Organoleptic properties

Visual appearance

Very dark almost black amber colour, minimum 90 mm Pfund.

Aroma

Very intense and lasting floral and clearly malted aroma.

Flavour

Sweet with savoury notes owing to its honeydew content.

Texture

Very slow crystallisation or no crystallisation.

Pollen spectrum

28.8% carob (Ceratonia siliqua) as the main melliferous plant, 26.5% asparagus (Asparagus spp.), 15.8% ivy (Hedera helix) and 7.3% common myrtle (Myrtus communis) as principal accompanying melliferous plants.

Geographical origin

Es Rafal de Planícia is an estate in the municipality of Banyalbufar, in the west of the island of Mallorca in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, which have been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It covers 55 hectares and the estate’s distinctive features include its dry-stone terraces with olive trees that date back centuries growing on them, adapted to the mountainous landscape and its Mediterranean light, which colours an idyllic landscape with the sea and the mountains.

Botanical origin

The flora of Es Rafal de Planícia is of particular botanical interest from a beekeeping perspective, with a wide variety of plant communities and a wealth of flora including native plants such as foxglove (Digitalis minor). From the beekeeping point of view, the large forest of holm oaks (Quercus ilex) marching up the mountain is especially important, as are the carobs (Ceratonia siliqua), which are very typical of the Mediterranean climate, asphodels (Asphodelus spp.), grey-leaved cistus (Cistus albidus), Montpellier cistus (Cistus monspeliensis), asparagus (Asparagus spp.), many-flowered Mediterranean heather (Erica multiflora), strawberry trees (Arbutus unedo) and other species accompanying the dominant blossoming plants like ivy (Hedera helix) and common myrtle (Myrtus communis).