The following guide will clarify some of the terms used for honey and honey products.
Blended Honey: A homogeneous mixture of two or more types of honey differing in floral source, colour, flavour, density or geographic origin.
Churned Honey: See whipped honey.
Comb Honey: Honey supplied on its comb or a part of it.
Creamed Honey: See whipped honey.
Crystallised Honey: Honey in which part of the natural glucose content has spontaneously crystallised and is also called ‘Granulated Honey’ or ‘Set Honey’.
Extracted Honey: Honey removed from the comb and can be presented in several forms, 1) liquid, 2) crystallised or granulated or 3) partially crystallized.
Filtered Honey: Honey processed by filtration to remove extraneous solids and pollen grains.
Honey Fondant: See whipped honey.
Floral Source: This refers to the primary flower source of the honey, e.g lavender or clover.
Honey Source: This is what determines the colour, texture and smell of the honey.
Manuka Honey: Manuka honey is a form of monofloral honey which is produced by bees which feed on the flowers of the manuka plant, better known as the tea tree, found in New Zealand and parts of Australia. Manuka honey is dark in colour with a strong flavour. The tea tree is known to be antibacterial and antifungal and it is has been used for decades in products such as mouth wash and disinfectant. Manuka honey harnesses the properties of the tea tree, combining them with the already naturally antibacterial properties of honey. In addition to tasting good, manuka honey can also be used in wound dressing to prevent infection.
Mead: An alcoholic drink made from fermenting honey and water or honey water and grain.
Monofloral honey: This is honey made from nectar of predominantly one plant, e.g Heather, Manuka etc and usually has its own distinctive taste and colour.
Organic Honey: Honey produced, processed, packaged and certified in accordance with State and Federal regulations on honey and organic products.
Raw Honey: Honey as it exists in the beehive or as obtained by extraction and settling, without adding heat or fine filtering.
Set Honey: See ‘crystallised honey’.
Spun Honey: See ‘whipped honey’ .
Strained Honey : Honey which has been passed through a mesh material to remove bits such as pieces of wax, propolis, bee parts or other materials but without removing pollen.
Tupelo Honey : This is a premium honey from White Ogeechee Tupelo and is only produced in the river valleys of North West Florida. Tupelo honey has a clear yellow colour with a characteristic greenish glow. Tupelo honey has a high fructose content making it one of the sweetest honey varieties. The high fructose content also means that it does not tend to crystallise or granulate.
Whipped Honey: Honey processed, by controlled crystallisation, to a smooth spreadable consistency. Also called Creamed Honey, Spun Honey, Whipped Honey, Churned Honey,Candied Honey or Honey Fondant.
