Although many of them may have the same appearance and colour, not all honey are equal. In fact, there are more varieties of honey than you may think and know. Made by different flowers and containing various compositions of antioxidants and other goodness in them, you’ll be spoilt for choice when you truly discover what each type brings to the table!
With so many options to choose from, it can be a dilemma when it comes to selecting the type of honey that is right for you. No worries, that’s why this guide is here – to help you make the right decisions when it comes to purchasing honey. Are certain types healthier or tastier than others? We hit the hive to provide you with the answers you are looking for.
What to Look Out For When Purchasing Quality Honey
Many of us are familiar with those off-the-shelves honey that you can easily grab on the shelves of any store or supermarket. However, those are mainly processed honey with high sugar content, and basically nothing else. Hence, they do not provide any benefits for you except maybe helping you to save some bucks. The key is knowing how to identify the unadulterated and unprocessed honey, the real “liquid gold” that actually has the minerals and nutrients you are looking for. All of this might seem overwhelming, but there are several factors that can help you to differentiate.
Forms of Honey
There are a lot of varieties when it comes to honey today but the ones you should be looking for is raw honey which are usually available in the form of wild honey or farm honey. These are the ones that are collected naturally, either from wild bees or bees that are reared in honey farms. These are the high-quality honey that you want. There are many dishonest retailers today who are taking advantage of consumers by labelling their products as pure honey when it is not. Therefore, another way to ensure that the honey you are buying is authentic is to read the back of the label to ensure that the ingredients only say ‘honey’ and not any other mumbo-jumbo.
However, if you are still unsure on how to identify natural honey, just go for honeycombs. Unlike honey, the structure of the honeycomb is impossible to be replicated, therefore they are the best bet for authentic honey.
Taste & Texture
Apart from the benefits they offer, different types of honey will also have its own taste as well. Pure honey has complexities that processed counterparts are unable to provide. Although all honey tends to be sweet, the level of sweetness can range from mild to strong, while some can have additional flavor profiles like bitterness or a fruity fragrance. For example, honey produced from the nectar of orange blossoms will have a citrusy taste, while honey produced from the nectar of a chestnut blossom will have a nutty and earthy aftertaste. What you can do is to ask for a sample whenever possible to determine if the flavours taste genuine and not just plain sweet.
In terms of texture, natural honey has various textures apart from the natural sticky and viscous sensation that we are so accustomed to. Some may have a sandy and granulated texture, while others are not as free flowing as you might expect.
Origins and Floral Type
Another way to check if what you’re buying is the real deal is to check the labels for its origins. Just like Manuka Honey should always only come from New Zealand, there are some types of honey that are native to certain countries. Also, you can also look to see if the label mentions the source of the honey or the type of flower where it came from. Beekeepers and authentic honey producers are proud of their products and will want to tell you about it. If the label does not mention anything about its origins or source, more often than not, it is adulterated honey.
Benefits
As mentioned above, different varieties of honey have their respective benefits. This can also be a determining factor to decide the honey that you should buy. Most retailers have a wide array of honey to offer, thus knowing what you are exactly looking for can help to narrow down your search. For example, Jungle House has 6 different types of honeys, ranging from Royal White which promotes anti-aging and helps insomnia, to Yellow Love that improves eyesight and improves the body’s immunity.
We hope that this article has shed some light on how to select the right honey the next time you shop for one. If you are in the market for pure honey, feel free to drop by at any Jungle House outlet and explore our wide assortment of honey varieties available in our outlet. All the best in your honey hunting and may you find your very own “honey”!
