Understanding Honey Quality

In the U.S., the voluntary USDA standard scores honey out of 100 points: flavor and aroma 50, absence of defects 40 and clarity 10. Grade A needs 90 points and at least 81.4% soluble solids (at most 18.6% moisture). Color is classified separately on the Pfund scale, from Water White to Dark Amber, and does not change the grade. For example, acacia honey is usually very light and buckwheat honey dark amber.

Not reliably at home. Water, flame and thumb tests cannot detect added syrup, and crystallization is not proof either way: high-glucose honeys like clover honey set fast, while acacia honey and tupelo honey stay liquid much longer. Adulteration is found by laboratory analysis. Buy from producers who can tell you where the honey came from, and be wary of prices far below the norm for the variety.

There is no U.S. federal definition of raw honey. The National Honey Board says the term generally means honey that has not been heated or filtered. Some states define it in law; Utah, for example, defines raw honey as honey as it exists in the hive or obtained by extraction, settling or straining, minimally processed and not pasteurized. Ask the producer how the honey was handled.

It is certified under the USDA organic regulations, but those rules have no bee-specific section. Certifiers often follow the National Organic Standards Board's 2010 apiculture recommendation, which calls for a 1.8-mile organic forage zone around the hives. Bees can fly farther than that, so organic honey describes how the hives are managed and where they sit, not every flower the bees visited.

Choose by flavor and texture. For a mild everyday honey, clover honey or a local wildflower honey. For honey that stays liquid, acacia honey or tupelo honey. For strong, dark flavor, buckwheat honey or chestnut honey. For any of them, a producer who can name the source and harvest is worth more than a label claim.