At a glance
Cotton honey
Gossypium spp.
Colour
Very light amber to whiteup to 30 mm Pfund
Aroma
Faint floral aromashort-lived
Taste
Clean sweetnessmild flavour
Crystallisation
Very rapid, coarse crystalssets very firmly
Season
Late springand summer
Region
Andalusiain cotton-growing areas
Pollen reference
45%pollen is over-represented
Conductivity
0.40–0.80 mS/cmunusually high for such a pale honey
Cotton honey stands out in the Iberian guide. It is one of the palest honeys listed, yet its electrical conductivity can reach values found in much darker honeys.
Colour and conductivity often increase together. The guide gives 0.25 mS/cm for almond, 0.30 for rosemary (in Spanish) and acacia, and values around 0.80 for chestnut and 0.90 for oak honeydew. Cotton makes a good counterexample.
Reading and tasting cotton honey
This Spanish-language field guide compares botanical origin, tasting and laboratory findings. Use the profile together with the traceability of the lot.
Compare colour and conductivity
- Record colour separately from the measured conductivity.
- Read the pollen report and traceability before drawing a conclusion about the lot.
A pale honey with high conductivity
Colour: up to 30 mm Pfund , as low an upper limit as for almond honey.
Conductivity: 0.40–0.80 mS/cm , reaching values associated with chestnut honey.
This combination stands out among the guide’s 43 profiles. An almost white honey can still contain appreciable dissolved minerals.
Colour
Cotton honey on the Pfund scale
In the three palest bands, sharing the lowest upper limit with almond honey. The screen colours are illustrative. Laboratory measurement gives the actual value.
Aroma, taste and texture
Sensory profile
Our interpretation of the descriptions in the Guía de mieles monoflorales ibéricas. It combines a very mild aroma and taste with fast crystallisation.
Aroma
A faint floral aroma with little persistence. It is one of the mildest honeys on the nose.
Taste
The taste is simply sweet. There is little pronounced acidity, bitterness or saltiness, despite the mineral content.
Crystallisation
It crystallises very quickly into a dense mass with coarse grains, much like oilseed rape and sunflower honey. A firm set is typical of cotton honey.
Interpreting the laboratory profile
| Parameter | Reference in the guide | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | up to 30 mm Pfund | Very light amber to white. The guide gives the same upper limit for almond honey. |
| Moisture | up to 18% | Moisture above the guide value increases the risk of fermentation. The general EU limit for blossom honey is 20%. |
| Fructose and glucose combined | at least 60% | A characteristic of blossom honey. This figure on its own cannot exclude added syrup. |
| Sucrose | up to 5% | One of the sugars reported in the analysis. |
| Electrical conductivity | 0.40–0.80 mS/cm | A defined range, unusually high for such a pale honey. This is its most distinctive laboratory feature. |
| Free acidity | up to 50 meq/kg | Can rise with fermentation or extended storage. |
| HMF | up to 40 mg/kg | HMF rises with heat and age, and provides context when a sample has stayed liquid for a long time. |
| Diastase activity | at least 8 Schade units | Indicator of enzyme activity, which can decline with heat. |
| Gossypium 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 cotton honey
- Legumes
- Rockroses (Cistaceae)
- Viper’s bugloss
- Daisy family (Asteraceae)
Growing areas and harvest season
In Spain, the guide identifies the cotton fields of Andalusia, particularly the Guadalquivir valley. The flow extends from late spring into summer. The area planted each season affects how much honey is available.
Cotton honey flow
FloweringFlowering and harvest
The guide places the main harvest in late spring and summer. Cotton flowers successively over a longer period, extending the flow compared with oilseed rape or sunflower.
How to recognise cotton honey
- 1Look for a very pale colour. Up to 30 mm Pfund, among the lowest upper limits in the guide.
- 2Look for a mild flavour. A faint aroma and clean sweetness are characteristic.
- 3Expect it to set firmly. Rapid crystallisation produces a coarse grain.
- 4Ask about conductivity. The guide gives 0.40–0.80 mS/cm, unusually high for its colour.
- 5Check the harvest area. The main Spanish cotton-growing area is the Guadalquivir valley.
For a broader view, see how to assess honey quality and our guide to Spanish honey labelling requirements.
Composition and health claims
Health claims on food are regulated in the EU. The distinguishing features here are its floral origin, conductivity and sensory profile.
These characteristics matter when tasting or using the honey.
- A pale colour sits alongside conductivity of up to 0.80 mS/cm, an unusual combination among the honeys in this guide.
- Its mild taste lets it sweeten a dish without masking the other flavours.
- Its fast, firm set lends itself to controlled crystallisation for creamed honey.
- Bees visiting the cotton flowers can also contribute to pollination in the crop.
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
Why can such pale cotton honey have relatively high conductivity?
Colour and conductivity often follow the same trend, but cotton honey is a useful exception. The guide gives up to 30 mm Pfund and 0.40–0.80 mS/cm. At the top of that range its conductivity is comparable to that of much darker honeys such as chestnut.
Why has my cotton honey set so hard?
It typically crystallises very quickly into coarse grains and a dense mass, much like oilseed rape and sunflower honey.
What does cotton honey taste like?
It is sweet, with a faint floral aroma that fades quickly. Its relatively high mineral content does not translate into a strong taste.
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 cotton honey
Cotton honey is not in our present range. Supply follows the Andalusian cotton harvest and much of it goes into blends. For a similarly pale, mild Spanish honey in our shop, see raw rosemary 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.
This is part of our series on Iberian honeys. Compare it with almond honey for colour and with oilseed rape and sunflower for the way it sets.
