator of enzyme activity, which can decline with heat. |
| Pimpinella pollen | at least 45% | Cotton sheds abundant pollen. Its share of the pollen count is distinct from the proportion of nectar. |
Reference ranges from the Guía de mieles monoflorales ibéricas, fourth edition (2023). These characterise the variety. Spanish statutory limits are set by Royal Decree 1049/2003 as amended by Royal Decree 68/2025, including a general maximum of 20% moisture and 40 mg/kg HMF, subject to the exceptions in the legislation.
Other pollen in anise honey
- Legumes
- Mint-family plants
- Daisy family (Asteraceae)
- Rockroses (Cistaceae)
Growing areas and harvest season
The guide describes a summer harvest in Andalusia. Anise is grown for the seeds used in pastries and liqueurs. The amount of forage available follows the area sown each season.
Anise honey flow
FloweringFlowering and harvest
The guide places the main harvest in summer. As with other field crops, the scale of the harvest varies with the acreage grown that year.
How to recognise anise honey
- 1Look for an immediate spice note. It is pronounced, intense and persistent, even when smelling the newly opened jar.
- 2Dark colour, from 85 mm Pfund. A pale field-crop honey would fall outside this profile.
- 3A hint of salt. The sweetness is accompanied by salty notes.
- 4It often stays liquid. It has little tendency to set.
- 5High conductivity, up to 0.80 mS/cm. Read it alongside the dark colour and the rest of the findings.
For a broader view, see how to assess honey quality and our guide to Spanish honey labelling requirements.
Composition and health claims
Anise seed has a long tradition of use after meals. That tradition does not establish a digestive benefit for its honey. EU rules govern health claims made about food.
These characteristics matter when tasting or using the honey.
- Of the two spice-scented honeys in the guide, anise is the more intense.
- Among the field crops featured, it stands out by reaching the dark end of the Pfund scale.
- The guide describes a salty undertone and conductivity of up to 0.80 mS/cm.
- Try it in spiced baking, with cheese or as a sweet counterpoint to meat.
Who should take particular care?
Children under 12 months. Do not give honey to infants under one year. It can contain spores of Clostridium botulinum that may cause infant botulism. This applies to all types of honey.
Diabetes. honey is a source of sugars. This also applies to natural and monofloral honeys when planning a diet.
Known allergy. Anyone with a diagnosed allergy to honey or bee products should consult their clinician if unsure what is safe for them.
Frequently asked questions
What is matalahúva?
It is a Spanish name for anise, Pimpinella anisum, grown for the aromatic seeds used in sweets and liqueurs. Like coriander, anise belongs to the carrot family. The two honeys share a recognisable spice note.
How does anise honey differ from coriander honey?
Anise honey is dark, from 85 mm Pfund, and can reach 0.80 mS/cm. It has a salty undertone and tends to stay liquid. Coriander is lighter, up to 80 mm Pfund, with conductivity up to 0.60 mS/cm. It is straightforwardly sweet and sets quickly.
What does anise honey taste like?
The taste is sweet with salty notes. Its floral aroma has a pronounced, lingering spice character. Thyme, heather and eucalyptus offer other examples of similarly intense, though quite different, aromas.
Who should take particular care?
Never give honey to a baby under 12 months because of the risk of infant botulism. People with diabetes should count its sugars in their diet. Anyone with a diagnosed allergy to hive products should seek individual medical advice.
Where to buy anise honey
We do not stock anise honey at present. Production varies from one Andalusian growing season to the next. Ask beekeepers near the crops in southern Spain. For a different dark honey with a strong aroma, we have raw heather honey.
Sources
The reference ranges come from the fourth edition (June 2023) of the Guía de mieles monoflorales ibéricas by J. Orantes, F. Gonell, C. Torres and A. Gómez-Pajuelo, published by Laboratorios Apinevada and Pajuelo Consultores Apícolas. Their work draws on a series reaching back to 1980 and more than 3,600 analyses a year across the two laboratories. The printed guide in Spanish is available in our shop.
Explore our series on Iberian honeys, including coriander honey. The two crops share a botanical family and a spice-like aroma, while the honeys differ in colour and texture.
