Viscosity

Definition

Honey's thickness comes from extensive hydrogen bonding between sugar molecules with very little free water between them. Viscosity falls sharply with warmth and rises sharply with cold, which is why a jar from a cold cupboard barely pours and the same jar in a warm kitchen runs freely. Low-moisture honeys such as the Australian box honeys are markedly more viscous.

Guide records that discuss this

• Honey authenticity, adulteration and testingHoney is among the most adulterated foods in world trade. The tests are good, the evasions are better funded, and almost every home test circulating online does not work.
• Honey moisture explainedWater content is the single most consequential number on a honey analysis. It decides whether the honey keeps, how it pours, how fast it sets and whether it is legal to sell.

Question records that discuss this

• Why is honey sticky?Because it is a concentrated sugar solution with very little free water. The sugar molecules form extensive hydrogen bonds with each other and with any surface they meet, which produces both high viscosity and adhesion — and it is why water dissolves honey instantly.
• Why does honey not dissolve in cold drinks?Honey is a supersaturated sugar solution — around eighty per cent sugar held in about eighteen per cent water — so there is almost no free water in it to help it disperse, and cold liquid does not supply the energy to overcome its viscosity. Stir honey into a little warm water first to make a syrup, cool it, and it will mix into anything.