Introduction

Introduction


In his monumental work, On Food and Cooking, Harold McGee writes, "[t]hough most honey is made from a mixture of nectars from different flowers, some 300 different 'monofloral' honeys are produced in the world . . ." Harold McGee, On Food and Cooking, page 663-64, Scribners, 2004. In 2012 I began a quest to try a few of these monofloral honeys. After a while I began looking for a book that would guide me in my quest and found nothing that met my demands. The reason for this was that I looked too soon. As far as I can tell, only in the summer of 2013 were two popular books published which cover this topic, The Honey Connoisseur by Marina Marchese and Ken Flottum and Taste of Honey by Marie Simmons. Not having had these books available, I took to the Internet -- that repository of all truth -- and found helpful information from the National Honey Board. On its website the Board provides a catalog of honey varietals that gives a good description of each floral source and sometimes a description of the honey's flavor. There is also a helpful brochure on varietals here. So, why isn't that the end of the story and the end of this blog?


One need only try a few of the many clover honeys available to discern that clover honey from one region tastes a bit different from clover honey from another region. There are regional differences in honey that make a noticeable difference. The Board's information is too general to take this fact into account. In addition, the Board doesn't review the honey of a particular supplier, as I intend to do. As for the books, they limit their discussion to 30 and 40 varietals, respectively, and I intend to go beyond that number. Another reason for soldiering on in this quixotic quest is that the Board's list is incomplete in some respects, as it readily admits. I suggest you consult both the Board and this blog when learning about a particular honey.


Accordingly, for the benefit of all mankind, I reluctantly take up the task of eating my way through as many honey varieties as possible and sharing some information about each variety. I hope you find something useful in what I write and return regularly as I slowly build this database. You see, I intend not to gain any weight in doing this project, so it will take years to complete. Spoons at the ready? Get set! Go!


A Note on Color


No, I am not color blind. I too can see that amber-colored honey is not white. Then why would I call any honey white? In the United States the US Government has classified honeys in seven categories: (1) water white, (2) extra white, (3) white, (4) extra light amber, (5) light amber, (6) amber and (7) dark amber. I have used this classification system because it appears on most labels. I might have used the Pfund honey grading system (which is in millimeters), but I don't want to pay for the equipment to take those measurements and you wouldn't care about those measurements if I had.

December 9, 2014

Rapsflower Blossom Honey

  • Packager:          Breitsamer + Ulrich GmbH & Co KG, Berger-Kreutz Strasse 28, D-81735 Munchen, Germany Tel. +49 89 45 05 62 0    www.breitsamer.de
  • Nectar Origin:   Unknown.  Presumably Germany.
  • Color:                No color given.  It looks Water White to Extra White.  
  • US Grade:         None.
  • Filtration:           Raw.
  • Price:                 About $6.36/pound.  
  • Flavor:               The honey has a creamy texture.  If you had blindfolded me and asked me to guess what this was, I would have said it was a clover honey.  The flavor notes are hard to tease out of this one.  Butterscotch candy comes to mind.  

November 16, 2014

Mountain Gamble Oak

  • Packager:          Bee Chama Honey, 233 West Frontage Road, Polvadera, New Mexico 87828 USA  www.beechamahoney.com
  • Nectar Origin:    Unknown. Presumably somewhere in the western United States.
  • Color:                No color given.  To me it looks Light Amber.
  • US Grade:         Not Listed - It claims to be extra virgin, just like the olive oil.
  • Filtration:           Raw.
  • Price:                About $13.00/pound.  (I bought a small bottle mislabeled as 12 ounces, it's probably about eight).
  • Flavor:              This is a honeydew.  Aphids and other insects excrete sugary substances which the bees collect and make into honey.  You would never know that from tasting the honey.  This honey was delightful.  Its flavor notes brought to mind light molasses, corn syrup or toffee.  

