There are many varieties of honey you and I can buy. Rather than just pull the cheapest from the grocery shelf, did you know there are special and even rare honey? I bought and tasted some of the unusual honey available in my local stores, and bought some from oversea sources, to let you know more about some of their variations.
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Long History of Honey
Honey bees (Apis spp.), stingless bees (Melipona and Trigona spp.) as well as Nectarina wasps in South America are a subset of bees who have the ability to collect pollen, nectar and/or honey dew, and through a process of collection, digestion, and regurgitation, produce and store honey in either a hexagonal honey comb, or a storage pot.
The keeping of bees and harvesting honey has often been called both an art and a craft with the beekeeper as both the supporter and the beneficiary of the sweet fruit of the bee’s labor. Beekeeping is a centuries-old practice, The Nibble asserts ancient Egyptians domesticated bees, as they were the first to reference the use of honey in 5500 BCE via their art.
But, in 2008 a researcher found an 8,000-year-old cave painting in Spain that also depicts honey harvesting, although it is most likely wild bee’s honey. Then the Cueva de la Araña caves near Valencia, Spain, bears the earliest honey harvesting evidence, a Mesolithic rock painting dating to 9000 BCE.
I think we all can easily enough recognize that originally, in both Africa and Southeast Asia, bees and their hives have had an important role in humankind’s ongoing search for candy, as bees were the makers of the original source of sugar. I have no doubt we, and other proto-humans, were out there in the wilds never passing an opportunity to raid a wild bee hive for the sweet, calorie laden food.
But historically, honey has played a bigger part in our development culturally. We have used honey in religious activities, in social activities (think Mead), in cooking, and as a source of medicine. For some great photos from a bee keeping historical perspective see honeybeehobbyist.
What is Honey
Honey is the food product of bees, that they use to feed and support their colony and queen. Humans have learned to harvest that product and domesticate some of the bees to support our large agricultural endeavors (plants needing pollination) and provide the sweet food for human consumption.
Honey is a liquid that contains macro and micronutrients, and a blend of organic and inorganic compounds. Which ones depends basically on various factors such as bee type, floral source, environmental factors, and processing. In general, there are ~200 compounds in honey, and the ratio of each results in a variety of aromas, colors, tastes, and levels of viscosity. Too numerous to mention, here are some of what honey contains:
- Sugars (glucose, fructose, maltose, dextrose, etc.)
- Proteins
- Enzymes
- Minerals (potassium, calcium, copper, zinc, etc.)
- Vitamins (ascorbic acid, pantothenic acid, niacin and riboflavin, etc.)
- Amino acid (proline, tyrosine, and lysine, etc.)
- Antioxidants (flavonoids and polyphenols)
The NationalHoneyBoard writes there are more than 300 unique types of honey available in the United States. MichiganState reports that less than 4% of all bees, which is <800 species, actually make honey.
Honey as Medicine
Caution: Claims are made regarding honey as medicine, and many claims have in fact been proven by scientific studies. But I am not a medical doctor or expert, just a cook. So please do not take what I write as any guidline for self-care without consulting with an appropriate medical professional who is much more qualified than me to assist.
Science has proven the medicinal importance of honey and shown it has broad spectrum antibiotic, antiviral and antifungal activities. This study goes on to say: that honey has potent anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancerous activities.
Caution: Because I almost always buy honey in the raw form, I need to say that anyone who is allergic to the pollen of the plant or tree that the bees gather from, should obviously avoid that honey at all times. All raw honey may contain botulism spores which can be fatal for infants younger than 1 year old.
Traditionally, honey has been, and is still used, in the treatment of a variety of human ailments. The ingredients of honey, reportedly contain antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, anticancer, and antimetastatic properties which are used to help certain eye diseases, bronchial asthma, throat infections, cough suppressant, tuberculosis, hiccups, fatigue, dizziness, hepatic damage, constipation, parasites, piles, eczema, healing of ulcers and wounds, and neurological disease.
