Raw loquat honey 900 g

Botanical origin — Eriobotrya japonica

The Japanese loquat (Eriobotrya japonica, Rosaceae) reached the Mediterranean in the 19th century from southern China. It produces clusters of highly aromatic cream-white flowers in autumn, an unusual pattern that makes loquat one of the few nectar sources of the Iberian winter. For a honey to qualify as monofloral, the minimum share of Eriobotrya pollen must exceed 30 %; the rest of the pollen spectrum is made up of legumes, wild radish, Lamiaceae, Asteraceae and heather from the hedgerows and orchard edges.

Production area — Alicante and Granada

Commercial loquat in Spain is concentrated in two very specific areas: the Marina Baja of Alicante — with Callosa d'en Sarrià as its historic heart and a protected geographical indication on the fruit — and the Costa Tropical of Granada, in the municipalities of Almuñécar, Motril and Salobreña. Both are warm-microclimate coastal strips with mild winters that allow the tree to flower in autumn and the bees to forage at temperatures that would already have shut down any hive elsewhere in Spain. Loquat honey production is therefore very limited in volume and heavily dependent on the year's weather.

Sensory profile — the fruit in the jar

Colour. Light amber, 50 to 90 mm Pfund — typical range for Rosaceae honeys.
Aroma. Floral with fruity notes that recall the loquat itself: stone fruit, ripe sweet apple, a gentle background of bitter almond.
Taste. Sweet, sometimes with bitter notes and a slight astringency on the palate — that subtle bitterness is the varietal signature of loquat and what makes this honey radically different from the sweetness of orange blossom or rosemary.
Texture. Fast crystallisation. Because of the relatively high moisture typical of the autumn harvest, it can develop a coarse grain if not carefully handled — this batch has been filtered and settled with care to avoid that.

Raw — unpasteurised

Raw honey: not heated above 40 °C, not pressure-filtered, so the pollen, the enzymes and especially the fruity volatile aromas that are the signature of loquat are kept intact. HMF (thermal abuse / age marker) stays below 40 mg/kg and diastase activity above 8 Schade Units. If you heat this honey, the fruity aroma is the first thing to go.

Pairings and uses

The fruity profile with a bitter edge sits especially well with plain yoghurt and curds, fresh cheeses (ricotta, mató, fresh goat's cheese), nuts (toasted almond, walnut) and sponge cakes and muffins, where it adds a fruity layer that a standard multi-flower honey cannot. It also works in delicate infusions (chamomile, linden, rooibos) and as a late-evening spoonful on its own — the slight astringency leaves the palate clean, nothing cloying. For cocktails: a teaspoon dissolved in dry vermouth or a whisky sour gives it a very uncommon character.

Crystallises — how to handle at home

This is a honey that crystallises quickly because of its high glucose content. If you receive it liquid, it will be creamy or granulated within a few weeks. That is natural, not a defect — on the contrary, it confirms it is raw and unadulterated. To bring it back to liquid, use a water bath at 40 °C max, stirring gently; never the microwave and never above 40 °C, because that destroys the fruity aromas that make this honey what it is.

Analytical composition

Parameters set by Directive 110/2001/EC (Spanish transposition RD 1049/2003) and specific to the variety:

Technical specs