How honey quality is assessed
There are four separate questions hiding inside is this good honey — is it authentic, is it what it says, is it well made, and do I like it. They have different answers and different tests.
The four questions
- Is it honey?An authenticity question. Answered by isotope analysis and NMR profiling, not by anything visible.
- Is it what it says?A floral and origin question. Answered by pollen analysis and, where they exist, by protected designations.
- Was it well made and well handled?A technical quality question. Answered by moisture, HMF and diastase measurements.
- Do I like it?A sensory question, which no laboratory answers and which is the only one that decides what you should buy.
The technical markers
| Measure | Good result | What a bad result means |
|---|---|---|
| Moisture | Under 18% | Risk of fermentation; extracted before capping |
| HMF | Under 40 mg/kg | Overheated or old |
| Diastase activity | Above 8 on the Schade scale | Overheated, or a naturally low-enzyme honey |
| Electrical conductivity | Matches the declared type | May indicate honeydew sold as floral or vice versa |
| Pollen spectrum | Matches the declared floral source | Misdescription |
HMF and diastase together are the heat markers. A honey with high HMF and low diastase has been warmed hard at some point. Both are affected by age as well, so an old honey and an overheated one look similar on paper.
What raw means, and does not
Raw is not a legally defined term in most jurisdictions. In practice it means unpasteurised and minimally filtered, retaining pollen and enzymes. That is a genuine difference from heavily processed honey, and it is not a guarantee of anything else — raw honey can be high in moisture, poorly stored, misdescribed or adulterated.
Assessing it yourself
- LookConsistent throughout, no frothy layer, no separation into two phases. Crystallisation is fine and not a fault.
- SmellWarm a little on the spoon with your hands. There should be something. A honey that smells of nothing has usually been heated or is very old.
- TasteSmall amount, let it coat the mouth, breathe out through the nose. Note the finish as well as the first impression.
- Check the labelCountry of origin, floral source, harvest year if given. Vague adjectives in place of specifics are worth noticing.
The most reliable practical signal is a producer who can answer questions: which flow, which year, which region, what moisture. Someone who knows those numbers is generally someone whose honey is worth buying.
What quality does not mean
It does not mean expensive, dark, raw, organic, single-origin or famous. Each of those is a specific property with specific implications, and none of them is a synonym for good. The honey you enjoy eating, from a source you can verify, at a price you are willing to pay, is the one to buy — and that judgement is yours rather than a laboratory's.
Sources
- Standard for Honey (CXS 12-1981) — Codex Alimentarius Commission, FAO/WHO (1981) · Standards document Link
- Council Directive 2001/110/EC relating to honey — Council of the European Union (2001) · Regulatory guidance Link
- United States Standards for Grades of Extracted Honey — United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service · Standards document
How sources are selected and weighted is set out in the sources and evidence policy.
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Tools that use this
- Honey finder
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- Flavour selector
I like this taste — which honeys have it?
- Honey comparison
How do these honeys actually differ, beyond colour?