Honey Types and their Characteristics

There are many species of honeybees, and each species can produce honey with unique characteristics. However, the most commonly consumed types of honey come from the European honeybee (Apis mellifera), native to Europe but have been introduced to many other parts of the world.

Honey varieties refer to the different types of honey produced based on the flower source from which the bees gather nectar. There are more than 300 types of honey produced globally.

Honey Categories 

There are two categories:

  • Blossom honey: It is produced by the bees collecting the nectar of flowers 
  • Honeydew honey: It is produced by secretions of plant-sucking insects.

The blossom honey can be categorized based on the types of flowers the bee collected the nectar:

Monofloral honey – Monovarietal honey 

This type of honey is made primarily from the nectar of a single type of flower.  Monofloral honey can be difficult to produce, as it requires a large number of the same type of flower to be in bloom in a particular area. This means that monofloral honey is often produced in small quantities and can be more expensive than other types of honey. Monofloral honey is often prized for its unique flavour and aroma, and it is sometimes considered higher quality than other types of honey.

Thyme honey: This is one of the most popular honey varieties in Greece, made by bees that collect nectar from thyme flowers. It is commonly found in Mediterranean countries, including Greece, where thyme honey is particularly popular. It has a light colour and a strong, herbal flavour.

Acacia honey: This light-coloured honey is produced by bees that collect nectar from acacia trees. It has a mild, sweet flavour and is popular in tea and baked goods.

Clover honey: This honey is produced by bees that collect nectar from clover flowers. It has a light colour and a mild, sweet flavour.

Eucalyptus honey: This honey is produced by bees that collect nectar from eucalyptus trees. It has a strong, medium-sweet taste and a damp wood aroma. Most of the times is dark amber coloured.

Buckwheat honey: This honey is made by bees that collect nectar from buckwheat flowers. It has a rich, dark flavour and a dark colour.

Lavender honey: This honey is made by bees that collect nectar from lavender flowers. It has a light,  medium sweet taste and the colour may vary from white to very light amber or gold.

Manuka honey: This honey is produced by bees in New Zealand and has a distinctive flavour and aroma. It is known for its antibacterial properties and is often used for medicinal purposes.

Tupelo honey: This honey is made by bees that collect nectar from the white tupelo tree in the southeastern United States. It has a light, buttery flavour and a light colour.

Orange blossom honey: This honey is produced by bees that collect nectar from orange blossom flowers. It has a light colour and a delicate, floral flavour.

Sage honey: This honey is made by bees that collect nectar from sage flowers. It has a strong, herbal taste and a light colour.

Heather honey: This honey is made by bees that collect nectar from heather flowers. It has a strong, distinctive flavour and a dark colour.

Sunflower honey: Produced from the nectar of sunflowers, this honey has a light yellow color and a light flavor.

Depending on the flowers the bees gather the nectar, each variety has its own unique flavour and colour profile. 

Polyfloral (multifloral) honey 

This type of honey is made from the nectar of multiple types of flowers. Because polyfloral honey is made from a variety of different flowers, it is more widely available and less expensive than monofloral honey. The flavour and quality of polyfloral honey vary widely depending on the region and the specific flowers the bees have visited.

Wildflower honey: Made by bees that collect nectar from a variety of wildflowers, this honey has a complex flavour profile and can vary in colour depending on the region.

Clover honey: While clover honey can also be considered a monofloral honey, it is often a blend of clover and other flowers. It has a mild, sweet flavor and is light in color.

Buckwheat honey: While buckwheat honey can also be considered a monofloral honey, it is often a blend of buckwheat and other flowers. It has a dark color and a strong, robust flavor with notes of molasses.

Forest honey: it is made by bees that forage in forested areas. The bees collect the nectar from various flowers and trees found in the forest. It can have a dark color and a rich, complex flavor due to the variety of nectar sources available in the forest.

Honeydew honey

Honeydew honey is a type of honey that is produced by honeybees from the sugary secretions of aphids, scale insects, or other sap-sucking insects. 

Here are some common types of honeydew honey:

Pine honey: Pine honey is a type of honey that is produced by bees that collect honeydew (sugary secretions) from a scale insect species called Marchalina hellenica, which lives on certain pine trees. This honey has a dark colour and a rich, resinous flavour.