- In fact, our Havanese dog, Maggie, had an abcess at the base of her tale. This location was and is an active spot on her body given how much she wags that tail. As a result, it was difficult to heal, so to help, the veterinarian prescribed Mānuka Honey, “just slather it on the area”.
Sampling Overview of Special Types of Honey
Buckwheat
I ran across this honey while at the local health food store and snatched it up. Expensive but not too bad, and it looked so dark I was intrigued what it was like.
Buckwheat honey is a monofloral honey produced by honey bees harvesting and converting the buckwheat flowers’ nectar. The buckwheat grain is grown in the United States, France, Canada, Japan, and the Netherlands. But from what I have seen in the stores, the honey is primarily from Canada.
Buckwheat honey is strong and dark. In my opinion, it looks and has the texture of molasses (musty and malty). Like molasses, I use it for making meat marinade, instead of adding it to my morning tea. I am not a baker, but others who are claim baked goods using this honey will dry out less quickly, and will be less likely to crack than baked goods using sugar.
Medically, this honey has been shown to help with acid reflux, sore throats, and diarrhea. The reasoning states that it contains more antioxidants than lighter-colored honey.
I have tasted this honey directly and it tastes great. But I thought it would be a great addition to a Hot Toddy so here is my recipe for the warm alcoholic drink that might help a sore throat too.
- A Cup of Hot Toddy
- 1-2oz whiskey or brandy
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1T buckwheat honey
- 1/2 juiced lemon
- Boiling water to fill the cup
- Stir well
Coffee Blossom Honey
I bought my Coffee Honey from BeeHealthyHoneyShop on Telegraph Ave. in Oakland, California. This is a family business that started in Yemen over 4 generations ago. They feature global honey from Hawaii, Yemen, Brazil, and local honey. The Coffee Blossom Honey I bought was from Hawaii.
Coffee honey is made by bees taking nectar and pollen from coffee trees. The coffee plants need these bees to bear fruit, and the bees need the tree’s blossoms to gather food. Perfectly symbiotic and beneficial to both.
Color: Tan to light brown
Viscosity: Mine was a bit dry and crystalized
Aroma: Varies depending upon the location and coffee
Taste: Varies depending upon the location and coffee, taste can be floral + citrusy, or warm vanilla, or peachy with tropical fruits
Both the nectar and pollen from coffee blossoms contain trace amounts of caffeine. At least one study suggests that this caffeine helps bees to return to the same plants again and again until all of the nectar is collected (1). However, the honey they produce does not contain caffeine according to many producers of the honey, I think it probably has some minute quantities but too little to count.
However, I must say I am not a fan of this honey. It may indeed taste good with coffee, but not with my morning tea. However, since I bought it, I am going to finish it while looking for something in which it tastes good. But do not let me stop you, you should give it a try, for it could just be the brand I chose to taste.
Eucalyptus Honey
The bees gather nectar and pollen from the flowers of the Eucalyptus tree, and will sometimes gather the honeydew found on the bark of some of these trees. This honey originated in Australia, but it is also made in South Africa and California (as we have a lot of eucalyptus trees all over Northern California). I bought Berringa, 100% pure raw, organic, and unfiltered Eucalyptus honey with honeycomb.
Color: medium dark to amber
Viscosity: viscose
Aroma: medicinal to some, or herbal, but to me it was very honey-ish
Taste: sweetly tart, can be menthol like, but I found it had just a hint of Eucalyptus flavor
Raw eucalyptus honey contains a good amount of Vitamin C and Vitamin B9 as compared to other mono-floral honey, which makes this is a great honey for use soothing coughs, colds and upper respiratory infections. I found that this honey tastes really good, but I had to filter out the comb so I could use it in my tea. It is very tasty.
Caution: It is possible that some raw Eucalyptus honey has a presence of cineol or eucalyptol, compounds that supply the aromatic profile of eycalyptus oil. Too much consumption can bring about toxic effects, especially for children, the elderly, and diabetics.
