Thyme Honey from Crete

I’m proud to partner with the Saviolakis family in Crete to produce my very own Papadomanolakis Thyme Honey from Crete. This family has been collecting and producing raw thyme honey from the Lefka Ori (White Mountains) of Crete in the region of Sfakia for more than 10 generations, or approximately 250 years. They are believed to be the oldest continuous beekeeping family on the island.

The wild, mountainous region of Sfakia is known to produce the best and healthiest thyme honey in the world. This is because of the uniqueness of the climate coupled with the topography, geography, and the proximity of the stunning White Mountains to the ocean. These factors cause the thyme flower to bloom at one of the highest altitudes in the world — more than 4500 feet above sea level.

The elevation produces a richer and denser flavor with a floral profile which, in addition to the thyme flower, also contains the magical Cretan mountain herbs — malotira and dictamus.

The Saviolakis family are farmers and bee keepers first and foremost and only produce their own single-source raw thyme honey. No antibiotics or pesticides are ever used  (confirmed by FDA inspection and other chemical analysis that are performed regularly).

Papadomanolakis Cretan Thyme Honey is a true thyme honey as opposed to one with wildflowers, pine, polyflora, or labeled "with thyme." European and Greek legislation states that for a honey to contain ONLY the words “thyme honey" in its name, it must have more than 18% thyme content. Depending on the season, Papadomanolakis Cretan Thyme Honey has almost double that amount with consistently more than 30%.

Of all the Greek honeys, Cretan thyme honey is considered the best and rarest because the collecting season is only a few weeks in the summer from late June to August (elevation dependent) and thus the amount of honey the bees produce is a lot less.  When the thyme flower blooms it makes the entire landscape a beautiful bright purple color. A prominent research study of honey in Greece showed that the thyme honey from Sfakia had the highest anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties by far. Some research papers by the National Institutes of Health also mention the possible anti-oxidant and cancer preventative effects of Cretan thyme honey and its superiority to even Manuka honey.