October 4, 2014

Tupelo Honey

  • Packager:          Savannah Bee Company, 211 Johnny Mercer Boulevard, Savannah, Georgia  31410; (800) 955-5080  www.savannahbee.com
  • Nectar Origin:   Southeastern United States
  • Color:               White to Extra Light Amber
  • US Grade:        None listed
  • Filtration:          Raw
  • Price:                $19.50/pound 
  • Flavor:              This honey is smooth and sweet that seems a bit effervescent on the tongue.  It's undertones are subtle.  Buttery is a term many have used to describe it, and that is about as well as I could do.  This one is a favorite of mine.

July 18, 2014

Honeyville Wildflower Honey

  • Packager:          Honeyville Colorado, 33633 Highway 550, Durango, Colorado 81301 USA  (800) 676-7690  www.honeyvillecolorado.com
  • Nectar Origin:   Southwestern Colorado
  • Color:               My guess is White.
  • US Grade:        None listed.
  • Filtration:          Raw
  • Price:                $4.86/pound 
  • Flavor:              I know that this is supposed to be a blog about mono-floral honeys, but I was in Colorado and just had to give this a try. Whatever flowers the bees may have visited, the predominate flavor in this honey is clover.  I like it. 

May 7, 2014

Coming Soon . . .

To my one follower:

Don't despair, more honey reviews are on their way.  I've got five open jars right now and want to work a few down before opening anything new.  You can expect the following later this year:

Tupleo Honey
Mountain Gamble Oak Honey (Honey Dew)
Star Thistle Honey
Mesquite Honey

In the meantime, here is a link to a few honey descriptions from Bee Chama Honey.

March 10, 2014

Yemen Sidr Honey

  • Packager:         Yemen Sidr Honey, Aljabereen Street, Wadi Do'an, Hadramout, Yemen Tel. +967.777537082.  www.yemensidrhoney.com
  • Nectar Origin:   Wadi Do'an, Hadramout, Yemen 
  • Color:               Not specified by the packager, but looks Amber in the package and light amber on the spoon.
  • US Grade:        None.
  • Filtration:          Raw.  
  • Price:                $109/pound, includes shipping.  
  • Flavor:              This honey is claimed by many to be the best honey in the world.  It is certainly the most expensive.  The taste is rich and complex -- and it lingers.  The predominant flavor note is caramel.  This honey is like candy or dessert and doesn't seem to need to be paired with anything.
  • I ordered this from Yemen directly and it took about two months to arrive.  
  • In her book The Honey Trail, Grace Pundyk writes that there are several types of sidr honey and that they "are named after the seasons in which they are harvested: shatwi (winter) honey is the most prized, but kharfi (autumn), rabi'i (spring), and sayfi (summer) honeys are also valued."  Grace Pundyk, The Honey Trail at 19.  I have no idea when this honey was harvested, but it can't be winter honey.  It's not that good.

March 4, 2014

Mielbio -- Italian Mandarin Honey

  • Packager:          Rigoni do Asiago USA, Miami, FL USA 33127 www.rigonidiasiago.com
  • Nectar Origin:   Italy
  • Color:               Not listed.  I'd say Water White. 
  • US Grade:        None listed.
  • Filtration:          Raw. 
  • Price:                $18.00/pound.
  • Flavor:              This honey has a pleasant light-yellow color that glistens due to the creamy texture.  It has a floral aroma and a mild flavor.  Had I not been told otherwise, I would have sworn this was clover honey.  There is a slight hint of orange. 

February 18, 2014

Hawaiian Kiawe Honey

  • Packager:          Volcano Island Honey Company, LLC, 66-1250 Laiamilo Farm Road, Kamuela, Hawaii  96743 USA (888) 663-6639 www.volcanoislandhoney.com
  • Nectar Origin:   Hawaii
  • Color:               My guess is White.
  • US Grade:        None listed.
  • Filtration:          Raw
  • Price:                $34.00/pound 
  • Flavor:              What stands out about this honey is its pearly white color, silky smooth texture, and strong floral smell.  Kiawe is a relative of the mesquite tree, but the flavor isn't anything like mesquite honey.  It is a very sweet honey with a flowery taste and notes that remind me of white cake batter.  Apparently the Kiawe tree is endangered, so don't put this purchase off too long.