I use it in herbal tea, per HealthLine, if my throat is feeling a bit rough, smelling the honey through the tea. But it is also good for treating small woulds, insect bites, and stings.
- India: Sore Throat Gargle
- 1T cider vinegar
- 1t lemon juice
- 1-2T tbsp honey
- ~1/2C hot water
- Keep stirring the mix until the honey is dissolved.
- Gargle
Mexico’s Melipona Honey
Stingless bees are the longest developing species of bees, in that they have been identified in 80 million years old amber (2). Some claim that stingless bee products are superior over honeybees, and are a promising source of biologically active compounds for use in medicine and nutrition. Most likely attributable to the rich vegetation in tropical and subtropical regions where stingless bees live (3).
- Stingless bees (Meliponines) belong to the genus Apidae, which is a family of social bees from the superfamily Apoidea.
- There are 500 known stingless bees, 40 are known for honey production
- Specific bees for this Mexican Melipona honey are: Melipona Xunan Kab (Melipona Beechelii) and Melipona Pisil Nejmeh (Scaptotrigona).
In the forests of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, honey from native stingless Melipona bees served as a cherished religious and medicinal syrup, and a liquidly and slightly sour food source to the ancient Mayans for thousands of years. These are a small wild bee widespread in the warm areas of the Neotropics, from Sinaloa and Tamaulipas (México) to Yucatan. But, they are also endangered by the influx of domesticated bees.
The Melipona bees have maintained the ability to absorb more of the nutritious elements from the plants they frequent in the area. TastingTable writes that the diverse flora specific to the peninsula is full of healthy compounds that Melipona bees turn into honey that is antifungal, antiviral, and antimicrobial. And some studies indicate the honey contains a higher concentration of antioxidants and inflammation-fighting compounds than honey made by bees with stingers and can serve as medicine for some conditions.
While this honey has been historically used more for its medicinal traits (like sore throats, open wounds, eye infections), its honey is more watery and takes longer to crystalize due to it containing more fructose than glucose. This results in some unique flavor and textural properties. Luckily I found some, in a very small container which was expensive; but at least I was able to taste it.
- Color: light redish-amber
- Viscosity: runny, like watered down commercial syrup
- Aroma: very slightly floral
- Taste: sweetish and acidic, I find it has almost a citrus after-note while my spouse thought the taste was just like a very thin honey.
To get a jar go to Meliponinibeehoney, where you will find it costs ~$100 USD per ounce. But remember, Melipona Stingless bees are smaller, endangered, and can only produce ~350g-1000g of honey per year, in fact, a whole colony produces less than ~1kg (735ml) per year.
This honey tastes watered-down, with a slight citrus flavor. I had four family + friends taste it, and only 1 thought it was great, 1 did not believe it was honey, and two of us thought it interesting but would not add it to food.
New Zealand’s Mānuka Honey
As the UMF writes, for almost a thousand years, the mānuka tree has been part of Māori healing traditions in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is only recently that research has lent its weight behind what has been known by the Indigenous Peoples since the beginning, that Mānuka honey is medicine.
Mānuka honey is created by honey bees that frequent the protected Mānuka tree during a short few summer weeks in the North Island. This honey is officially certified, and while it contains over 2,300 natural compounds, the certification rates the amount of those compounds. The higher the number the more ”medicine quality” the product is, like MGO 415+. The more floral and lower numbered honey is still great, and less expensive.
What makes this Mānuka plant so unique is that photosynthesis occurs both in the leaves and unusually also in the nectaries (where the nectar is produced). This means the honey produced from that nector has a certain potency not found in other honey. To my taste it was a good flavored honey and did not taste as medicinal, since it is marketed almost like medicine. It is however expensive.
