The Honey Hunt

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.

March 28, 2015

Wild Blackberry

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, but in my unscientific estimation it looks White or Extra Light Amber to me.
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: I think of this as a sweet and sour honey. At first the taste is sweet, but the finish is tart. The flavor is fairly complex. It has a hint of berry taste that reminds me of blueberry.

March 8, 2015

Ohi'a Lehua Blossom

Packager: The Big Island Bee Company, LLC 82-5780 Napoopoo Road #100, Captain Cook, HI 96704 (808) 328-1315. www.bigislandbees.com
Nectar Origin: Hawaii.
Color: No color given. This honey was crystallized. After warming it up it looks water white to extra white.
US Grade: None.
Filtration: Raw.
Price: About $21.30/pound.
Flavor: The texture of this honey is grainy. To me it had three distinguishable notes: (1) a general floral note, (2) a nutty taste that made me think of almond, and (3) another flavor note that I cannot describe that was a bit bitter and off-putting.

January 18, 2015

Acacia 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. This is definitely Water White.
US Grade: None.
Filtration: Raw.
Price: About $12.70/pound.
Flavor: I admit this one has me stumped. To me there seem to be no undertones or aftertastes. This is simply the taste of pure, clean honey. My wife says she detects a small fruity aftertaste. Maybe so.

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.