Honey Competition in the Sequoia Room at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, USA on October 7, 2010. Judged by Maggie Wachter of Senior Honey (on the right).
Thirteen entries. The first batch judged was the light, then amber and dark honeys. Initial observations were written on cards for each entry. Once all criteria was measured, the data was transferred to scorecard and added up.
The bottles must be absolutely clean. No fingerprints or smudges. Each entry has three bottles. All three must be perfect. Marks are determined by the poorest of the three. The flashlight is used to check the clarity of the honey, looking for particles. In a large show this is the first item checked in the culling process.
Check the jar lid, this must be spotless. The bottles must be filled to the fill line. Inside the rim must be clean, no wax particles, no bee parts, dust, foam or bubbles (of any size), some people pop any wayward bubbles with a toothpick prior to the competition.
Checking the moisture content of the honey with a refractometer. 15.1 to 17.5% is the target. Over 18.6% is a fail.
Taking notes on each honey. Aroma must have no chemical smell, including windex used to clean the outside of the bottle. No smoke or fermentation.
Light Liquid Honey winners. First place garnered 99/100 points! An excellent honey.
1st place: Rich Herout
2nd place: James Belli
3rd place: Corky Schnadt
Complete list of winners – Thanks to all competitors!
LIQUID LIGHT HONEY
1st place: Rich Herout
2nd place: James Belli
3rd place: Corky Schnadt
…
LIQUID AMBER HONEY
1st place: Corky Schnadt
2nd place: Rich Herout
3rd place: James Belli
…
LIQUID DARK HONEY
1st place: James Belli
2nd place: Charles Lorence
3rd place: Chris Albert
…
CANDLES
1st place: James Belli
2nd place: Rich Herout
3rd place: Charles Lorence
…
BEST IN SHOW: James Belli
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