Raw Honey Reviews

Category: Review

Green Bee Honey Soda | Green Tea Review
The summertime is the perfect time to enjoy a cold, refreshing lemonade. But this year why not try something new? Like Green Bee Green Tea Honey Soda with a unique sweet honey and refreshing green tea flavor! It’s great for quenching your thirst on those hot days when you need something light and with an energy boost.

Skip the Sodas that leave you feeling dehydrated and give Green Bee Green Tea Honey Soda a try. If you’re curious about other refreshing Honey based drinks, check out the Green Bee Lemon Sting review, Zest Tea, and Me & the Bees Lemonade.
- Honey: Smooth, lovely citrus and lemon, honey forward taste
- Flavor: Honey forward with a fresh herbal mix and lemon.
- Aroma: Fresh Rosemary, Fresh Peeled Lemon, Soothing Green Tea
- Color: Light Pale Yellow, Gets darker towards bottom of glass
- Texture: Carbonated, light and subtle bits of sediment on the bottom of glass.
“Our vision for the future is sustainable growth that allows us to share our
natural, healthier, bee-friendly soda with everyone. ”
-Chris Kinkade, Green Bee Founder

I found Green Bee Honey Soda at the local Rhino market here in NoDa within the city of Charlotte, NC. Rhino market carries lots of local products like beer, coffee, snacks and made to order sandwiches. They have fantastic management that will order new products like Green Bee Honey Soda for customers to try out.

Rhino Market & Deli off N. Davidson, Charlotte, NC

Okay, so let me tell you, the Honey Soda was so good, I asked the manager to order some more. She was excited that I liked it and the staff chimed in and said they really liked it too. The staff went ahead and ordered several flavors!

So, today I walked in and noticed the shipment had already arrived and with a new flavor as well.

Green Bee Green Tea Honey Soda with Lemon & Rosemary

Lemon Sting was Green Bees’ first flavor and it started in the Owner Chris’s Kitchen. He mixed honey from his hives with juice and herbs. His kids loved it so he decided to create Green Bee. They opened up a manufacturing facility in Brunswick, Maine.

I’ve been lucky enough to try several flavors locally in North Carolina. It should be available in more areas throughout the mid-Atlantic region soon because of their expansion in 2020.

Flavors Available:

Ginger, Wild Blueberry and Lemon Sparkling Waters.

Also, Lemon Sting, Ginger Buzz, Green Tea, Honeycomb Cider and Blueberry Dream Honey Sodas. I can’t wait to try their other flavors and products.

I plan on reviewing them all, so be sure to check back.

They even have some fun collaborations they released and you can reach out with your beverage idea and email them here: info@drinkgreenbee.com.

Who knows, maybe I’ll submit one!

Price

You can order them online for $2.59 per Honey Soda or buy a dozen for $2.45 each. I found them at my local neighborhood market for $2.50. If you want a sample, order the case with one of each flavor for $12.89 directly from Green Bee via WellBees.

Just Five Ingredients

Carbonated Water, Organic Green Tea, Honey, Lemon Juice and Rosemary. For a simple beverage, they list simple ingredients. That reflects in the taste. It’s real, and taste Homemade. Only 70 calories per bottle and I don’t feel bad about the 19g of Sugar because it’s from Honey and Lemon Juice. Not HFCS.

Green Tea Blend
- 70 calories per bottle
- Carbonated Water, Honey, Lemon Juice, Organic Green Tea, Rosemary.
- 19 total grams of sugar
The same as lemon sting but with Organic Green Tea added into the Honey Soda.

Perfect For Summer

Green Bee Honey Sodas are a delicious and refreshing drink when it is really hot outside. They have a cool, smooth taste with honey and lemon. You’ll find me out back relaxing and drinking these on the patio. I used to drink a lot of Soda, but now I tend to stick to seltzers if I want something carbonated and fruity. I had never heard of Honey Soda until I found Green Bees, but now I really like them. My favorite so far is the Honeycomb Cider.

Green Bee Green Tea Honey Soda Review
The Honey Review
Honey
Color
Aroma
Flavor
Texture
Final Thoughts
This is the third Green Bee Honey Soda I’ve tried. This being my least favorite. This Green Tea Honey Soda is mostly green tea. It’s very different to the Lemon Sting which has more bite and flavor.

This blend is very muted, but I did find it refreshing and energizing. The green tea stays on the sides of your tongue, but there isn’t much to cut the taste. When air hits your mouth you’ll pick up on the rosemary aftertaste.

I said the same thing about the lemon sting, where it could be stronger in lemon taste. But I prefer that Honey Soda to this Green Tea blend as the Honey is the star in Lemon Sting.

Everything about Green Bees Honey Soda is true to source and you’ll definitely be able to taste it. Don’t forget to slow roll the bottles to free up any sediment that has settled on the bottom. I wouldn’t add this one to my normal pick up at Rhino. I’ll be sure to ask them next time I’m in and see if they enjoy it as much as the other two and how it’s been selling.

