The taste of Honey?

Hotburn76 · July 20, 2014, 12:03:02 AM

I took out my first set of drone comb frames and brought them home to clean them up. Was pretty impressed with how nut's the chickens went over the larvae. But on most of the frames there was a nice band of honey. So I decided to help myself to a sample. This is my first year and my first set of hives. The honey was kinda bitter or maybe you could say it had a bite to it, not smooth like the honey I buy at the local farmers market. If I was to sell it I would call it spicey honey. Is this because of it being on a brood frame so it is different or the time of year that it came it? Was just shocked by the taste, hope the honey I get to take off later taste better. Any ideas? Also I want to post a pic of the frames to ask about Varroa but don't have enough post to do so, how many do I need before I can post?

Thanks, Jason

Steel Tiger · July 20, 2014, 12:13:12 AM

I've heard that dandelion honey is bitter. I'm sure other flowers produce the same.

Wolfer · July 20, 2014, 12:20:52 AM

Honey certainly has a different taste depending on what it's gathered from. I've gotten a frame on occasion that would be sweet at first bite but leave a very bitter aftertaste. Once blended in it was fine.

When decapping I often sample the cappings. Sometimes they will be bitter but the honey will be fine. I always believed it was something they had tracked on it.

Im not wild about crush and strain on combs that have had lots of brood in them but don't have any problem extracting them.

BeeMaster2 · July 20, 2014, 06:27:31 AM

Hot burn,
Was there any pollen in with the honey. That could have added the bite. Did you separate all of the brood out?
As mentioned, the taste of honey is totally dependent on the flowers your area. One good thing is that when you pull the honey, you will bee mixing all of the honey together, blending all of the flavors together which usually makes a nice honey.
Jim

biggraham610 · July 20, 2014, 10:04:27 AM

Quote from: sawdstmakr on July 20, 2014, 06:27:31 AM
Hot burn,
Was there any pollen in with the honey. That could have added the bite. Did you separate all of the brood out?
As mentioned, the taste of honey is totally dependent on the flowers your area. One good thing is that when you pull the honey, you will bee mixing all of the honey together, blending all of the flavors together which usually makes a nice honey.
Jim

Jim, do you always mix all of your honey? Just wondering. I have only extracted a few frames this year as I was only looking for expansion, and things have gone well in that regard. Of the few I did take there were obvious color differences and I kept them separate on purpose. I guess for the commercial side, it might not be realistic, but with distinct different flows here, I think I will aim for several different Honeys in the future. G :chop:

sarahplusbees · July 20, 2014, 12:54:44 PM

Quote from: biggraham610 on July 20, 2014, 10:04:27 AM
I think I will aim for several different Honeys in the future.

The only catch there is that you still have to label everything "wildflower honey" because there's not a good way to ensure exactly what flowers it's coming from. You can still make it work by added descriptors like "Spring Honey" or "Autumn Honey" and then including a little description of the taste... kind of like they do with wine. Honey is actually a lot like wine, thy both carry a certain "terroir" from the area where they are made. Honey perhaps even moreso, because the flavor is directly related to what's blooming in the area and in what proportions, but that's something a lot of people ignore when marketing honey, and as a result consumers generally expect it to all taste the same. I think the more we, as beekeepers, discuss the fine distinctions in different types of honey with regular folks, the more of an appreciation (and thus more of a market) there will be for such things.

BeeMaster2 · July 20, 2014, 02:03:40 PM

Quote from: biggraham610 on July 20, 2014, 10:04:27 AM
Quote from: sawdstmakr on July 20, 2014, 06:27:31 AM
Hot burn,
Was there any pollen in with the honey. That could have added the bite. Did you separate all of the brood out?
As mentioned, the taste of honey is totally dependent on the flowers your area. One good thing is that when you pull the honey, you will bee mixing all of the honey together, blending all of the flavors together which usually makes a nice honey.
Jim

Jim, do you always mix all of your honey? Just wondering. I have only extracted a few frames this year as I was only looking for expansion, and things have gone well in that regard. Of the few I did take there were obvious color differences and I kept them separate on purpose. I guess for the commercial side, it might not be realistic, but with distinct different flows here, I think I will aim for several different Honeys in the future. G :chop:

No but I do mix it by location. I have 88# of honey from the farm that is all mixed together and the same amount from in town that is mixed together. Another reason for mixing is that a few frames were not fully capped. While extracting, some of the thinner honey that I tested was at 19%. After mixing, both batches came out at 18%.

