Today, I am going to lead you to a special tasting experience. Wine tasting? NO!
Tasting is not an experience only limited to wine! Terroir is neither a privilege of wine making. It is a part of the DNA for many kinds of artisanal food. Terroir exhibits environmental factors which affect the growth of a plant. It is a taste of the place, its soil fertility, its climate and its topography. So long as your food does not come with a commercial formula through flavour blending, it is worth tasting.
Have you ever tried honey tasting? If not, let me show you step by step.
1. Choose the honey 
Select 3-5 honey varieties to pair each honey with 1 cheese.
We suggest our BioBio Organic Honey: Organic Wildflower Honey (Mount Peloritani), Organic Wildflower Honey (Mount Etna), Organic Wildflower Honey (Mount Erei), Organic chestnut honey and Organic eucalyptus honey.
Pour some of each honey into a small tasting glass with a lid to protect the aroma
2. Pick the accompaniments
Prepare crusty bread, crackers with apple slices and dried fruits. Arrange also different varieties of cheese, goat cheese, parmesan, brie, blue cheese and emmental. Include nuts and root vegetables, like carrots and parsnips.
3. Open a bottle
If you like a bottle to drink, sparkling wine or red and white wine pair well with cheese and honey.
4. Set the table
Put the cheese on a wooden board. Arrange other food accompaniments into different plates or bowls. Provide spoons or wooden sticks for tasting.
5. Get tasting charts
Print the tasting charts for every participant, record your tasting and talk about it.
Have you got your honey with you? Yes, then let’s get started!
Now, I am going to show you some key points on honey tasting. 
- Observe
1. Is the colour light or dark?
Honey with light colour usually has a milder flavour while the dark one has stronger flavour. Here flavour means the distinctive taste or scent of the flowers where the pollen came from.
The colour also indicates the amount of antioxidants in the honey. In general, darker the colour, higher the antioxidants level.
2. Is the texture liquid or crystalised?
If you observe crystallization, it is a guarantee that your honey is authentic. All real honey will eventually crystalize. It is a matter of time which depends on various factors. The main factor is the fructose/glucose ratio (F/G) and the glucose/water ratio (G/W). A high F/G and a low G/W generally have a slow crystallization process because it is the presence of glucose that becomes insoluble in water and leads to crystallization.
- Smell
Cup the small glass of honey in your warm hand to help release the aroma of the honey. Is it intense? Does it remind you of some food? Is it earthy? Herbal? Floral or fruit? Describe the aroma.
- Taste
Take a good spoonful of honey, close your eyes and taste it.
Is it sharp, sweet or subtle?
What is the texture?
Other than sweetness, what does it remind you of?
Then, spoon some honey on a piece of cheese or with crackers or dried fruits. Bring your tasting experience to a different level. Let the mix of flavours delight your palate.
Discover our honey collection here and start your unique honey tasting experience with your loved ones.
