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By Root 581 0

Larger honey packers and distributors create a consistent flavor profile for the masses by using the more commonly available and less distinctly flavored honeys. Some of these honeys are imported from other countries. The final product tends to be a clear and overly sweet honey without any distinctive flavor characteristic. Unfortunately, many people who say they dislike honey feel this way because blended honey is the only type they have ever tasted. I have converted many honey loathers into honey lovers by offering them a taste of my own single-floral honey. In most cases they were surprised by the difference and are now on their way to becoming honey fanatics.

LIQUID HONEY is the honey most people in the United States are familiar with and pour into their tea. Easy and convenient to use, liquid honey is usually sold in the popular squeeze bear or those familiar oval jars beekeepers call queenline -style jars. Liquid honey can be single floral or blended. All of the beeswax has been filtered out during the extraction process. Larger honey packers may also heat or pasteurize their honey, eliminating many of its vitamins, minerals, and other valuable properties. Liquid honey purchased from your local beekeeper may vary in color and, if it has not been filtered excessively, it will appear cloudy, retaining particles of pollen and propolis. It is not unheard of finding a bee part or two in unfiltered, raw honey.

COMB HONEY, HONEYCOMB, OR SECTION HONEY is what I call the jewel of the beehive. In The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin describes honeycomb as a masterpiece of engineering that is “absolutely perfect in economizing labor and wax.” Architecturally, the hexagon is the most efficient shape, using the least amount of beeswax.

Honey in the comb is uniquely delicate and light because it is still inside the wax where the bees stored it. When you spread honeycomb on a slice of bread, the honey oozes out of the tiny wax cells, exposing it for the first time to the air. This uncompromised freshness is why I call honeycomb the purest, rawest form of honey. As it oozes out of the cells, the honey can be spooned into your mouth for a sweet explosion. And, yes, you can eat the wax.

A perfect honeycomb specimen has no uncapped cells, dry holes, drips (called weepings), or damage from bruising. It should appear smooth and consistent in color. Honeycomb can be round or square. Each section usually weighs not less than twelve ounces. All liquid honey is spectacular, but once it is filtered from the wax and poured into a jar, it will never have the same delicate taste as fresh honeycomb.

CHUNK HONEY is a chunk or piece of honeycomb floating inside a jar of liquid honey. If you measure a frame from a honey shallow, you’ll see it is possible to cut out two pieces of honeycomb that are four inches by four inches, leaving a narrow piece left over. This extra piece is what is reserved for chunk honey, and therefore no part of the honey frame is wasted. That piece should be placed inside the jar perfectly vertical with the beeswax cells pointing up from the center foundation piece. Consumers can either pour the liquid honey out from around the comb or scoop out a chunk of the comb itself. Chunk honey is like having the best of both worlds. This style of chunk honey is one of my favorites and would be my honey of choice, along with a piece of toast, if I were stranded on a desert island.

DRIED OR DRY HONEY is honey that has been dehydrated with drying aids and then processed. It is sold as powder, flakes, granules, or crystals and can be light or dark in color. Dry honey has added products to stabilize it and is not considered pure honey at all. There could be sugars, corn syrups, processing aids, bulking agents, or anticaking agents added, making the total content of honey only 50 to 70 percent. Unlike pure honey, dry honey has a limited shelf life, and probably the only benefit is the convenience of the powder and the fact that it’s not as messy or drippy as liquid honey. If you are a purist, like myself, and prefer the real thing,