My favorite is the Honeycomb Cider, which I drink before I can even type up anything about it.

The Green Tea is almost the same as the Lemon Sting, but with Organic Green Tea blended in. Definitely a nice little pick me up if you’re running on low energy. But overall, a pass for me.
2.8
September 23, 2022
Kirkland Southeast Unfiltered Raw Honey Review
I purchased Honey from Costco Wholesale. Kirkland products are usually high quality, and this Honey is widely available for a terrific price. It claims to be sourced locally by the State with neighboring counties. This Kirkland Southeast Unfiltered Raw Honey is 100% U.S. Grade A, True Source Certified in a 3lb plastic bottle for $11.89.

Is this a Costco keeper? Members from MyWholesaleLife praised Costco’s available Honey products. Are they mislead?

Is this just another grocery store Honey in a bigger bottle? Read on for my review of Kirkland Southeast Unfiltered Raw Honey.
- Honey: Likely heated, inaccurately raw. Heavily processed from USA.
- Color: Standard Golden Amber.
- Aroma: Nutty and classic Oaky scent.
- Flavor: Typical Clover, or Wildflower taste.
- Texture: Smooth, but thick and gel like. It has a gumminess to it, likely from being heated and over pasteurized.
Kirkland Southeast Unfiltered Raw Honey

If you’re a member of Costco you can benefit from bulk products like Honey, Olive Oil and Nuts for great prices. I picked up this Kirkland Southeast Unfiltered Raw Honey for $11.89 in a 3lb jar in Mooresville, North Carolina. Item #1294240

They couldn’t verify who the suppliers or beekeepers actually were, but I’ll take what I could get as to where it was sourced.

Misleading, but this is the world of Honey.
Also notice the price sign is different than the label. Words matter. Here they list the product as Kirkland Signature Southeast “Blend” Raw Honey.

Diving Deeper – So, Who Produces It?

Honey sold at Costco is sourced from 2 vendors. Rice’s Honey ( Local Hive ) and Honeytree. They are US based, but does that even matter?

If you look into Rice’s Honey, you’ll soon discover its actually Local Hive which is based out of Colorado. It is likely they are still utilizing that contract with Rice’s Honey aka Local Hive and possibly Honeytree.

Costco’s vendors Honeytree & Rice’s claim that its a 51% blend with clover honey.
If you think it’s actually unfiltered, it isn’t.

Costco cited the USDA’s grading standard for Grade A filtered honey. Which doesn’t tell us what we think it means.

“There is nothing about “U.S. Grade A” that implies that it’s produced in the U.S. (in whole or in part). It just means it met US FDA standards.

The Sticky Issue

Real honey is not a blended product.
Real honey is not filtered to the point that most or all of the pollen is removed.

Commercially blended honey products do not build a market for real honey.

This is Costco’s way to sell “store bought” honey as equal as “beekeeper honey”.
But they aren’t the same thing.

Basically what happened was Costco did an audit on one of their suppliers and found not all the honey was from where they said it was when they were last asked. That supplier likely got dropped and lost Costco’s business forever because they chose to lie.

What Did I Think?

The Honey itself is similar to Kelley’s Honey I just reviewed, and exactly the same as the Kirkland Texas Unfiltered Raw Honey. It’s more expensive than the Texas variant as well. This honey is a standard Clover or Wildflower Honey with no evident varietal source. Details on origin are convoluted with States and no context to season or pollen sources. You’re far too big of an entity to even consider local sourcing. That’s like saying the Chicago Bulls are Wisconsin’s Pro Basketball Team because it’s the team everyone knows in the Midwest.

Kirkland Raw Unfiltered Honey is not actually Raw, and if it was unfiltered there would be early signs of crystallization with the household temperature hitting below 65 this season.

What It Means

This means it’s been heat treated, and heavily filtered for Costco labeling and FDA standards.

Which means the “local” benefits have been processed out. I really dislike supporting this kind of honey and how its being marketed when everything that makes Honey beneficial is stripped out.

It’s still useful

I think if you’re using this to replace sugar content in recipes, or Teas its fine. Honey, I put into hot Tea is the “generic’ Honey. Where I’m just using it to sweeten something, and not really concerned about adding taste or getting the health benefits, since I’m going to kill it with scalding Hot Water.

I’ll likely use this for more Infused Honey ideas, or baked goods and breads. And with up to 65 servings at 1 tbsp each, that’s at least 60 cups of Tea. And you may think this is a value, and for some it is. But I can head to a local farm or apiary and get an entire quart for $10, which is a verified source with no misleading marketing, and I get to choose from varietal sources like Orange Blossom, or North Carolina’s exclusive Sourwood Honey.

Got to love Commercial branding, right?

I appreciate that Costco wanted to reach more markets with its Local Honey Program, but it’s just a marketing gimmick to pair up with Local Hive. The only thing the bottle is missing is the comb embossing on the side. And well, actual local honey.

The information I got from Customer Service, and the article in Costco Connection, and other sources, this isn’t actually what it’s being sold as.

