Flavour selector
Start from a flavour you already like and work outwards to the honeys that carry it — and to the families that keep turning up alongside it.
28 of 265 honeys carry mineral and saline
What tends to come with it
Families that appear on the same records, commonest first. This is a count of co-occurrences in the catalogue, not a claim that the two tastes resemble each other — it answers “if you like this, what else is usually in the jar”.
- Malty (15)
- Molasses and treacle (14)
- Woody (12)
- Resinous (9)
- Caramel (8)
- Smoky (6)
- Floral (3)
- Fruity (3)
- Animal and barnyard (2)
- Buttery (2)
- Nutty (2)
- Phenolic and medicinal (2)
- Herbaceous (1)
- Vegetal (1)
All 28 honeys
In catalogue order. Nothing here is ranked — no honey is a better answer than another until you say what you want it for.
- Ivy honeyStrong, faintly bitter and distinctly herbal — closer to a dark honey in character than its pale colour suggests.HerbaceousVegetalMineral and saline
- Pōhutukawa honeyMild and creamy with a faint salt-and-mineral edge from the coast, and a butterscotch note that emerges as it warms on the tongue.ButteryCaramelMineral and saline
- Black mangrove honeyLight and clean with a distinct saline-mineral edge and a faint smoky note — the salinity is genuine and reflects the tidal ground the trees grow in.Mineral and salineFloral
- 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.MaltyResinousMineral and salineMolasses and treacle
- Bell heather honeyRich, warm and fruity with a caramel base and a distinct red-fruit note — sweeter and rounder than ling heather, and without its smoky bitterness.FruityCaramelMineral and saline
- Cabbage palm honeyDark, smoky and savoury with a mineral saltiness and only moderate sweetness — an unusual and polarising honey.SmokyMineral and salineMolasses and treacle
- 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.ResinousWoodyCaramelMineral and saline
- 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.MaltyFruityMineral and salineMolasses and treacle
- 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.ResinousMaltyWoodyMineral and saline
- Tajinaste honeyDelicate and clean with a light floral sweetness and a faint mineral edge from the volcanic ground — subtle rather than characterful.FloralMineral and saline
- 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.MaltyMineral and salineMolasses and treacleWoody
- Buckwheat honeyMalt, molasses and wet straw, with a savoury, almost animal depth. The most polarising honey in general production.MaltyMolasses and treacleAnimal and barnyardMineral and saline
- Chestnut honeyAromatic, woody and unmistakably bitter — sweetness first, tannin second, and a long dry finish.WoodyResinousNuttySmokyMineral and saline
- Heather honeyStrong, smoky and slightly bitter, with a lingering woodfire-and-toffee character. One of the most complex honeys produced anywhere.SmokyCaramelWoodyMineral and salinePhenolic and medicinal
- Manuka honeyEarthy, mineral and damp — heather-like without the smoke, with a faintly medicinal edge. Distinctive rather than delicious, and not what most people expect for the price.Mineral and salinePhenolic and medicinalCaramelWoody
- Forest honeydew honeyResinous, malty and mineral, with far less sweetness than its darkness suggests. Closer to treacle and pine forest than to anything floral.ResinousMaltyMineral and salineWoodyMolasses and treacleNutty
- Avocado honeyDark, buttery and molasses-rich with a savoury, almost salty edge. Nothing about it suggests the fruit.Molasses and treacleCaramelMineral and salineButtery
- Pine honeydew honeyResinous, malty and markedly less sweet than floral honey, with a woody, slightly salty depth and no floral character at all.ResinousWoodyMaltyMineral and saline
- Silver fir honeyMalty, resinous and barely sweet, with a balsamic depth and a long woody finish. One of the least sugary honeys there is.ResinousMaltyWoodyMineral and salineCaramel
- Oak honeydew honeyEarthy, salty and barely sweet, with a bitter-mineral depth and a finish more like a stock or a yeast extract than a sweetener.Mineral and salineMolasses and treacleWoodySmoky
- Spruce honeydew honeyMalty and caramelised with a woody depth and restrained sweetness — warmer and less balsamic than fir honeydew.MaltyWoodyMineral and salineCaramelResinous
- Carob honeyDark, malty and distinctly savoury with a fermented, almost cheesy note that people either find fascinating or cannot get past.Molasses and treacleAnimal and barnyardMaltyMineral and saline
- Banksia honeyStrong, malty and savoury with a burnt-caramel depth and a distinctly salty-mineral edge.MaltyMineral and salineMolasses and treacleSmoky
- Sundarbans mangrove honeyLight, tangy and faintly saline with a fresh floral character — considerably more delicate than its dramatic provenance would suggest.FloralMineral and salineFruity
- Mopane honeyDark and malty with a savoury mineral depth and a faintly smoky finish — closer to a European forest honeydew than to an African blossom honey.MaltyMineral and salineMolasses and treacleSmoky
- Tamarisk honeyDark and mineral with a malty depth and a distinct faint saltiness that reflects the ground — an unusual and genuinely savoury honey.Mineral and salineMaltyMolasses and treacle
- Holm oak honeydew honeyDark, savoury and barely sweet, with malt, liquorice and a genuine salt-mineral depth. As far from what people expect honey to be as anything in the catalogue.Mineral and salineMaltyMolasses and treacleWoody
- Mangium honeyDark, malty and lightly resinous, with a savoury depth that reads as honeydew rather than as blossom.MaltyResinousMolasses and treacleMineral and saline
- Flavour families are editorial groupings, and the boundaries between them are matters of judgement rather than fact.
- It does not model intensity of a family, only its presence — a honey with a trace of smoke and one dominated by it both match 'smoky'.
- Adjacency is co-occurrence in this catalogue, not similarity of taste. It answers what tends to be in the jar together, which is a different question from what tastes alike.
- The map shifts as the catalogue grows, which is correct and does mean a link shared today may show slightly different neighbours next year.
The vocabulary under each family
HoneyHQ’s six groups and eighteen families, with the reference terms the International Honey Commission’s trained panels use and the terms official honey specifications add. A term is a link only where a source has named it in a honey in the catalogue; the rest are vocabulary, shown so you can see what the family covers.
Floral and fruity
- Floral
- orange blossom
- violet
- rose
- hyacinth
- Fruity
- pear
- apple
- red fruit
- blackcurrant
- coconut
- apricot
- exotic fruit
- dates
- prunes
- figs
- raisins
- candied fruit
- dried fruit
- overripe apple
- Citrus
- lemon
- orange
- grapefruit
Green and herbal
Warm and cooked
Woody and resinous
- Resinous
- cedar
- pine resin
- propolis
- fresh conifer wood
- spruce-tip syrup
- balsamic
- Woody
- leafy wood
- dust
- Smoky
Spicy and sharp
- Spicy
- clove
- nutmeg
- coffee
- Phenolic and medicinal
- styrene
- paint
- solvent
- household soap
- vitamin b1
Earthy and mineral
- Mineral and saline
- damp cloth
- humus
- stuffy
- Waxy
- Animal and barnyard
- piquant cheese
- vinegar
- cheese
- perspiration
- cowshed
- cat urine