At the supermarket, I found many different brands and varieties of honey. Each came from a different place, but most were marketed based on flower-type. I bought a few different brands, but could not identify a difference.
Does the taste of honey vary depending on which flowers the bees lived around? Or are there other factors that create variety in the taste?
Best Answer
It's ALL different from year to year - from season to season, from area to area. Honey is nectar that has been converted to an invert sugar by the bees. Then moisture removed to < 18%, then sealed with wax over the comb.
The flavors and quality depend 100% on where the bees are collecting the nectar. I have found no difference in the type of bee, however. Some bees collect more nectar, work longer hours, swarm easier, and have other traits that make life easier for the bee keeper, but in my apiary - I found no preference to the flavor of one type of bee over the other. (Italian vs. Carniolan, vs. Caucasian). Some were a bit different because I think some flew earlier and foraged longer, and may have gotten nectar that was from different mix of flowers.
There is also almost NO true "organic" honey. This is because you cannot guarantee that a bee ONLY has access to property that falls under the organic guidelines. With a flight radius of 2 Miles or more, thats a LOT of acres that would have to be certified 100% organic.
Most Clover honey will usually taste about the same, mesquite, about the same - but having sampled lots of it - it DOES change from season to season and area to area. Various regions and seasons have different mixes of flowers and trees producing nectar at any given time, and that is what flavors the honey.
For the best honey, get Pure, Unfiltered, Raw honey, from a Local source. You may try a farmers market. It's a hot, hard job, and the pay is not so great, but most beekeepers (as most other farmers) do not do it for the big bucks - but for the love of the land, the bees, and farming. Note that some honey may be adulterated by the use of pesticides that are not allowed in the USA. And some large companies buy honey from anyone and any place and it all gets mixed together.