Honey has been treasured for thousands of years as food, medicine, and sacred offering. While most jars on supermarket shelves come from common sources like clover or acacia, there exists a unique category: rare honeys.
These honeys are produced in tiny quantities, often in remote or extreme landscapes. They can be difficult — even dangerous — to harvest, and their unique taste and properties make them some of the most prized natural products in the world. They come with rich stories, deep flavours, and a sense of luxury.
In this guide, we’ll explore rare honeys from every corner of the globe: how they’re made, what makes them special, and why they are so highly valued.
What Makes a Honey “Rare”?
A honey may be considered rare because of:
- Geography — found only in one region (e.g., Pitcairn Islands).
- Floral source — blooms for just a short season or grows in limited habitats (e.g., Sidr trees in Yemen).
- Harvesting difficulty — requires climbing cliffs, entering caves, or navigating swamps.
- Scarcity — some harvests yield only a few dozen kilos a year.
- Unique composition — unusual chemistry, flavour, or medicinal properties.
Rare Honeys at a Glance
| Honey | Region | Why Rare | Price | Flavour Notes |
| Centauri Honey | Turkey | Minute quantities from remote, high-altitude caves | From 7.00 XAU Gold (Troy Ounce) | Unique, dark, mineral-rich |
| Manuka South Honey (UMF 35+) (UMF 32+) | New Zealand | Highest grades recorded, limited reserve | £2,000/250g £1,200/250g | Bold, silky |
| Elvish (Peri Balı) | Turkey | Cave-harvested, ~20kg/year | £1,250/200g | Dark, mineral-rich |
| Mad Honey | Turkey, Nepal | Contains grayanotoxins | $90–$400/200g | Bitter, warming |
| Sidr Honey | Yemen | Short bloom, sacred tree | £75/325g | Thick, toffee-like |
| Black Seed Honey | Middle East, North Africa, South Asia | Small-batch monofloral harvests | £35/140g | Bitter-sweet, slightly peppery, earthy |
| Jarrah Honey | Australia | High TA, limited forests | £40/260g | Smooth, caramel |
| Fir Honey (Honeydew) | Greece, Germany | From tree sap, irregular | £13/250g | Malty, resinous |
| Strawberry Tree (Corbezzolo) | Sardinia, Iberia | Bitter, rare bloom | $40–$120/kg | Herbal, bitter |
| Thistle Honey | Sardinia, Sicily | Seasonal, aromatic | $30–$90/kg | Floral, spiced |
| Thyme Honey (Thrimatomeno Meli) | Greece | Limited bloom, heritage honey | $40–$100/kg | Pungent, herbal |
| Heather Honey | Greece (Halkidiki, Pelion) | Autumn harvest, strong taste | $40–$120/kg | Earthy, malty |
| Tupelo Honey | Florida, USA | Short bloom in swamp forests | $80–$200/kg | Light, never crystallises |
| Rose Taif Honey | Saudi Arabia | From famous Taif roses | £89/325g | Perfumed, floral |
| Colonsay Honey | Scotland | Only two beekeepers, isolated island | £80–£150/kg | Light, delicate |
| Pitcairn Honey | South Pacific | Disease-free bees, tiny island | $100–$200/kg | Clean, tropical notes |
Mediterranean Gems
Strawberry Tree Honey (Corbezzolo)
Sardinia and parts of Iberia produce Strawberry Tree honey, renowned for its bitterness and medicinal qualities. Harvesting is challenging due to the very short blooming season of the Arbutus unedo. Considered an acquired taste, it is highly prized by connoisseurs.
👉 [Full guide to Strawberry Tree honey (Italy) →]
👉 [Full guide to Strawberry Tree honey (Greece) →]
Thistle Honey (Cardo)
Produced in Sardinia and Sicily, Thistle honey is fragrant, golden, and harvested from seasonal thistle blooms. Its spicy, aromatic profile makes it a regional delicacy, though it is little known outside the Mediterranean.
👉 [Explore Thistle honey →]
Thyme Honey (Thrimatomeno Meli)
Greek Thyme honey is deeply tied to tradition, particularly from islands and mountainous areas. With strong herbal notes and a limited bloom, it’s one of Greece’s most iconic honeys.
👉 [Discover Thyme honey →]
Heather Honey (Halkidiki & Pelion)
Dark, thick, and rich, Heather honey is considered medicinal in Greek tradition. Harvested in autumn, it has an earthy, malty taste. Only small amounts are produced each year in areas like Halkidiki and Pelion.
👉 [Read about Heather honey →]
Middle Eastern & Asian Rarities
Sidr Honey (Yemen)
Harvested when Sidr trees bloom for a short period, this honey is thick, rich, and considered sacred. Its rarity and medicinal reputation make it one of the most expensive not only in the Middle East but in the world.
