Coffee and Honey? The Market Speaks

Back to School Edition: Coffee Time

No one likes to talk about the end of summer.

But yesterday was Back to School Week at the CCE Farmers Market, and the Backyard Bees table woke things up all morning long with a little coffee, a little honey, and a lot of opinions.

Yes. Honey isn’t just for tea.

Warming Up to the Idea

Tea and honey is an easy yes.

But saying, “Today we are talking about coffee and honey” was apparently the perfect way to get everyone to voice an opinion.

This was good for me, because I needed to practice saying those words. A lot.

Coffee and honey.

Coffee and honey.

Coffee and honey.

Eventually, the words started flowing almost as smoothly as the iced coffee I was serving.

And yes, I was serving it ice cold.

That made perfect sense for a summer farmers market, especially during a season when cold drinks seemed to be everywhere. Still, there were a few coffee purists who weren’t having it.

One man summed up his position perfectly:

“Coffee should only be served hot, while beer should only ever be served ice cold.”

Fair enough.

The opinions were mostly positive, though, and the buzz around the table was real—even as the morning went on and the ice in my iced coffee became somewhat less prominent.

I was originally scheduled to do one demonstration at 9:30.

Instead, I used my remaining supplies and kept talking about coffee, honey and homemade syrup until the market ended.

Apparently, people were warming up to the idea.

Surprise City

I wasn’t surprised when several people politely refused a tasting because they were “not coffee people.” And I wasn’t surprised to discover that there were a lot more coffee people than tea people.

But there were a few surprises.

French Vanilla was by far the favorite. I could only make one batch of samples at a time—remember, I’m a beekeeper, not a true barista—but we went through eight batches of samples.

We made mocha exactly once.

When I was researching how to make a really good iced coffee at home, oat milk kept coming up. So I tried it. It really does make a smooth, creamy drink.

No one else seemed particularly surprised by this discovery. Apparently everyone has been using it forever.

Just not me.

But honey as a sweetener for coffee? That was new territory for a lot of people.

Not everyone, though.

“Teach Me!”

Claire came through the market pushing an incredibly handsome rescue dog in a stroller and waving her empty reusable iced-coffee cup at me.

Her message was basically:

TEACH ME.

She had great questions. She wanted to know exactly how to recreate the drink at home.

And apparently she meant it, because she has already written to me asking for the exact recipe.

Claire wasn’t alone.

At the beginning of my first demonstration, Allie and Andy stopped by with their friend Annie. Allie and Andy had originally come to talk to me about honey favors for their wedding, but before they left, I wanted to make sure all three of them got coffee samples.

By then, I was already giving my second presentation and had a pretty good crowd waiting to taste. So I jokingly announced that I would start handing out samples alphabetically.

Allie.

Andy.

Annie.

Easy.

Until a woman in the crowd immediately announced:

“MY name is Antonella!”

Almost at the same moment, a man called out:

“My name starts with F!”

I took care of F immediately.

Clearly, people were warming up to the idea.

Wait. Whipped Honey?

Antonella had another surprise for me.

Her daughter makes espresso with whipped Backyard Bees honey every day.

Wait.

Whipped honey in coffee?

I had come to the market to introduce people to honey syrup.

Instead, they started giving me ideas.

Then Alyssa hung back after one of the demonstrations to tell me about a favorite drink at North Shore Roastery called a Bee Sting Latte, made with honey and steamed almond milk.

She followed up with another one: the Honey Badger from Kookaburra in St. Augustine, a latte made with honey, cinnamon and vanilla.

And, as if the universe had decided that Saturday was officially Honey + Coffee Day, a new coffee shop called Salt & Honey opened in Sea Cliff that very same day, with honey coffee drinks on the menu.

Maybe coffee and honey isn’t such a strange combination after all.

Make It at Home

The question I heard over and over Saturday was some version of:

“How do I make this?”

The idea behind honey syrup is simple.

Honey tastes wonderful in coffee, but it can be stubborn about dissolving in a cold drink. Turning it into a syrup first makes it easy to mix into iced coffee—and easy to keep in the refrigerator for a busy morning.

French Vanilla Honey Syrup

• ½ cup honey
• ½ cup water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• Pinch of salt

Combine the honey and water and stir until completely blended. Add the vanilla and a pinch of salt. Cool and refrigerate.

Yield: About 12 tablespoons, or approximately 6 iced coffees.

Make it once and you’re set for the week.

Your 4-Step Morning Routine

1. Get your glass ready.
Fill a tall glass with plenty of ice.

2. Add the sweetness.
Pour 2 tablespoons of French Vanilla Honey Syrup over the ice.

3. Pour the coffee.
Add 1 cup chilled, double strength coffee.

4. Make it creamy.
Add 2–3 tablespoons oat milk, stir and enjoy.

A few things I learned along the way:

Start with strong coffee because the ice will dilute it. Chill both the coffee and syrup ahead of time. Pour the syrup over the ice before adding the coffee. And adjust the oat milk to your own taste.

The Best Part of Making It Yourself?

You control the ingredients, the sweetness and the cost.

And there is no drive-through required before you’ve had your coffee.

I went to the farmers market prepared to teach people how to make iced coffee with honey syrup.

I came home with a list of coffee and honey drinks I need to try.

Whipped honey is first.

Looking Ahead: Health & Wellness Day

Next Saturday is Health & Wellness Day at the CCE Farmers Market.

I had originally planned to bring back my Milk & Honey Facial, but after all the conversations around coffee this week, I may stay in the kitchen instead.

I’m thinking pink.

Beets. Ginger. Lime. Honey.

It’s a combination I’ve enjoyed after a summer run, and it may be time to bring it to the farmers market.

Or I may come up with something completely different.

Either way, we’ll be talking about honey, health and wellness.

Come see what I’m up to.

Meanwhile, let’s see what next market brings.

Continue Exploring

A Real Farmers Market at Eisenhower Park what makes the farmers market at Eisenhower park so special to me; find links to all the market reports here

National Honey Bee Day 2026 last week’s market report