I Knew Luban. I Did Not Know Luban Honey.

Frankincense is known in Arabic as luban.

In Oman, especially in Dhofar, frankincense has a history much larger than fragrance. But knowing the resin is one thing. Tasting honey associated with its flowering is another.

Experience Oman notes that in the Mugsayl area of Dhofar, frankincense trees flower and honeybees produce frankincense honey.

The First Spoon

I remember the flavour because it was different from what I expected.

It was not simply “sweet honey with incense flavour”. Honey does not work like that.

What interested me was its own character: something distinctive enough that I immediately wanted to understand where it came from.

I appreciated it from the first tasting.

Then He Gave Me Frankincense & Samar

The beekeeper made me taste another honey he described as Frankincense & Samar.

He explained it to me as a harvest connected to a period between floral phases, when the bees could work the available bloom across that transition.

I want to be precise: that is how this beekeeper described the harvest to me. Floral composition should ultimately be supported by traceability and, where needed, laboratory analysis.

In February 2026, Oman News Agency independently reported an Omani award for both frankincense honey and frankincense with Samar honey.

Rare Does Not Mean Magical

The beekeeper described Luban honey to me as rare and available in limited quantities.

A strongly characteristic harvest depends on flowering, bee movement, weather, colony strength and what else is blooming.

I prefer not to turn scarcity into mythology. A honey becomes interesting when rarity is accompanied by origin, harvest information, sensory identity and trustworthy people behind it.

Dhofar Gives the Honey Its Botanical Story

Frankincense is particularly associated with Dhofar in southern Oman.

Oman News Agency lists frankincense honey among notable honeys produced in Dhofar, alongside gum arabic, Sidr, flower and Samar honeys.

This matters because “frankincense honey” should refer to a real relationship between bees and frankincense bloom, not simply honey infused with resin after harvest.

A Conversation Became a Relationship

The most valuable part of this story did not end with the tasting.

I stayed in contact with the beekeeper. Over time, questions about harvests became discussions about origin, seasons and what was actually available.

Today, he has become a trusted partner.

That relationship matters to me because MESKI was never meant to be built by choosing anonymous jars from a catalogue. I want to understand the people behind what I offer and what I write about.

What Oman Keeps Teaching Me

One discovery leads to another.

Sidr leads to Samar. Frankincense resin leads to frankincense honey. A tasting leads to a beekeeper. A beekeeper becomes someone you trust.

The more I discover, the more I realise there is still something else I do not know.

How I Would Buy Frankincense Honey

I would ask simple questions. Where was it harvested? When? What was flowering? Is the honey naturally derived from bee forage, or has frankincense been added afterward? Can the producer explain the apiary and harvest?

The questions are not there to destroy the romance. They protect it.