Nicholas Jordan and a panel of tasters sampled 27 supermarket honeys and found that even the cheapest, most basic options remain delicious, while the most characterful products were described as “perfumed as hell” and compared to eating the smell of potpourri.
The taste test, run with column regulars alongside two tasters with formal honey-judging experience, Barbara Sweeney and Rebecca Bernstone, scored each honey on aroma, taste, viscosity and character, which was defined as depth and distinctiveness. All 27 honeys were available in Australian supermarkets.
No Shockers Among the Honeys
Jordan noted there were no shockers among the products, with maybe some hard-to-explain flavours but nothing revolting. “The cheapest, crappest honey out there, maybe one cut with sugar syrup, is still delicious, if lacking a little depth,” he wrote. However, this also made it difficult to recommend a single purchase, as honey is more of a “find-the-one-for-you situation” than a product with a clear hierarchy.
For those seeking thought-provoking products, the organic selection or any honey with a claim about botanicals is recommended, as organic honeys outscored their non-organic competitors, unlike in almost every other taste test. For an unfussy, sweet experience, homebrands and Beechworth and Capilano’s regular range are suggested.
Honeys With a Lot of Character
Macro Organic Australian Pure Honey, 400g at $7 ($1.75 per 100g), available at Woolworths, was described as a “complex and enjoyable window into Mother Nature’s house”, with reviewers noting floral elements, orange blossom and earl grey. One reviewer wrote only “ORANGE PEEL” and “HEAPS GOING ON”.
Golden Nectar Organic Real Leatherwood Honey, 500g at $14 ($2.80 per 100g), available at select grocers, was thought by many reviewers to be the same product as Macro in different packaging, but they were wrong; the two are coincidentally both very floral, perfumed honeys. Some described Golden Nectar’s buttery element compared with Macro’s slightly bitter appeal, with one reviewer saying it was “perfumed as hell” and like eating the smell of potpourri.
Good Value and Unusual Honeys
Cloverdale Pure Honey, 375g at $3.30 (88c per 100g), available at Woolworths, was the cheapest honey tried and one of only two featuring non-Australian honeys, the other being Chandler’s. Reviewers described it as caramel, burnt and youthful, tasting like it had been cooked, like treacle but without any bitterness.
Archibald’s Pure Australian Honey, 680g at $9.90 ($1.46 per 100g), available at Woolworths, was compared to a citrus orchard, slightly sour, sort of caramel-y in sweetness with a little astringency. Airborne Pure Honey, 500g at $9 ($1.80 per 100g), available at Woolworths, inspired wild and diverging discussion, with descriptions ranging from olives and peppermint lollipops to dog smell, leather factory and liquorice, until someone suggested it tasted like the smell of dead ants, which could make chemical sense as honey can contain traces of formic acid, which some Australian ants use as a defence mechanism.
Community Co 100% Pure Australian Honey, 375g at $5.50 ($1.47 per 100g), available at IGA, had medicinal flavours, with one reviewer saying it was sour to smell and a bit olive-y to taste, like eating next to the bin outside Woolworths. One reviewer wrote “it’s interesting, but I’m not sure that I liked it”.
The Most Basic Honey
Byron Bay Raw & Unfiltered Honey, 500g at $9.60 ($1.92 per 100g), available at major supermarkets, was described as “modern reality TV in a honey”, so uncomplicated and simple in its appeal that it ends up being a little sickening. Two people said it was too sweet, and two others wrote they didn’t have much to say. Jordan noted this was the fifth Byron Bay branded product he had tried in a taste test, and none scored above a 5/10.
