If you are expanding your knowledge of honey, or you’ve heard about a delicious honey, or you are interested in the health benefits of honey, then your next step is to learn enough to judge how to select a honey to buy and try. What types of honey are available? Where do you look to find good honey? Are there different grades of honey? What honeys offer the best health benefits?
In general, for flavor, aroma and health benefits, the best honey is raw honey, this is honey produced with minimal processing and has nothing added or removed. Raw honey created with minimal levels of chemical additives is known as organic honey. To help protect the consumer, many countries have developed honey standards so people can reliably know and trust what they are getting.
Types of Honey:
1/ Basic Types: If you are familiar with wine, then you will quickly pick up the important factors affecting the selection of honey. Just as wine comes in two basic types, white and red, honey comes in two basic types, also from biological origin.
- Blossom or nectar honey: The honey produced mainly of nectar from flowers
- Honeydew, fir or forest honey: The honey produced mainly from the sweet excretions of insects (honeydew)
2/ Varieties of honey: Like wine, honey is differentiated by the source or plant varietal (as well as location). This is the actual source of the nectar or honeydew used by bees to create honey. Just as flowers have different colors, forms and aromas, so does the honey. Honey produced from the nectar of orange blossoms looks, and tastes entirely different from honey produced from the nectar of chestnut tree blossoms or from honey produced from the honeydew from aphids (yes, aphids) on pine trees in Turkey. Depending on the proportions of flowers in the area where bees collect nectar and the timing of the collection of honey from the hives, honey may be either:
- Multifloral honey: Created from the nectar of many types of flowers around the hive, or
- Single flower or monofloral honey: Created mainly from one type of flower or honeydew
This is a surprise to many people because most honey purchased in supermarkets in the United States is made from unidentified blends of honey with a similar taste and appearance between brands. Once you have tried unblended honey from a single flower source or location, you will discover the variety and taste sensations that will amaze and delight. The United States, although relatively new to honey production compared to the rest of the world is the source for many of the finest single flower honeys.
3/ Presentation: The next factors in the types of honey are the presentation of the honey, assuming minimal heating and processing
- Comb Honey: This honey is sold packaged in the beeswax comb. This is freshest and purest form of honey you can get as it has never come into contact with air. Some producers put the comb packaging containers in the hive so that no cutting is required to create smaller size pieces for sale. The comb is edible. Kids and older kids like to eat the honey and wax together and spit out the wax! My favorite way is to eat the comb with cheese and bread or on toast.. the combined textures and flavors go together well.
- Chunk Honey or Cut Comb: This is pieces of comb honey cut up and added to the honey in a jar or container.
- Drained Honey: The honey is obtained by draining the honey comb by gravity.
- Extracted Honey: The honey is obtained by extracting the honey from the comb by centrifuge. This is the most common method.
- Crystallized or Granulated Honey: Eventually the glucose in honey will crystallize. This is a natural effect. Honeys with a greater glucose to fructose proportion and higher water content will crystallize faster. Because of its high fructose ratio, Tupelo honey may resist crystallization for years while canola honey might start crystallizing in the hive! This does not affect the taste or quality of the honey. To reliquefy, simply put the jar in warm water for an hour or two. It will remain liquid even after it has cooled.
4/ Common Processing: Honeys that have been changed through processing.
- Filtered Honey: This is honey that has been filtered in such a way as to remove a significant amount of pollen from the honey. A common method of ultra-fine filtering is to add diatomaceous earth (DE) to the honey. This absorbs fine particles, then it is filtered out through a series of progressively finer filters to remove the DE and any other particles. This produces a very clear honey that appeals to many consumers. It also removes the benefits of pollen but if the honey is not heated as part of the filtering process this is not otherwise harmful. Most honey made by small honey processors or packers will strain, rather than filter the honey to remove larger, non-honey particles, but not remove pollen. Strained or unfiltered honey will crystallize more quickly but is easily reliquefied with no loss of quality by putting the jar into warm water. For most honeys, crystallization is a good sign that it is unprocessed. Use of a microwave to heat is not recommended. Another practical drawback of removing the pollen is that it makes identifying the source of the honey very difficult, the most important factor for identifying the composition of a particular honey and establishing the credibility of the source.
