What is the best honey?
It is one of the most famous foods worldwide and in almost every country they have their own flavours and varieties: Honey. This special product is the subject of many discussions, blogs and also myths and fables. But how do I recognise a good jar of honey? And perhaps more importantly, how do I recognise a bad honey before I have purchased it?
Honey is eaten all over the world and is liked by almost everyone. Honey occurs from the nectar that bees extract from flowers, after which they take it to the comb in the nest. Here, via a natural process in which the bees add enzymes to the whole thing, among other things, the honey is then produced. The characteristic taste of the honey you like is due to the type of flower from which it is extracted by the bees.
Honeys that many people like include those from sunflowers and the well-known acacia honey. These are accessible and deliciously sweet. There are also types of honey that have a fruity or even a nice spicy flavour such as thyme honey. There are more than 100 types of honey origins, and then there are also many types where additional experimentation with flavour has taken place. If you, as a honey lover, want to find out which honey tastes best, you can go and try them all!
Besides honey, other special natural products come out of the beekeeper’s honeycombs. For example, you have beeswax, propolis and Royal Jelly. These are products that are also created during the life of bees. Beeswax, for example, can be used for natural candles or for natural detergent. Propolis is used for all kinds of health applications for humans and animals. Royal Jelly is the propolis made by the queen bee, making it rare and very special.
The quality of honey depends largely on the quality of the environment in which the bees live, and then on the beekeeper’s processing process. Unfortunately, if the bees collect their nectar in polluted areas, the chances that beautiful, healthy natural products can be made from it are not so high. Bees that make their honey in remote areas generally give better quality. This also makes it very difficult to make organic honey, as this places demands on the wide area where the bees are. In many countries, such areas are almost impossible to find.
Then it comes down to the processing of the beekeeper and the company that prepares the honey for sale. It is important that the honey is swirled cold, because if this is done too hot, the healthy substances go out of the honey. The water content is also very important, because if it varies just a little, the honey will not keep as long, which is annoying for consumers. Honey must also be stored airtight again as soon as possible to preserve its quality.
Honey is tested at different times by companies that process it if all goes well. Do they process honey from China, for example, containing pollen that is only found in brazil? Then they know something is wrong and that they may have mixed the honey. The water content must also be correct, and no substances must have been added to the honey. Real natural honey consists of 80% natural sugars, but that does not mean it is unhealthy. This is because there are also very many healthy substances naturally present in honey.
In many countries, a certain unique type of honey is a national product. This may be, for example, because the flowers from which the honey is made are found only in that country, or because the honey has special properties. Perhaps the most special example of this is honey from the island of Pitcairn. This extremely isolated island in the Pacific Ocean makes its own honey. This product is very exclusive and is sold in luxury London department stores, for example.
The type of honey to which perhaps the most benefits are attributed is manuka honey. This honey comes from Australia and especially New Zealand, where it is extracted from the manuka tree. You can recognise the honey by its often dark colour and the spicy aftertaste that is very characteristic of this species. Because this honey is very expensive, we always recommend buying it from a reputable seller, or from a well-known brand. This way, you avoid buying a fake product that has flavourings added to it, for example.
What you like the best honey is simply a matter of taste. You can determine in advance what the best quality is. In this, you really don’t always have to find the very best quality on the whole market. You would probably do well not to buy honey that you cannot be sure is authentic and contains no additives. Organic honey goes a bit further, as they have even stricter certification requirements. So if this is important to you, it might be best to choose Organic honey.
Many beekeepers are hobbyists or people with a great passion for the craft. Professional beekeeping has been struggling for ages, despite honey being such a beautiful natural product. If you find this topic interesting, you might consider visiting a beekeeper in your area. Chances are you can purchase honey here that has been made recently, or even get to taste a piece of honeycomb straight from the bees’ nest. This is a unique experience and most beekeepers will be able to offer you a lot of interesting information about their craft, honey and bees.
