I've been brewing for 6 years now...winemaking, too. Recently decided to try some hard cider and mead. I've got a couple batches of cider underway from the fall harvest and have been doing some reading on mead. I have Schramm's book and have been reading a bunch on the web, too. There is obviously a large variance in the price of honey out there and I have found myself gravitating towards doing a full 5 or 6 gallon batch with high quality honey for the first batch. I've read a lot of comments regarding using the "freshest" honey available. Right now, my interest is being peaked by Tupelo and Orange Blossom honeys. I read the Tupelo blooms come out in the springtime and thus I assume the freshest Tupelo honey would be bought around the May timeframe. Indeed, some of the supplies of Tupelo are sold out for the season. Here's my question: am I going to sell myself short on the starting quality for Tupelo if I buy it now, in November...or should I table this project until Spring when the next Tupelo harvest occurs?