- Creamed honey: Also called “Whipped Honey”, “Candied Honey”, “Churned Honey” or “Honey Fondant.” This is Honey made by controlling the crystallization process to produce very fine crystals resulting in a pleasing, soft honey that spreads easily and doesn’t harden even at cool temperatures. It is a low temperature process which leaves all the healthful benefits, taste and aroma unchanged. This doesn’t mean that all creamed honey is unheated—the process also works with honey that has been heated first then cooled. The first practical process was developed by Dr E.J. Dyce a professor of Apiculture at Ontario Agricultural College—now University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario Canada (my hometown I’m proud to say) in 1928. The process begins with starter crystals made from honey (ideally the same kind of honey) that has crystallized naturally and been ground or pulverized to a fine grain. This mixture is then stirred at a constant temperature. The size of the starter crystals, the moisture content of the honey, the stirring temperature and stirring time are all variables that effect the final product. Creating a smooth, finely textured creamed honey is an art and the result of fine beekeeping skill. Creamed honey is generally preferred by Europeans because of its spreadability and texture.
Next: How can we be sure of the honey we buy? Honey Standards.
Recently I saw a report on the net that no trace of pollens could be found in 70% of the honey sold in North American stores. The report suggested that what was being sold was not pure honey. After reading about the multistage filtering with diatomaceous earth, I am left wandering whether the survey report was a case of correct methods but wrong conclusions!
Thank you also for explaining ‘creamed honey, honey fondant etc’. They are not commonly available in this country.
Yes, the lack of pollen doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t pure but it does effectively prevent identifying the source of the honey. One relatively benign reason for ultra filtering is to retard the crystallization of honey by removing tiny seed crystals and residue that help crystallization begin. Of course this also removes the healthful benefits of the pollen. The concern is that without pollen, it is basically impossible to identify the source of the honey, allowing honey to be cheaply produced from questionable sources. Even though there is research that has identified specific chemical markers for certain types of honey, pollen continues to be the best method.
Can you please tell me what is Royal Jelly and are there any side effects of having it? Also do you have any info on rewarewa honey?
Thanks,
Avik
Hi Avik:
Royal jelly is a protein-rich substance secreted from glands in worker bees. It is the primary food of queen bee larvae; unlike workers and drones which receive a much smaller amount.
Through a process called DNA methylation, royal jelly can actually affect the genetic makeup of the bee, turning the same larvae that becomes a worker bee, into a larger, egg producing queen. The amazing thing about DNA methylation, which may occur in invertebrates as well as insects is that is shows that genetic makeup may be modified by what we eat.
Compared to normal worker bee food, Royal jelly is particularly rich in pantothenic acid and biopterin, but in spite of many claims to the contrary it is doubtful it has any special healthful properties.
Rewarewa, Rewa Rewa or New Zealand honeysuckle (Knightia excelsa) is a native plant of New Zealand. It yields both pollen and nectar. The beautiful florets of the velvet red cluster burst open with quantities of nectar! This honey color varies from light yellow to dark amber. It has rich distinctive flavor described as, burnt, sweet like toffee, malty.
I bought a Mountain Ridge Pure Raw Honey from North Carolina, but now the label states pure honey from USA and Argintina. Is this a mixture of two different honeys? Is it a better honey?
Hi Cynthia:
Blending generally results in a less distinctive honey, although there may be exceptions. If you have the exact web address of the company, I’d be happy to inquire as to the meaning of two country sources.
Scott
We just spoke to our local beekeeper, who is also a well-known speaker when it comes to honey production. We heard from him that a majority of the honey you find in the store nowadays can contain up to 90% corn syrup in certain brands!
I don’t see your articles reflecting this possibility and would like your input…
Raw honey lover.
Hi Leland:
That is an interesting possibility and one that, under the current lack of standards and enforcement, is entirely possible. In the United States, with the exception of Florida and California there is no legal definition of honey. See Senators Urge FDA to Adopt Honey Identity Standard. In practice, you needn’t worry though. By following a few simple buying rules you will seldom need to worry about “impure” honey. Buy honey that comes directly from a beekeeper, either online or directly at a farmer’s market, a road-side stand or the apiary itself. In the supermarket, don’t have high expectations for something called ‘honey’ that doesn’t identify the beekeeper, the location of the hives or the type of predominant flower, any more than than you would for a wine called simply ‘red wine’, with no other identification. It is likely a cheap blend of honeys at best, and at worst, your beekeeper’s declaration may not be too far off. For more info on lack of buyer protection in the United States, see Honey Standards.
