Honeydew honey

Definition

Aphids and scale insects feeding on tree sap take in far more sugar than they need and excrete the excess. Bees gather it from the surfaces it falls on and ripen it exactly as they do nectar. The resulting honey is darker, higher in minerals, higher in pH and richer in complex sugars than floral honey, and it is recognised as a separate class in both the Codex standard and the EU directive — the formal separator being electrical conductivity above 0.8 mS/cm.

Honey records that discuss this

• Beech honeydew honeyRich and malty with a resinous depth, a low sweetness and a distinctly savoury mineral finish — a serious honey, and quite unlike anything else New Zealand produces.
• Bilberry honeyTangy and berry-forward over a caramel base, with a green astringency and a genuine fruit acidity.
• Kāmahi honeyButtery and caramel-sweet with a faint herbal-resinous edge and a smooth rounded body.
• Greek fir honeyMildly sweet, resinous and faintly caramelised, with a soft woody character and none of the sharpness of the darker honeydews — considerably gentler than its colour suggests.
• Metcalfa honeydew honeyModerately sweet with a distinct fig and dried-fruit character over a malty base — noticeably fruitier than the conifer honeydews and quite unlike them.
• Vosges fir honeyBalsamic and malty with a resinous woody depth and a marked lack of sweetness — closer to treacle and pine resin than to anything floral.
• Lingonberry honeyDelicate and clean with a distinct tart berry note and a fresh acidity — one of the few honeys that genuinely tastes of the fruit its plant produces.
• Sycamore honeydew honeyMalty and mildly sweet with a savoury, faintly smoky depth and a mineral finish — less resinous than the conifer honeydews and more caramelised.
• Forest honeydew honeyResinous, malty and mineral, with far less sweetness than its darkness suggests. Closer to treacle and pine forest than to anything floral.
• Pine honeydew honeyResinous, malty and markedly less sweet than floral honey, with a woody, slightly salty depth and no floral character at all.
• Silver fir honeyMalty, resinous and barely sweet, with a balsamic depth and a long woody finish. One of the least sugary honeys there is.
• Spruce honeydew honeyMalty and caramelised with a woody depth and restrained sweetness — warmer and less balsamic than fir honeydew.