Unlike most other sweet treats and sweeteners, honey packs a whole lot of healthy nutrients besides its high content of natural sugars (fructose and glucose). You can readily find a variety of honeys at most grocery stores and supermarkets these days, but as you may already know, most of the bottled honey sold at small and large retail stores is processed honey.

Natural, raw honey as it comes out of the honeycomb contains bee pollen, propolis, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, and other natural compounds that have several nutritional and medicinal value.

But big manufacturers aren’t a fan of raw honey. It’s cloudy, has ununiform color, contains air bubbles, crystallizes quickly, and isn’t easy to bottle. So, in order to create a honey that “looks” pure, flows smoothly, and has a longer shelf life, they put it through some processing.

The two main processes are filtration (removes pollen, propolis, wax, and other large particles) and pasteurization (kills enzymes and microorganisms). The resulting processed honey will last longer without crystallizing and it will look very clear due to the removal of most suspending particles.

However, despite these aesthetic advantages, processed honey is less nutritionally and medicinally valuable than raw honey. Processing honey removes several important nutrients from it and alters its natural properties, especially if it is pasteurized at high temperatures.

Raw and unprocessed honey, on the other hand, contains all of the nutrients and properties of natural honey without alteration. Whether you want to use it for its nutritional benefits, medicinal benefits, or both, raw honey is definitely a better choice than that bottled, filtered honey you see at most stores.

So, where can one buy some quality raw honey?

The following are three of the best brands of natural, unprocessed honey that you can order online:

#1. Healthy Traditions (Canadian Raw Honey)

This online shop specializes in selling traditionally produced food products, including coconut oil, olive oil, essential oils, farm products, and yes, honey. They sell certified organic raw honey that comes from Canada.

It’s a white, creamy and very tasty unprocessed honey that maintains all of the natural nutrients found in wild honey. This brand is a must-try for any honey lover and it’s one of the best out there in terms of quality and taste.

Healthy Traditions is the only retailer in the USA that carries this raw Canadian honey and they offer it in two sizes: a medium glass jar (17.6 oz / 500 g) and a bulk 15 lb. pail.

#2. Stakich

Stakich is a family-owned company that offers a decent selection of beehive products, including a variety of raw and natural honey that has not been filtered or processed.

Their top product is raw wildflower honey that is collected from pesticide-free wildflower fields in Michigan. Another option they have is buckwheat raw honey, which has a darker color and a malty flavor. Additionally, they offer a few choices of enriched honey that is mixed with natural ingredients, including cinnamon, ginger, royal jelly, bee pollen and propolis.

Besides the honey selection, you can also find pure royal jelly, bee pollen granules and powder, beeswax, edible honeycomb, and a few other products at their online store. They offer free standard shipping on domestic orders that exceed $50 in value.

#3. Y.S. Organic Bee Farms

Also known as Y.S. Eco Bee Farms, this company is one of the most reputable in the organic bee products market in the USA. Their flagship product is raw and unfiltered honey that is certified organic and kosher. It has a smooth and creamy texture and a delicious taste.

They source their honey from different eco-friendly beekeeping farms in different countries, including the U.S., Canada, Brazil and New Zealand. Each jar contains a blend of honeys from different origin farms (stated on the label), nevertheless, it is a quality and tasty product that you gotta try.

Some Questions and Answers

Is All Raw Honey The Same?

First of all, there is no standard definition of “raw” honey. Each manufacturer may have their own specifics for what they call raw honey, however, it is generally accepted that raw means that the honey has not been heated or filtered. It is natural honey as it exists in the honeycomb inside the beehive.

Raw honey must not be processed in a way that alters or damages its natural components and properties. It is usually strained to remove large pieces or wax and other impurities, but it must not be finely filtered in a way that strips out bee pollen and propolis particles.

Raw honey must also not be pasteurized, i.e. heated at temperatures above 145 degrees F, which would destroy most enzymes and microorganisms. However, most manufacturers do lightly heat honey during bottling to make it easier and more efficient to handle. This is usually done at temperatures below 120 degrees F, which should not affect the natural properties of honey.

Both strained and lightly heated (but unpasteurized) honey are labeled as “raw”, “unfiltered” and/or “unprocessed”. You should always read the label carefully or ask the company for more details about how they make their raw honey because, again, this can vary from one brand to another.

What’s The Difference Between Liquid and Creamy Honey?

You can buy raw honey in two forms; liquid and creamy. All honey starts out in liquid state when it is extracted from the honeycomb. It can either be sold in its liquid state or turned into creamed honey.

Liquid raw honey will usually crystallize and form coarse grains of sugar, which makes it not very pleasant to eat. Some varieties tend to crystallize faster than others and cold weather speeds up the crystallization process. Creamed honey, on the other hand, will not normally crystallize and that’s because it already has crystallized.

Creamed honey is basically finely crystallized honey that has a smooth texture with no graininess. It remains in this creamy state for a long period of time without turning into large granules. So, basically the only difference between liquid and creamed honey is in their texture and tendency to form large sugar crystals.

If you buy liquid honey and it later crystallizes, you can simply place the jar in a warm water bath to dissolve the granules and liquefy it again.

Does Raw Honey Have More Health Benefits?

Raw honey does have a higher nutritional and medicinal value as it contains natural enzymes, yeast, bee pollen, propolis, and microorganisms that are not present in regular, processed honey. Natural, unprocessed honey has antibacterial properties and can be used as an alternative remedy to heal wounds.

There is no question that raw honey is superior to processed varieties in almost every regard. It may not look as clear or flow as smoothly as heated and filtered honey does, but that’s because of all of the good stuff that hasn’t been filtered out of it.