Color: dark cream to amber
Viscosity: creamy and smooth
Aroma: not really sweet, more of an earthy smell
Taste: sweet and yet nutty, with slight bitterness afterwards
When buying Mānuka honey from the store, look for the Unique Mānuka Factor (UMF) mark. This means the honey has been produced by one of the 100+ beekeepers, producers, and exporters licenced by the UMF Honey Association. It is expensive though, mainly for these reasons:
- Plant is only in New Zealand (scarcity)
- Limited supply of the honey
- Best of the honey comes from wilderness areas reached by helicopter
- Each batch is tested
- The brand is not for honey but wellness and is medicinal
While most honey has natural antibacterial qualities, Mānuka honey has greater amounts of antibacterial ingredients than most. Mānuka Honey is often used to help heal burns, cuts, and acne.
Orange Blossom
I bought my Orange Blossom Honey from Heidrun Meadery at Point Reyes Station. They produce sparkling Mead from the bees they house around their land and elsewhere in California. The Orange Blossom Honey is from bees in Bakersfield who are settled among large orange groves. For me this adds an additional citrus depth to my morning Earl Grey tea.
I have read that while this tea originated in Spain and Mexico, today it seems to come from Florida, Texas and California if the jars on my local shelves are to be believed. I find it one of the sweetest honey you can buy.
Color: light sunny or golden color
Viscosity: viscous
Aroma: citrusy
Taste: very sweet to me and citrusy that carries over to any dish you make with it.
This honey is a great finishing honey for breads and pastries, and for baking as it adds its own flavor to the product. Also you can make a spread that is great on toast, pancakes, crepes, French toast, waffles, scones, quick bread, or muffins.
- Orange Honey Butter
- 1/2C softened European unsalted butter
- 2T orange blossom honey
- 1t orange zest
- Whip it all together, let set in the fridge
- Serve a dollop with the food
Caution: If buying large bottles of commercial honey check the ingredients as many add artificial flavors which makes honey smell perfumed. Ingredient list should just list honey.
My Choice of Honey
Raw not Processed
Raw honey comes straight from the beehive and has not been heated to the point of pasteurization. Once it’s extracted from the hive, it’s strained to remove any beeswax and bee body parts and then bottled. Since raw honey hasn’t been heat treated, it has a thicker, more opaque consistency as compared to processed honey.
Only Limited Filtering
Raw honey is available in both unfiltered and filtered options. I prefer only one filter to remove the wax and body parts but nothing further.
Organic
Organic honey is collected from organic certified beehives and blossoms that have not been exposed to herbicides or pesticides. As a result, organic honey is free from additives, preservatives, and chemicals. It is important to note that if a honey is organic, that does not automatically indicate that it is also raw.
No Pasteurizing
Processed honey undergoes commercial processing methods such as pasteurization (heat treatment) and ultra-filtration. I have read that these processing methods filter out antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, as well as all pollen.
Small Batch
I want the honey that is made by local growers where I know the land and people. I do not trust big corporations with wanting to take care of their bees and environment as much as I trust local or small farmers.
No Artificial Taste or Perfume
Honey taste should come from the bees and not artificially introduced by people during the processing. I do not buy infused honey.
Truthfully though . . .
I drink ~40oz of tea a day and have a bit of lemon and honey in my Earl Grey. Luckily I have a little Meyer Lemon bush right outside my back door to pluck each morning, but I am not a beekeeper. So occasionally I do buy a large 2# bottle of honey from Costco.
Buying small, craft bottles of honey is rightly expensive, but given the amount I use each day, ~4T that can get awfully expensive. (That is 5.6 gallons a year!) So while I have this larger honey sitting on my counter for my tea, in my pantry are all the smaller bottles I use for cooking, garnishing, toast, scones, cornbread, etc.
In fact, just this morning for breakfast I used up the end of a dried out baguette by slicing into small sections, toasting, buttering, and adding honey from three different jars I bought for this post. Absolutely an amazing way to start the day and update this post as well.
— Patty
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