Updated November 2026

Why put honey in your coffee?

A drop of honey rounds out cold brew so a little sweetness goes further. Here's how it compares with sugar, gram for gram, across every can we make.

Beekeeper Black cold brew coffee can with honey dripping down it, beside honeycomb and coffee beans on a golden background

The quick answer

Honey helps round out cold brew coffee and provides a subtle, yet instrumental level of sweetness that allows a small amount of added sugar to go even further. Every can of Beekeeper Coffee uses a drop of True Source Certified organic clover honey, resulting in a nutritional panel with 0g of added sugar in our Black and only 4g of added sugar in our lattes.

We make Beekeeper, so we're biased. Every number below links to its label or source.

Honey vs sugar vs syrups

Same job, different results in the cup. Honey tastes sweeter than sugar, so a little goes further than you'd expect.9 Once any of them goes into a food or drink, the FDA counts it as added sugar.7

Sweetener Taste in coffee Sugar per tbsp Sweetness On the label
Honey Rounder, floral; changes with the flower (clover is mild) About 17 g10 ~0.6 tbsp of honey matches the sweetness of 1 tbsp of sugar9 Added sugars
Table sugar Clean, neutral sweetness About 13 g10 The baseline: 1 tbsp of sugar Added sugars
Flavored syrups Carries its own flavor (vanilla, caramel); thin, mixes in cold drinks About 10–12 g; varies from brand to brand16, 17 Depends on the syrup's sugar-to-water ratio Added sugars

A tablespoon of honey weighs more than a tablespoon of sugar, which is why it holds more sugar by the spoon. Syrup figures are from cane-sugar syrups; sugar-free versions have none. The sweetness figure comes from a 2024 sensory study funded by the National Honey Board.9

Added sugar across the lineup

Per 8 fl oz can, as sold. The lattes use organic honey plus a little organic cane sugar; the 4 g covers both.

Flavor Added sugars Total sugars Calories Caffeine Sweetened with
Black 0 g 0 g 15 180 mg Organic honey (negligible sugar)4
Vanilla Latte 4 g 10 g 90 125 mg Organic honey, organic cane sugar, milk1
Mocha Latte 4 g 10 g 100 125 mg Organic honey, organic cane sugar, milk2
Caramel Latte 4 g 11 g 100 125 mg Organic honey, organic cane sugar, milk3
Horchata Latte 4 g 10 g 90 125 mg Organic honey, organic cane sugar, milk5
Hot Honey Latte 4 g 11 g 90 125 mg Organic honey, organic cane sugar, milk6

Total sugars include the milk's natural lactose. Last checked November 8, 2026.

Our honey: True Source Certified

Our honey is True Source Certified. That's an independent, third-party program launched in 2010. It audits honey supply chains, checks the paperwork and lab-tests samples, so the honey can be traced to where it came from and isn't illegally sourced or cut with cheaper syrups.11, 12

Why that matters

Honey is one of the most commonly faked foods. When the FDA tested imported honey in 2021–22, 14 of 144 samples (10%) contained undeclared sweeteners; its 2025 round found 4% of 102 samples.13, 14

Because every can contains honey, Beekeeper drinks aren't vegan.

How to add honey to coffee at home

  1. Pick the honey for the coffee Light honeys like clover stay in the background; darker ones like buckwheat taste bolder.
  2. Start with less Use a bit over half the honey you would sugar: about 0.6 tbsp for every tbsp.9
  3. Cold brew: make honey water first Stir the honey into a little warm water, then add it to the cold brew. Cold honey sinks and clumps.15
  4. Hot coffee: stir it straight in It melts into hot coffee in a few seconds.
Beekeeper Black cold brew coffee 8 fl oz can, made with honey, on a dark background
Zero added sugar

Black Cold Brew Coffee

Bold, smooth cold brew with a drop of honey. 0 g added sugar, 15 calories and 180 mg caffeine per 8 fl oz can.4

Ingredients: coffee (water, coffee), organic honey.

$44.99 for a 12-pack case

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Sources

Last checked November 8, 2026. We recheck every quarter.

  1. Beekeeper Coffee, Vanilla Latte nutrition facts
  2. Beekeeper Coffee, Mocha Latte nutrition facts
  3. Beekeeper Coffee, Caramel Latte nutrition facts
  4. Beekeeper Coffee, Black nutrition facts
  5. Beekeeper Coffee, Horchata Latte nutrition facts
  6. Beekeeper Coffee, Hot Honey Latte nutrition facts
  7. U.S. FDA, definition of added sugars, including honey (2018)
  8. U.S. FDA, final guidance on added sugars for pure honey and maple syrup (2019)
  9. Mulheron, DuBois & Mayhew, Quantifying the sweetness intensity and impact of aroma in honey, Journal of Food Science (2024); funded by the National Honey Board
  10. Texas A&M AgriLife, Honey vs Sugar (USDA nutrient data)
  11. True Source Honey, truesourcehoney.com and FAQ
  12. GloryBee, Understanding True Source Honey Certification (Feb 18, 2026)
  13. U.S. FDA, imported honey sampling, FY21–23
  14. U.S. FDA, FY25 honey sampling results (Apr 13, 2026)
  15. National Honey Board, Honey Coco-Cold Brew (honey water method)
  16. Torani, Watermelon Syrup (20 g per 2 tbsp) and Sweet Heat Syrup (23 g per 2 tbsp) nutrition facts
  17. Monin, Organic Vanilla Syrup nutrition facts (23 g per 1 fl oz)