Making this Kirkland Southeast Unfiltered Raw Honey just another generic grocery store Honey. Use it for Mead if you must.

Beekeepers associate these companies as Honey Packers and not actually Beekeepers. I wouldn’t buy this again, unless I needed this much in a bind.
If you don’t have a Costco membership, you could purchase this Local Hive Southeast Honey on Amazon. It’s basically the same exact thing.

Kirkland Southeast Unfiltered Raw Honey
The Honey Review
Honey
Color
Aroma
Flavor
Texture
Summary
I’ve used this for occasional recipes, because it’s 3 lbs for $11. It’s nothing special, and it’s definitely not unfiltered and raw. It may be local by State or worse Regions. Words sell however, and even knowing this isn’t what is being sold as, I’ve still bought it. I don’t recommend it for those looking for Local Honey.

They are rebranding Local Hive blends and its all-hogwash marketing as usual. Stop saying local when its inaccurate, as well as using raw and unfiltered like we slap gluten-free on everything. 100%, Unfiltered, Raw, these are now just keywords to sell Honey.

Avoid this Honey at Costco if you can.
2
August 29, 2022
Me & The Bees Classic Lemonade Review

If you love Lemonade and haven’t tried Me & The Bees yet, what are you waiting for? Grab a bottle to sip and relax by the pool this Summer. I recently picked up this at Publix and the Prickly Pear for $2.50 each. Find out what I thought of Me & The Bees Classic Lemonade in my review below.

Me & the Bees Lemonade started in 2009 by Mikaila Ulmer when she was just 4 years old out of Austin, Texas. I had the luxury of trying the original Lemonade during my time in Austin and loved it. I was able to find Prickly Pear and the Original Classic Lemonade at my local Publix for about $2.50, here in North Carolina. What a treat! But how did it get all the way over here from Texas?

Read on for my review of Me & The Bees Lemonade.

A Little About Me & the Bees and Mikaila Ulmer

Mikaila brought her favorite things together to make something incredible when she thought to use Honey from her hives and Grandma Helens Flaxseed Lemonade Recipe. I love how people tie in who they love with what they love to create something special.

Grandma Helens recipe is from the 1940’s and instead of sugar, Mikaila introduced Honey to the recipe. Since then, she’s expanded her lineup with Prickly Pear, Black Cherry, Ginger and Mint.

Another one of my favorite beverages Green Bee Honey Soda had similar humble beginnings that started with their Kids and a family recipe. I’m all about that pure and honest reason to create something bigger than yourself and to share it.

Originally Mikaila was greenlit on Shark Tank as Sweet Bees Lemonade. Unfortunately, due to copyright they had to change their name. Me & the Bees gave quite a sting to the beverage industry this last decade and has expanded into nationwide markets like Publix and even Costco.

Every bottle sold a percentage goes to Healthy Hive Foundation, a Non-Profit for saving Pollinators also started by Mikaila.

See How Mikaila Helps Pollinators Survive and Thrive

Mikaila published her book ” Bee Fearless, Dream like a Kid” in 2020. She also has a Buziness Plan Workbook for anyone who is inspired by Mikailas Entrepreneurial ship. Meanwhile, she’s steadily incorporating all sorts of engagements in her buzzing career; she is even giving away a year’s worth of product with hashtag #lovetolemonade.

Honestly, I find Mikaila incredibly inspiring. I love that she focuses on kids and pollinators, while showing the adults how it’s done! It took me like 15 years to realize I loved plants and bees; a split fascination influenced by my mother.

What’s it made with?

Me & the Bees Lemonades have no HCF, no preservatives or additives, and of course the staple ingredients; including U.S. Grade-A honey, lemon juice concentrate, Monk Fruit extract, cane sugar and flaxseed extract.

Each bottle is 12 ounces and has 120 calories per serving and just 26 grams of Sugar.

In this particular blend, we have:

Me and the Bees Classic Lemonade Ingredients
WATER, CANE SUGAR, HONEY, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, PECTIN, LEMON JUICE POWDER, MONK FRUIT EXRACT, FLAXSEED EXTRACT

Me & the Bees lemonade is proof that you can use cane sugar and honey together and have no need for High Fructose Corn Syrup at all.

Me & the Bees Lemonade

Where to buy Me & the Bees Classic Lemonade and other flavors

Originally you could only find Me & the Bees Classic Lemonade in local central Texas markets, like HEB or Whole Foods. Almost 15 years later, you can now find this lemonade nationwide. Eager buyers can find their lemonade in 12 packs at Costco (San Antonio, Austin and New Orleans). Try 3 flavors; Black Cherry, Prickly Pear, and Original Lemonade at Publix nationwide.

Additionally, Cost Plus World Market, H-E-B, Natural Grocers, Target, The Fresh Market and Whole Foods Market also carry them. Can’t make it to any of those? you can ask services like GoPuff.com to grab you a bottle or two.

Ultimately, you can just purchase directly from meandthebees.com

August 8, 2022