Why Does Honey Vary In Color Texture And Taste?

Honey is a fascinating natural product with as many varieties as you can imagine. There are as many types as honey as there are types of flowers, and they can each vary drastically in taste, color, and texture.

Taste, color, and texture are determined by the what flowers the bees are gathering nectar and pollen from.

Variations in Taste

The honey that most people are familiar with is clover honey. Clover is an abundant flower that bees love to visit and gather nectar from. The bees take this nectar and stir it and fan it until the water content drops and it becomes the tasty treat we love to enjoy. The taste of clover honey is what most people associate with honey -mildly sweet with a pleasant taste.

Now imagine, instead of a clover field, there's a lavender field. Now you understand why the honey would have a really different, maybe very unique flavor. That honey would be very, very far from that first clover honey. This varietal honey - with its taste - was also produced in lavender flower.

The container and what care is taken with storage, can also impact the honey's taste. Honey stored in glass containers maintains the honey's initial taste if properly cleaned before filling them. Plastic and metal containers make honey leach chemicals through them and will change their taste. That is yet another reason you must ensure whatever plastic containers you may need to store honey in your home are food-grade plastic.

Color & Texture Variations

Color and texture may also be affected by the same variables.

Raw honey ranges from very dark to nearly colorless depending on the source of nectar. Age also has an effect on honey color because honey tends to darken with age. A further influence on honey color is crystallization. Honey tends to be lighter in color when crystallized.

Texture can also be dependent on the floral source. Clover honey tends to have a creamy consistency while almond and dandelion are very coarse. This is caused by the difference in properties of the nectar source. Some have a much lower water content and vary in chemical composition.

Special note about Wildflower Honey. Wildflower honey is a catch all term for honey that doesn't have a primary floral source. The type of wildflower honey produced can vary a lot depending on the area of the country or world it is produced in. For example, wildflower honey produced in the high mountain desert of Utah will be completely different than wildflower honey produced in the humid tropical areas of Florida because the plants in each area are so different. Even different hives in Utah will result in different wildflower honeys depending on the season or the flowers that are in bloom. Each spoonful of wildflower honey can be like a sample taken from a specific time and place where the bees foraging.

As you can see, the reasons behind various differences in taste, color, or texture in honey can be varied, coming down to the flowers that the bees were visiting. That is basically what makes honey so unique-to always be in for a surprise on how it would be, look, taste, or feel. There are far too many amazing honey varieties, and you can find yours right now!