…Scott
I have heard that honey can “ferment”. Can you explain a little more about this please? I purchased a generic “organic” wildflower raw honey from a big-name healthfood store. When I got it home and opened it, I realized that it has an incredible amount of foam on the top. Its consistency is that of the head on a freshly poured dark amber beer! I have put my ear to it and it doesn’t sound like it is fermenting. I have collected a substantial amount of raw honey before from all over the world(even in the middle of the Yucatan jungle from beekeepers in huts where the keeper scraped it from combs into my plastic water bottle for lack of a better container). I am used to bits of flotsam which form a sediment (wax, bees’ legs)in my honey. I have never seen this foamy smut before in such quantity in honey. I can send a picture if you would like. Is this safe to eat? My gut tells me not to. Also, I wish I could “follow” you. Thank you for your site. I found you while searching for the leading country of lavender honey production. I was guessing France, but I wasn’t sure. Cheers!
Hi Nina:
Fermentation in honey is the result of a high moisture content combined with temperatures between 52 and 73 degrees F. At moisture contents as low as 17.1%, sugar-tolerant yeasts can grow in honey, but at low concentrations of yeast, honey will generally not ferment until over 19%. If in doubt of the moisture content, then storing honey at less than 50 degrees F. will prevent fermentation.
Fermentation results in the formation of ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide. Oxygen, acting on the alcohol breaks it down into acetic acid and water. This may cause fermented honey to taste sour, but not normally be dangerous. Crystallization of honey, a naturally occurring process, causes the moisture level to increase along with a tendency to ferment.
The only honey I’ve had that fermented was the normally delicious Pitcairn Island honey. It took almost 3 months to get and I assume it may have been stored at higher temperatures and had the high moisture content often associated with ‘jungle’ honey. I simply store it in the fridge or freezer now where it lasts for years.
Spoilage by bacteria and mold is prevented by the hygroscopic nature of honey. It absorbs water, including the water in bacteria and mold! This effectively neutralizes them and prevents spoilage.
I will see about updating the blog to let people follow. You can also become a friend of http://www.facebook.com/honeytraveler. I would love to hear more about your adventures in the Yucatan. Was it stingless bee honey you tried?
…Scott
i want to sale my hony.interesed are contact by mail?????
Hi M. Ilyas:
I am happy to help, but I it would be very helpful to people looking for honey if you could provide more details of your honey.
For instance:
…Scott
I got here due to searching for info on fermented Honey. I tasted some partially fermented honey originating from a small private source in Myanmar. The bees collected the nectar from a Plum orchard. The fermentation is enough to give distinct sophisticated bouquet of brandy tones but not enough to cause any intoxication. I have been told that this jar of Honey was further aged for 17 years in a Monastery. This Honey makes any other I have ever tasted PALE in comparison. Unfortunately it will be impossible to acquire more from the same source. I DO want to attempt to copy it to the best of my ability though. From what I read here, it seems my best avenue would be to acquire some totally raw honey of various specific Floral origins, and then add a small amount of distilled water to bring the water content to approximately 20+% and then store it at the temperatures listed, but with a small bubbler airlock to let out excess CO2, but to not let in Oxygen? This would prevent the acetic acid from forming and going sour? What do you think? Any final advice would be appreciated before I give this a try.
Hi Abrosia:
I would have loved to have been in Myanmar (Burma) with you! Trying that fermented honey sounds like an amazing experience. Not exactly mead, but then again maybe it is! I suggest looking here for information. Got Mead is a deep repository of mead making information. I’m sure you will get some good direction there.
