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We regularly update this section based on the many questions that we receive by email, text, fax and phone calls. If there is anything you need to know, please email us. Eventually, the gist of our discussion will end up here. |
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| 25.) |
How can I tell if the honey I bought is pure?
There are only two ways that you can tell if honey is pure:
The first way is if you have a lab or access to a lab. Google “Codex Alimentarius” by UN FAO WHO. It is the world standard with all the lab tests for pure honey.
The second is, keep bees for a couple of years. Then you will learn the taste of pure honey, depending on where the bees have collected the nectar they ripened into honey.
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| 26.) |
Is there any other way?
No |
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| 27.) |
Is the matchstick or tissue paper test valid?
Urban legend is: if you dip a matchstick into honey, it will still light up when you scratch it against the side of the matchbox.
Urban legend is: if the honey you put onto tissue paper does not wet it, it is pure.
These two urban legends are just tests for moisture content are not foolproof. You can get the same results from motor oil or glucose/fructose syrup.
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| 28.) |
If honey crystallizes, is it pure?
Honey granulation. All honey “granulates” in time. Most Philippine honeys do not granulate or take a very long time to granulate.
Granulation is when the bottom or all of the honey in a bottle turns semi solid and the color turns into a creamlike shade. When you try to scoop it out, it will exhibit a consistency like peanut butter only a little grainier.
This happens because the honey has more dextrose than fructose and the dextrose tends to “go out of solution” and granulate.
From our experience, only two types of Philippine honey granulate: wild sunflower (more correctly titonia) and sesbania sesban honeys. Titonia honey is very light yellow. We harvest these from our colonies that we put in sunflower fields like in Tagaytay. Titonia honey is also light yellow, but its granulation is pale yellow green.
We tend to keep granulated honey for ourselves and not sell it. It has a very refined taste. The added bonus is that you can spread it on toast, scones, whole wheat or rye bread. We sell it in the store from time to time. And we sell it when someone asks for it.
Most imported honeys granulate. Here’s a Google search on it: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-21,GGLG:en&q=honey+granulation
Honey crystallization. All fake honey crystallizes. The bottom of the bottle or the entire contents turns into a hard – white substance. It will be very difficult to scoop it out.
Honey preferences. Most Filipinos prefer light, liquid honey. Most Americans, Europeans, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders prefer granulated honey.
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| 29.) |
Why is the honey I bought different in color from the previous bottle?
We are able to harvest about many different types of honey, depending on the flower source:
Vine honey. Light yellow with a woody musky taste.
Sunflower honey. Pale yellow with a distinct pungent “sunflowery” taste.
Sesbania sesban honey. Pale yellow honey with yellow green floating crystals so fine they form a haze.
Mango honey. Bright yellow honey with an aftertaste of yellow
green slightly unripe mangoes.
Coffee honey. Dark slightly reddish brown with a very strong taste redolent of coffee flowers.
Avocado honey. Slightly amber honey. Mild and flavourful.
Narra honey. Golden amber honey with a striking taste of narra flowers; very mellow.
Mahogany honey. Mahogany colored with a slight sweetish sour taste.
Acacia honey. Light pale honey with a well rounded very mellow taste.
Coconut honey. Rich dark honey with a taste reminiscent of coconut meat and a slightly salty aftertaste.
Eucalyptus honey. Light to dark-greenish honey, faintly minty with an aftertaste of eucalyptus flowers.
Callophogonium honey. Very light honey with a well rounded mild taste.
Madre de Cacao or Kakawate honey. Like Callophogonium honey, but slightly darker in shade towards amber.
Tamarind honey. Dark brown honey with the sweet sour taste of ripe tamarinds.
Multifloral honey. Delightful mix of all the above and never tastes the same. Often, one flavour will overpower the rest. Sometimes we get two or three flavours combined. Rarely, we get two colors, layered in a bottle.
Note: all above honeys are of different flavors, textures, colors and aftertastes. They are seasonally available.
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| 30.) |
Which is the best?
The best honey is the honey in season.
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| 31.) |
The honey I bought from you last year has turned dark, what happened?
The fructose content in your honey has “degraded”. Simply put, the fructose molecules have broken down into smaller ones. This is normal of all honeys. Some darken more than others.
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| 32.) |
Should honey be refrigerated?
No need to refrigerate.
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