Jim

divemaster1963 · July 20, 2014, 02:12:08 PM

Quote from: Wolfer on July 20, 2014, 12:20:52 AM
Im not wild about crush and strain on combs that have had lots of brood in them but don't have any problem extracting them.

I the exact reverse with honey in old comb. I have customer that love and request the old comb honey. Its darker and richer flavor ,almost woody favor they use in BBQ sauses and coffee flavoring.I sell out of it before everything else.

John

Hotburn76 · July 20, 2014, 05:26:49 PM

Thanks for all the replies guys. I don't think it had pollen in it, but it may have. And it was capped, I just scooped it cap and all out, couldn't resist.

Also, I may have missed it in the post, but any idea on how many post I half to have before I can post pics?

biggraham610 · July 20, 2014, 06:35:53 PM

No but I do mix it by location. I have 88# of honey from the farm that is all mixed together and the same amount from in town that is mixed together. Another reason for mixing is that a few frames were not fully capped. While extracting, some of the thinner honey that I tested was at 19%. After mixing, both batches came out at 18%.

Jim
[/quote]

That makes perfect sense. i never thought of the help getting down the MC. Thanks Jim. G :chop:

BeeMaster2 · July 21, 2014, 01:16:37 PM

Quote from: biggraham610 on July 20, 2014, 06:35:53 PM

No but I do mix it by location. I have 88# of honey from the farm that is all mixed together and the same amount from in town that is mixed together. Another reason for mixing is that a few frames were not fully capped. While extracting, some of the thinner honey that I tested was at 19%. After mixing, both batches came out at 18%.

Jim

That makes perfect sense. i never thought of the help getting down the MC. Thanks Jim. G :chop:
[/quote]
No problem.
I was concerned with some of the test but it all worked out when mixed.
One thing I was wondering was, did the thinner honey float to the top initially after extraction and then after sitting for a week to settle, does the thin honey mix with the thicker in the bottom to balance out?
If anyone knows, let me know. I do know, while extracting, we had frames with thick honey and some, even capped, that was thin.
Jim

divemaster1963 · July 22, 2014, 08:38:10 PM

Hey Jim

If you don't mix the two too often enough they will separate into layers. The specific gravity of the thick honey verses thin plus the water content of the two types they will still separate . I even have seen when dark and light honey poured into a jar will separate. I have actually used this to my advantage by using different flavors and colors of honey in the same jar and called a verity sampler. Sold out every time Ihave done this and had several ccustomers request it for gifts. Looks pretty cool to.

John

BeeMaster2 · July 22, 2014, 11:42:54 PM

Thanks John. In this case, all I did was take 3 buckets of each group and poured them together in my settling tank. I didn't stir them up. I tested the 6 containers before mixing and they were all 18.5 or higher. I only tested from the top of the buckets. After I mixed the 2 batches, one one week and then the other after the first batch was bottled. I just poured them in the settling tank and let them sit for a week. They were sealed in the separate buckets and I kept the settling tank sealed, so they could not have dried. That is why I suspect they blended in the tank on their own due to natural forces.
How long does your separated honey stay separated?
Jim

divemaster1963 · July 23, 2014, 02:01:35 PM

It depends on a couple of things if the difference between the. Thickness of the honey and the temps of the honey. Cooled honey will not mix as easy. When I make my verity jars I keep the honeys as cool as possible and layer them with the thickest on the bottom the tinner on top. Try to keep them below 85 degrees. And don't shake them up to much.

John

BeeMaster2 · July 23, 2014, 05:37:36 PM

Quote from: divemaster1963 on July 23, 2014, 02:01:35 PM
It depends on a couple of things if the difference between the. Thickness of the honey and the temps of the honey. Cooled honey will not mix as easy. When I make my verity jars I keep the honeys as cool as possible and layer them with the thickest on the bottom the tinner on top. Try to keep them below 85 degrees. And don't shake them up to much.

John

Thanks John.
Jim