…Scott
helloo Scottt
my namew is hugo i recently got into honey business and try to learn
i have a business partner who helps me he has been doing it for 10 years.
his honey is raw multifloral i try to help him to export the producdt but we do not know the price of our product i understand you are not financial adviser it is just we do not want to be taken advatage of by the exportes so could you plz send me your advice about the price
best regARDS HUGO CASTRO
Where can I purchase Yellow Box Honey in the U.S. I live in WA St., and have not found any, unless it is packaged under different description ? Thank you
Hello Scott, where can I buy Melcalfa pruinosa (Say) honeydew honey? I would like to buy about two dozen bottles. Is it available online? Regards, Eva
Hi Eva:
I haven’t purchased Melcalfa Honeydew online. I purchased it on a trip to Italy. It is available widely in Europe, but as you know, not here in North America. One of the outstanding brands from Italy, available world wide and online is Miel Thun. They produce Forest Honey (Melata di Bosco). Try looking online for a credible store Google Search for: Melata di Bosco Thun. Let me know how it turns out!
…Scott
Hi Hugo:
The prices for premium gourmet honey range from $12 to $22 per kilo on average. Of course this is market/demand dependent. If selling to tourists and your beehives are located in the heart of a tourist mecca, it could sell for quite a bit more. For instance, I just came back from British Virgin Islands where I met with a native beekeeper on Jhost Van Dyke, a popular tourist island. He had no charging $20/ 12 oz jar for “Island Honey”.
Good luck with your honey business!
…Scott
Is there a large market for US clover honey in Europe? Where can I find European honey wholesale prices per country. Thanks
Also… Any leads on trusted German honey packers.
I am Abu Nasher from Satkhira Agro & Beverage. (under Satkhira consulting firm Ltd.) Dhaka Bangladesh.
We supply pure wild (Sundarban) honey & Cultivation honey of Bangladesh. We know that your company still
interested to pure honey. For that can we share our honey business with your company?
Thanks…….
Md. Abu Nasher
Satkhira Tour & travel
Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Call +88 01193 275 443. +88 02 8189819.
eM-info@scflbd.com, http://www.Scflbd.com
February 1213 we purchased four 500 gram bottles of honey in Cancun Mexico.
We are fond of this honey and have been bringing it home for years with no problem.
All bottles are labeled: ‘Miel de Xtabentun y Dzidzilche, 2012 Producto Artesanal Miel Maya Coba’ with various lot numbers.
On opening one of the four bottles there was a slight release of pressure and a layer of foam began to appear. I poured a small quantity into a glass and after 10 – 15 minutes it turned completely to foam.
This behavior seems like dissolved gas coming out of solution. This is the first time I have seen this in Yucatan honey.
Have you seen anything like this? I have eaten some of this honey and suffered no ill effects. Would it be better to discard it?
Thanks,
Burt
Hi Burt:
I sounds like your honey fermented. It is not uncommon for honey that has a higher moisture content, especially if it is stored in a warm environment. I had the same thing happen with (otherwise) excellent honey I purchased from Pitcairn Island. It can happen for a variety of reasons:
- bottling uncapped honey being the common one – the honey has not been dehumidified by the bees sufficiently and therefore not capped with wax for storage
- crystallization can also increase the moisture content, as the moisture carrying capacity of the honey lessens with the change brought on by crystallization
- Some environments tend to produce higher moisture content honey.
Honey produced in tropical environments can have a higher moisture content (greater than 18%).
With the Pitcairn island honey, I opened it and tasted it. It was excellent! It had a wonderful fruity flavor. I took the jar to my office to share with my coworkers that day, and was surprised that their response was not so hot.
I tasted it myself and it was not very good. It was foamy and had fermented! I took my other bottles and put them in the freezer before opening them. They are still good… very thick, but delicious.
As you probably know, mead is made from fermented honey and is not dangerous to drink. Some people actually let their honey ferment before eating it because they prefer it that way. Since it is wild yeast, the flavor may or may not be good. I would store it in the fridge to inhibit other bacterial growth. I think the risk is low of ill effects.
To avoid fermentation of your other bottles, assuming they came from the same batch/hive, I recommend storing them in the freezer or fridge.
…Scott
Dear Sir,
We are from Malaita, Solomon Islands and we have good quality natural honey. Can we export to Australia at a better price per kg?
Thanks
Hi Patrick:
You will need to provide more information if you expect to get a useful response. Better price than what, for instance. You may have trouble exporting to Australia. They are restricting imports of honey in response to the uncertainty over bee death world-wide.
…Scott