👉 [Full guide to Sidr honey →]
Black Seed Honey (Nigella sativa) (Middle East, North Africa, South Asia)
Born from the blossoms of Nigella sativa, this honey carries the medicinal legacy of black seed — long revered in Middle Eastern and prophetic traditions. Its bold, bittersweet flavour hints at thymoquinone, the compound credited with many of black seed’s healing properties.
👉 [Read more about Black Seed Honey]
Rose Taif Honey (Saudi Arabia)
From the world-famous Taif roses, this perfumed honey is as much a cultural treasure as it is a delicacy. With only limited rose valleys producing it, Rose Taif honey commands high prices.
👉 [Learn about Rose Taif honey →]
Mad Honey (Nepal, Turkey)
Known for its intoxicating effects, mad honey is harvested from rhododendron-fed bees, often in cliffside hives. Valued in traditional medicine, it must be consumed with caution.
👉 [Read our Mad honey guide →]
European Forest Honeys
Fir Honey (Greece, Germany)
This honeydew honey comes from fir tree sap processed by insects. It’s dark, malty, and low in sugar — very different from blossom honeys. Production is irregular, making it a sought-after rarity.
👉 [Explore Fir honey (Greece) →]
Honeydew Honeys (General)
Beyond fir, many rare honeydew honeys are produced in Europe and New Zealand. These are unusual, savory, and mineral-rich compared to nectar honeys.
👉 [Read more about Honeydew honeys →]
Luxury & Exotic Rarities
Beyond the forests and mountains, the world of rare honeys continues to surprise. Some varieties are celebrated for their medicinal legacies, others for scientific validation or sheer rarity. Below are more examples that show how diverse and remarkable these natural nectars can be.
Centauri Honey
Harvested at high altitude from secluded caves in Turkey, this honey was officially entered into the Guinness World Records in 2021 as the “most expensive honey in the world” (sold at £8,700 per kg / €10,000 per kg).
👉 [Full guide to Centauri honey (coming soon)]
Elvish Honey (Peri Balı, Turkey)
Harvested in remote Turkish caves, Elvish honey is often called the world’s most expensive. Only around 20kg may be harvested in a year, with 200g jars selling for £1,250 at Harrods.
👉 [Full guide to Elvish honey (coming soon)]
Manuka Honey (UMF 32+, 35+)
The UMF 35+ grade represents one of the highest certified potencies ever recorded in genuine Manuka honey. Each batch undergoes stringent testing by the UMF™ Honey Association to confirm MGO levels exceeding ~1700 mg/kg. Production is extremely limited — only a few hundred kilograms may be certified globally in a given year — due to the short Manuka flowering period and environmental dependencies (temperature, rainfall, nectar flow). This makes Manuka South UMF 35+ a scientific and natural rarity, often referred to as the “grand cru” of honeys.
👉 [Full guide to Manuka honey (coming soon)]
Jarrah Honey (Australia)
Western Australia’s Jarrah forests produce a honey with extremely high antimicrobial activity (TA). It’s smooth, caramel-like, and naturally low in glucose, which means it doesn’t crystallise easily.
👉 [Explore Jarrah honey (coming soon)]
Tupelo Honey (Florida, USA)
Known as the “queen of honeys,” Tupelo is produced during a short bloom along southern US rivers and swamps. Its high fructose content means it never crystallizes, a trait that adds to its fame.
👉 [Read more about Tupelo honey (coming soon)]
Island & Isolated Honeys
Colonsay Honey (Scotland)
On the remote Scottish island of Colonsay, only two licensed beekeepers are allowed, protecting a rare strain of European black bee. The honey is delicate, floral, and has Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status.
👉 [Discover Colonsay honey (coming soon)]
Pitcairn Island Honey (South Pacific)
Produced on one of the world’s most isolated islands, Pitcairn honey comes from disease-free bees in a pristine ecosystem. Supplies are very limited, and the honey is valued for its purity.
👉 [Explore Pitcairn honey (coming soon)]
Buying Guide for Rare Honeys
Because rare honeys fetch high prices, they are frequently faked or adulterated. To buy confidently:
- ✅ Always request lab reports or certificates.
- ✅ Purchase from trusted cooperatives or specialty retailers.
- ✅ Be wary of “bargains” — authentic rare honeys rarely sell cheap.
Health Benefits & Risks
Benefits — antioxidant-rich, antimicrobial, mineral-packed; many have long traditions of medicinal use.
Risks — mad honey intoxication, fake honeys, infant botulism (as with all honey).
Conclusion
Rare honeys are more than sweeteners — they are expressions of ecosystems, cultures, and centuries of beekeeping tradition. From the perfumed valleys of Taif to the mineral caves of Artvin, each jar tells a story of place, people, and bees.
Which rare honey would you most like to try? Share in the comments, and explore our full guides to each honey for a deeper dive into their stories.