This honey won a Two Star Great Taste Award from the UK Guild of Fine Foods, in the annual "oscars" of the fine food world.

Description

227g net weight in a glass jar.

Monofloral organic honey from bees feeding on organic lychee tree plantations in the tropical Atlantic coast of Veracruz, Mexico.

A crystallised honey set with natural honey crystals with an intensely floral aroma, tasting notes of jasmine flowers and the cool, tingling aftertaste of lychee fruit.

As each crystal dissolves in your mouth you experience an intense burst of flavour that lasts long after the honey disappears into your body.

[Note: This honey does NOT contain any lychee fruit extract, added flavour, sugar or ingredients; it is pure, natural honey.]

It is raw, certified organic, unfiltered, unpasteurised and living... as natural as if you collected it yourself.

In August 2022, this honey won a Two Star Great Taste Award from the UK Guild of Fine Foods, in the annual "oscars" of the fine food world. The awarding judges said:

"Grainy, with a very strong and surprising lychee flavour. An original, unusual, deep, dark intense honey. Fruity and floral, this really is a talking point."

"This honey gives a depth of flavour unexpected but long lasting and fragrant. Its wonderful taste is delicate but full of flowery notes which allow the texture of crystals enhance the taste even more, extending the pleasure of eating this raw honey."

"A honey with a lovely fresh aroma and acidity. It is fruity and delicious and has a pleasing, juicy, almost citrusy feeling in the mouth. The slightly grainy texture was very enjoyable, and overall we found it a very uplifting honey that would have a variety of uses."

This honey tastes delicious straight from the spoon or mixed into cold water, makes a nutritious and refreshing drink.

Size: 227g (1/2lb) net weight in a glass jar
Colour: light amber
Set/runny: crystallised honey set with natural honey crystals
Organic: certified organic by the Organic Food Federation (UK), GB-ORG-04

Read on for more details about the origin, taste and uses of this crystallised honey set with natural honey crystals.
 

Origin

Lychee (sometimes spelt litchi) is a soft, whitish-pink coloured pulpy fruit that is cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical regions and is available for a very short period of time during the summer months.

Lychee (Litchi chinensis) is an evergreen tree that grows to 15-28m high. Bees feed on its flowers to produce this honey.  

Taste

Tasting notes: Caramel and jasmine flowers with the cool, tingling aftertaste of juicy lychee fruits
Texture: part-runny, part crystallised (sets quickly due to the high pollen content)
Aroma: intense floral
Sweetness: sweet
 

Uses

In accordance with EU directive 1924/2006 we are unable to make any health claim about any of our honeys. The information given below is either background information about the plants from which our honey comes, or anecdotal based on customer reviews. It should not be inferred from the plant properties that this honey automatically possesses the same qualities or provides the same benefits as the plant.

At least 65% of this honey comes exclusively from lychee fruit flowers.

Lychee is a nutritious bioactive fruit high in Vitamin C with an incredible number of flavonoids and other health-promoting compounds.

There have been a number of scientific studies on the anti-diabetic effect of lychee extract on both humans and rats.

Modern pharmacological studies have identified that some components of lychee seed have the effects of modulation of blood sugar by improving insulin resistance (IR), lowering blood lipids, antioxidation, antivirus, anti-tumor and preventing liver injury.

It can be consumed like any other honey or applied on the skin in small amounts.

A 1986 study in China found that lychee extract improved insulin resistance when given to Type 2 diabetic patients.

A 2010 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that oligonol, a compound occurring naturally within lychee fruits, reduced liver damage associated with diabetes.

A 2010 study at the University of Texas Health Science Center, USA found that oligonol displayed antiviral activity against the flu virus.

A 2010 study at the Chinese Academy of Sciences found that lychee fruit extracts displayed antiviral activity against several viruses, including the herpes virus.

This honey can be used like ordinary honey but is best taken as a teaspoon of this honey mixed into a glass of cool or warm (not hot) water and drunk once a day on an empty stomach 30 minutes before breakfast.

If you suffer from an existing health condition, always consult a medical professional before introducing something into your diet to help relieve the symptoms of that condition.

References:

1. H. Zhang & Y. Teng, “Effect of li ren (semen litchi) anti-diabetes pills in 45 cases of diabetes mellitus,” Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 277–278, 1986.

2. J. S. Noh et al, “Treatment with oligonol, a low-molecular polyphenol derived from lychee fruit, attenuates diabetes-induced hepatic damage through regulation of oxidative stress and lipid metabolism,” British Journal of Nutrition, vol. 106, no. 7, pp. 1013–1022, 2011.

3. Gangehei L, et al, "Oligonol a low molecular weight polyphenol of lychee fruit extract inhibits proliferation of influenza virus by blocking reactive oxygen species-dependent ERK phosphorylation." Phytomedicine. 2010;17(13):1047-1056.

Note: unless where specifically mentioned, none of these statements have been clinically proven in scientific trials and none of these statements constitute a claim as to any health benefit. Please contact us for links to the various scientific studies cited in these statements.