Pefkothymaromelo Crete (PDO): it is a mixture of thyme honey and pine honey, produced in Crete. It is produced from specific beekeeping practices of the beehives,  the coexistence of late-blooming thymes with the honey secretions produced by the insect Marchalina hellenica, which is mainly parasitic on Pinus brutia and Pinus halepensis. Pefkothymaromelo has a medium sweetness and leaves a delicate aroma of fruit and wax.

Chestnut honey: Chestnut honey is a special case of honey because, although it is considered to be a flower honey, it has the characteristics of a honey honeydew as it is produced both from the nectar of the chestnut tree and from the honeydew secretions produced by the aphid Myzocallis castanicola, which settles on the lower surface of the leaves of the chestnut tree. It has a strong, slightly bitter taste.

Fir honey: Fir honey is a type of honeydew honey that is produced by bees that collect honeydew (sugary secretions) from a scale insect species called Physokermes hemicryphus. It has a dark colour and a strong, woody flavour. In Greece, the fir honey “vanilla” (PDO) is produced in Arcadia. This honey has an amber colour, with pale golden highlights and is considered one of the most expensive honeys. Its taste is full-bodied and reminiscent of caramel. This honeyis quite rare and difficult to find as it depends on the activity of the insect from which is produced and which is greatly influenced by the climatic conditions prevailing.

Oak honey: Made from the honeydew secreted by scale insects on oak trees. It has dark color and complex flavor. It is very popular in Spain.

Cotton honey: Although cotton honey can also be considered a monofloral honey, it is often a mixture of cotton pollen and honeydew. It has a mild, sweet characteristic buttery taste. Due to its richness in hydrogen peroxide, it has a high antibacterial activity.

It is important to note that the taste of each honey type is characteristic and depends on its botanical origin. The different honey types may be more or less appealing to the consumer, depending on his or her taste preferences. It is common for consumers to prefer the type of honey that is most commonly available in the area.

References:

Adriane Alexandre Machado De-Melo, Ligia Bicudo de Almeida-Muradian, María Teresa Sancho & Ana Pascual-Maté (2018) Composition and properties of Apis mellifera honey: A review, Journal of Apicultural Research, 57:1, 5-37, DOI: 10.1080/00218839.2017.1338444

Eleftherios Alissandrakis, Petros A. Tarantilis, Paschalis C. Harizanis, and Moschos Polissiou, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2007 55 (20), 8152-8157, DOI: 10.1021/jf071442y

Koning, Ross E. “Honeybee Biology”. Plant Physiology Website. 1994. http://koning.ecsu.ctstateu.edu/plants_human/bees/bees.html

Mărgăoan, R., Topal, E., Balkanska, R., Yücel, B., Oravecz, T., Cornea-Cipcigan, M., & Vodnar, D. C. (2021). Monofloral Honeys as a Potential Source of Natural Antioxidants, Minerals and Medicine. Antioxidants, 10(7), 1023. MDPI AG. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/antiox10071023

Manikis, I., & Thrasyvoulou, A. (1998). Η ποιότητα του ελληνικού μελιού [The quality of Greek honey]. Melissokomiki Epitheorisi, 12(7–8), 339–345 (in Greek).

Testa R, Asciuto A, Schifani G, Schimmenti E, Migliore G. Quality Determinants and Effect of Therapeutic Properties in Honey Consumption. An Exploratory Study on Italian Consumers. Agriculture. 2019; 9(8):174. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture9080174

Rybak-Chmielewska, H., & Tomasik, P. (2003). Honey. Tomasik, P. Chemical and functional properties of food saccharides. Boca Raton: CRC, 73-80.

What you should know about Honeycomb, ByRepublic of the Philippines, National Nutrition Council

https://nnc.gov.ph/regional-offices/mindanao/region-ix-zamboanga-peninsula/9879-what-you-should-know-about-honeycomb 

Ahmed S Mesallam, Mohammad I El-Shaarawy, Quality attributes of honey in Saudi Arabia, Food Chemistry, Volume 25, Issue 1, 1987, Pages 1-11, ISSN 0308-8146, https://doi.org/10.1016/0308-8146(87)90049-5.

 

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