How To Test if Honey Is Pure

Sample A was bought by my grandma for me. She said it was peddled by some dude walking around the streets of Tagbilaran City.

Sample B was purchased at the Bohol Bee Farm by me.

Music: Feather in the Wind
Composer: Robert Bruce

[txholeyrocks]

As a bee keeper myself. I will tell you this. The only way you know honey is pure and unprocessed is to know the bee keeper. Go out to a farmers market and see the different honey available. Honey is all types of colors, from dark to light. Now go look at your store shelf and tell me does the honey coloration change from light to dark in all the brands you see? Probably not. I have had black honey dark as molasses to med dark amber honey in my bee hives. Most honey on the shelves are commercial bee hives that feed sugar water supplements meaning they don't have enough resources to sustain the bee hive numbers they have. Bee hives forage about 8000 acres, so if you hve more then 4 or 5 probably not enough resources of food. Of coarse not all commercial operations are fake, it just seems that way. As a bee keeper I wonder just how honey is always 1 consistent color and taste on the store shelves when I get 3 or 4 distinct colors and viscosity of honey.
My honey sometimes has a nutty after taste ever so slightly. Know the bee keeper and you know that your honey is real.

[tytoalbasoren]

Came here after seeing the Beekeper trailer to check if honey is actually flammable.

[mattofmanytalents]

As a beekeeper, I have a few thoughts on this.  The viscosity of the honey depends on the water content of the honey and the nectar the bees used, as well as the temperature that you keep the honey at.  All honey has water in it; it's the basic part of nectar.  Some honeys are naturally runnier than others, and all honey runs more easily at higher temperatures.  The colour varies based on the nectar and pollen the bees collected, and how much filtering was done.  Crystallization rate is also dependent on what the honey was made from - some honey will crystallize fast, others go really slowly, and honey that has been heat-treated may not crystallize.  Most honey on the shelves in the US is heat treated because Americans have become accustomed to their honey staying in liquid form, and some even think it has 'gone bad' when it crystallizes.  What is pure honey?  Straight from the comb? If you say yes, then only buy comb honey - you know it's pure (for you).  If you're satisfied with honey that 'came from a bee, and doesn't have anything added to it', then 99% of what you buy on the shelf is probably pure - just heavily filtered (to remove pollen) and heat processed (to prevent crystallization).

[morlanius]

The burn test was inconclusive, there was different amounts on the cotton wool, and it was that which was burning. The street sample was either watered down or was from a harvest of uncapped honey.

[apasser]

All this damn testing and I won’t have any honey left 😂

[bonbonquest]

It's called "Feather in the Wind, " composed by Robert Bruce. :)

[insiwal]

I won t trust the bee itself nowadays.

[TheHuntermj]

This advert brought to you by Bohol Bee farms...

[ShamanartsFlorida]

while your at it...you better check your olive oil for purity too...

[alelyani]

There are only two ways to know:
1. A lab test.
2. You know the person who sells the honey. (or being the bee keeper of course)

[MrJackwork]

Runniness (Thumb example) is dependent on temperature

[aleel]

You got it the other way around. Pure honey don't burn, sugar fed bees honey on the other hand burns easily due to the high sugar content. Natural pure honey is a fire retardant, it does not burn.

[skycirns]

My mom live in the mountain in other word she live in hinterland. My uncle is always finding a bee hive near in the cliff. One off his friend died because he fell off because of harvesting some honey. He told me that the honey is pure when the smell and the taste is the same. Tasting and smelling the honey is the best way to find it pure. Becareful on buying honey if there are free taste because they let you taste the real honey and let you buy the fake one.




-From Philippines.

[beenjaminb]

These tests won't work with ALL honey. Manuka is more runny and free flowing. It will drip off the thumb like unpure honey but it's pure manuka honey.

[bonbonquest]

Cool! Honey from bee keepers and farmers who keep bees are good because you are most likely assured of purity and that they treat their bees well. :) Plus, they're usually cheap, too! Cheers!

[divleenshannon]

Very happy with the video. My doubts about my honey are clearer. I am divorcing him tomorrow.

[zafar]

thumb test for purity is wrong because thickness of honey depends from bees to bees and temperature.different bees produces different thickness (viscosity) of honey.

[bonbonquest]

Yes, that's true. However, if they honey is adulterated not by adding water but by adding a concentrated form of a specific sugar, it won't be as stable as pure honey since it won't have the same amount of enzymes and natural stabilisers that pure honey would have (thanks to bee saliva)... So while the burning test might somehow pass with adulterated honey mixed with another concentrated sugar, the thumb test won't likely pass and the water pouring test won't likely pass either.

[peterkleinlich]

ha! we also bought the honey from the bohol bee farm! what a beautiful coincidence.
we weren't sure if it was a pure honey or not. thanks for the video. now we can rest in peace. :D

[bonbonquest]

If it hisses softly and you see the honey bubbling and turning dark (i.e. if it caramelises) and still burns, then it is likely pure.