Raw honey debates still rage in the honey world. Since there is no agency or government that regulates the guidelines to produce raw honey, we have to revert to the science that we have at hand. Raw honey can be defined as honey that has not been heated above the ambient temperature within the hive during honey gathering. There has been recorded temperatures of 118° within a beehive during nectar flow. Above this temperature, the honey wax or honey comb will melt. It is obvious that the highest temperature, we can use to define raw honey is 118°. The beekeeper can harvest the honey, store the honey and extract the honey in temperatures of 118° or lower and logically call his crop, raw honey.

Some retailers call their honey, “raw honey” even though it is been processed at 140°. Hundred and 40° for 45 minutes has been considered a pasteurization process that kills the natural enzymes, nutrients and vitamins, that are benificial to good health, that were in the honey. Most commercial honey packers heat their honey to 160° so that high pressure filters can be used in their bottling process. These temperatures are unacceptable in the defining of raw honey.

Raw honey, that is also Gourmet Honey is a premium honey not found at your local market. Raw honey does not flow very well at hundred and 118°. In fact, honey at this temperature flows like a huge thick blanket. The degree of difficulty to process honey that does not flow easily through cheesecloth or nylon straining cloth is very high and time-consuming not to mention COSTLY! Therefore, the production of raw honey is more expensive, but the biggest cost is in the storage of unpasteurized honey. Honey that has not been pasteurized,such as Raw Honey, will ferment due to airborne yeast spores that are found everywhere on the earth including the Arctics. The yeast spores and the sugars in the honey can cause the honey to ferment. Fermented honey would have to be discarded for a lost to the beekeeper. Therefore, raw honey must be sold and consumed in a reasonable period of time after harvest. Gourmet raw honey is a culinary delight and should be enjoyed on the par with fine wines.

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raw honey,gourmet honey

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Honeytaster.com is a unique store in that we specialize in Gourmet Honey that is gathered from individual species of flowers. The example of yellow star thistle honey: the honeybees are located next to a field of star thistle and there is little to no other flowers blooming in the area and as soon as the star thistle bloom is over the honey is taken from the hive.

We beekeepers must separate the gathered honey as soon as the flowers are finished blooming in order to offer a honey that is gathered from one flower source and not mixed with other kinds of flower nectar. There has to be a large concentration of the nectar source in a small area. The weather conditions must cooperate in order for the flower to produce large volumes of nectar. If this last condition is not met, the bees will fly as much as 5 miles to find other sources of flower nectar. For this reason every year might not be a good harvest year for your favorite gourmet honey.

Raw honey has the wonderful live enzymes that aid in digestion. We pack our honey raw and we do not pasteurize our honey. As a result you will see pollen and wax particles in the honey. All honey will have crystals form in it in time. This does not harm the honey in any way. If you want to re-liquefy the honey: place the honey in a GLASS jar and heat water on the stove. Place the jar in the warm water. Do not heat the honey over 125° as higher heat will kill the enzymes.

All honey is thought to taste like the “clover honey” on the grocery market shelf. This is NOT true. Honeytaster.com makes available the real tastes of honey. Every effort is made to supply raw gourmet honey gathered from the flower source indicated on the cap. We are aware of “honey packers” blending honeys that they claim are monofloral honey when they are not. We are proud of the effort that goes into supplying you with a quality honey from yellow star thistle, palmetto, tupelo, blackberry, raspberry and fireweed sources. We anticipate more flavors in the next few months as the logistics involved to gather another honey variety in various places throughout the U.S. are conquered.

Saw Palmetto Honey may soon be your favorite of all honeys. This robust taste is unique and unlike any honey you have ever tasted. This honey is one of the rarest of the gourmet honeys offered due to the encroaching real estate development in South Florida. Some palmettos are 700 years old, very slow growers but once established, bloom profusely and produce the saw palmetto berry used as a health supplement.

Tupelo Honey is raised in a very damp area over stream beds on elevated stands and walkways over water. Tupelo honey is very costly to produce but sought after for its very sweet taste. Tupelo has been named the sweetest of all honeys. The taste is unusual. If you can image the taste being the same as a flower smell you would experience tupelo honey.

Yellow Star Thistle Honey is the Cinderella of Honeys. Made from a noxious weed that has a beautiful yellow flower that grows in great perfusion in California, Washington and Idaho and secretes volumes of rich, light amber, mild nectar with a buttery taste. Star thistle honey has been voted America’s favorite selection of honey.

To buy any of the gourmet honeys and the Gourmet Honey Gift Set listed on our web site, click on the picture of “Gourmet Honey Gifts” in the top of the right hand column. Our prices are the best on the web!

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Honey gift has always been a gift of honor, trust and treasure. Honey has been used as currency so the idea of honey gifts are grounded in tradition and cultures all over the world. Honey gifts are commonly given for weddings, birthdays and house warming occasions.

The ideal honey gift is a selection of honeys that gives multiple tastes without an extravagant expense. Four honey flavors in 5 oz. containers is an ideal honey gift. Blackberry Honey, king of all tea sweetening honeys, from the Pacific Northwest, Tupelo Honey, highly prized and very expensive to produce, from North Florida, Star Thistle Honey, America’s Favorite Honey, 12 years in a row, from Michigan, and Saw Palmetto Honey, Everglades Golden Honey, the hidden treasure thought to be endangered, from South Florida combine four Gourmet Honeys not found collectively anywhere else. The best Honey Gift Set is available from www.honeytaster.com/

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