Honey Tasting

Many resources are available to help you become a more educated honey-taster with the ability to distinguish various aromas and flavors in honey.

Articles

McNeil, M.E.A. “Tasting, Really Tasting, Honey.” American Bee Journal, May (2020), pages 549-553. Print.
Spencer, Suzy. “The Basics of Honey Tasting.” Bee Buzz, Fall (2018), pages 31-33. ncbeekeepers.org. Web. Accessed October 2018.
Boyd, Barbara. “A Taste of Honey: Using Sensory Analysis to Evaluate and Market Your Honey.” Bee Culture, September (2011), pages 40-44. Print.
Collinsworth, Sean. “Attending the Honey Sensory Class in Bologna, Italy.” Bee Buzz, Winter (2019), page 19. ncbeekeepers.org. Web. Accessed July 2019.
Holt, Stan. “Honey Sensory Analysis in the U.S..” Bee Buzz, Fall (2019), pg. 15. ncbeekeepers.org. Web. Accessed September 2019.
Marchese, Marina. “Learning to be an Expert in the Sensory Analysis of Honey.” Bee Culture, September (2015), pages 83-84. Print.
Ress, Suzanne. “Sensory Analysis of Honey.” American Bee Journal, January (2017), pages 75-79. Print.

Honey Aroma and Tasting Wheel. 2013. Available from the American Honey Tasting Society, Weston, CT.
Honey Flavor Wheel. 2014. Available from the UC-Davis Honey and Pollination Center, Davis, CA. Accessed October 2018.

Honey and Pollination Center, UC-Davis, CA.
American Honey Tasting Society, Weston, CT.
National Register of Experts in the Sensory Analysis of Honey. Scuola di Cucina, Bologna, Italy. Note: These were formerly offered only in Italian and in Italy but are now being offered in English and in other parts of the world, including the United States.

Flottum, Kim. The Backyard Beekeepers’ Honey Handbook. 2009. Bloomington: Quarry Books. Print. 168 pages (17 of these pages contain descriptions/honey profiles for 76 nectar plants).
Marchese, C. Marina and Howland Blackiston. Honey for Dummies. 2023. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Print. 352 pages (a typically very informative Dummies book loaded with information on most aspects of honey, including profiles for 50 nectar plants).
Marchese, Marina and Kim Flottum. The Honey Connoisseur. 2013. New York; Black Dog and Leventhal. Print. 208 pages (78 of these pages contain descriptions/honey profiles for 34 nectar plants).
Simmons, Marie. Taste of Honey. 2013. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing. Print. 184 pages (15 of these pages contain descriptions/honey profiles for 40 nectar plants).

If you have questions, comments, or items to add, please contact Suzy Spencer at NCHoneyTasting@gmail.com.