Bee Raw

When I first met Zeke Freeman, the owner of Bee Raw, he sat me down at the kitchen counter in his Soho apartment and lined up a rainbow of every single one of Bee Raw's varietal honeys for me to sample. One by one, he dipped a popsicle stick into each jar, swirled it around in the honey, and handed it to me to taste. We talked for a minute or so about each one, discussing the nuances in flavor and color. I was there on a quest for something a little bit different for a column I was writing and eventually settled on the earthy Buckwheat Honey. Since then I make sure to always have a jar of Bee Raw in the house to drizzle on my yogurt, stir into my tea, slather on a bite of cheese -- whatever. - Merrill