Which Greek honey doesn't crystallise?

Short answer: Greek honeydew honeys, such as pine honey and fir honey, stay runny the longest. Every real honey can crystallise eventually, but these forest honeys contain less glucose than most flower honeys, so they take far longer to set.

Why does honey crystallise?

Honey is a very concentrated solution of two main sugars, glucose and fructose. Glucose is the one that comes out of solution and forms crystals; fructose stays liquid. So the more glucose a honey has compared with fructose and water, the faster it sets. Temperature matters too: honey crystallises fastest in a cool room, at around 10–15°C.

Is crystallised honey bad?

No. Crystallisation is natural and doesn't mean the honey has spoiled or been adulterated. Nor is a runny honey automatically fake. It mostly tells you which plants the bees foraged.

Which Greek honeys stay runny longest?

• Fir honey, including PDO vanilla fir honey from Mount Mainalo: a honeydew honey, very slow to crystallise. Our lab-tested Fir honey contains 47% glucose and fructose combined. Fir Tree Honey
• Pine honey: Greece's most common honeydew honey, from the pine forests of places like Evia and Thasos. It stays runny for a very long time.
• Chestnut honey: a flower honey rich in fructose, also slow to set.

Which Greek honeys set quickly?

• Cotton, sunflower and heather (reiki) honeys usually crystallise within weeks or a few months.
• Thyme and orange blossom honeys sit in between: often liquid for several months, then setting to a fine, creamy texture.

Why do honeydew honeys behave differently?

Honeydew honey is made by bees from sweet droplets on fir and pine trees rather than from flower nectar. It has fewer of the simple sugars and more complex sugars such as melezitose. EU and UK honey law reflects this: blossom honey must contain at least 60 g of glucose and fructose per 100 g, while honeydew honey only needs 45 g. Read: Is honeydew honey real honey?

How to bring set honey back to liquid

Stand the jar in warm, not hot, water and stir. Keep it below about 40°C so the honey's natural enzymes are preserved, and store honey at room temperature rather than in the fridge.

FAQ

Does Riza honey crystallise?

Very slowly. Both our Fir Tree Honey and First Harvest Pine Honey are honeydew honeys, so they stay thick and runny for a very long time. If a jar ever thickens, warm it gently.

Is honey that never crystallises fake?

Not necessarily. Honeydew honeys and high-fructose honeys can stay liquid for a long time naturally. Crystallisation speed depends on the plants, not on authenticity.

Is creamy honey the same as crystallised honey?

Yes. Creamed honey is honey that has been allowed or encouraged to crystallise into very fine crystals.

Sources: Council Directive 2001/110/EC relating to honey; The Honey (England) Regulations 2015; Riza Fir Tree Honey lab report no. 12679, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2023 harvest).