site.btaIns and Outs of Honey Tasting Showcased at Sofia Workshop

A recent workshop in Sofia, organized by honey sommelier Biljana Lowndes-Nikolova, showcased the ins and outs of professional honey tasting. A special selection of 10 types of honey from various parts of the world were presented in small sealed cups, with a number assigned to each cup. They were arranged according to their colour, from light to dark, Agri.bg said in a news report dated August 3.

How honey tasting is done

Lowndes-Nikolova explained: "In a standard presentation, the honey is placed either in balloon glasses with a holding capacity of up to 60 millilitres or in dark-coloured cups of a similar size. This is done when the sommelier is supposed to guess all characteristics of the product."

After each sampling, the sommelier takes some water, a piece of apple, a pretzel or dry bread to clear their senses.

The honey is tasted using a separate plastic spoon for each cup, and the sommelier puts down their impressions in a description chart which should include the main characteristics being evaluated, such as visual characteristics, smell, taste and texture, Lowndes-Nikolova said.

A sommelier can describe a type of honey any way they choose. They can say it smells like wet grass, medication, fruit, or even rot, the expert said.

Special look-up charts are available to help sommeliers identify the right fragrance and taste. Seven main categories are usually listed in a look-up chart: warm, rotten, plant-like, woody, chemical, fresh and floral. These are divided into subcategories suggesting specific tastes and fragrances which can be useful to the evaluator. For example, in the "chemical" category, the sommelier can smell even petroleum products in the honey, such as paint or solvent, and in the "warm" category, they can detect caramel, vanilla, wax, marzipan or molasses.

The process of honey evaluation consists of four main steps, Lowndes-Nikolova said. The first step is visual evaluation, which examines the colour, density, homogeneity and physical condition of the honey. The second step is about smell. The sommelier smells the product, and then, to intensify the fragrance, stirs it slightly and puts it back under their nose.

According to Lowndes-Nikolova, you need to define your own perception of the sample before consulting the look-up chart.

Taste analysis is the third step of the evaluation process. First, you focus on the sense of taste, and then, you exhale to sense the fragrance too. An important component is aftertaste, and how long it stays.

Texture is the fourth characteristic. From the point of view of texture, honey can be thin, sticky or crystallized.

The magical cups

The product which the participants in the workshop tasted from the first cup was Bulgarian acacia honey. Gentle and delicate, it smells like roasted pears and fresh wax.

The second cup held Bulgarian lavender honey. The mysterious perfume was appreciated by many participants.

Spanish orange blossom honey was in the third cup, which gave out the intense fragrance of an orange tree in bloom, with a touch of aniseed.

Bulgarian coriander honey was the fourth sample provided by Lowndes-Nikolova. With its intense, sharp taste and dark orange colour, it is like a mix of balsamic vinegar and burnt sugar.

Cretan thyme honey, which was in cup number five, has a peculiar fragrance. Amber-coloured and hard-textured, it combines fragrances of dry flowers and spices, even cocoa, as well as intrusive taste with a tinge of bitterness.

Despite its specific taste, thyme honey does not measure up to New Zealand manuka honey. One of the world's expensive types of honey, manuka honey is considered to be very good for health and even to have healing properties. It is dark in colour and creamy in texture, and definitely smells like medication. Manuka honey leaves a bitter aftertaste in the mouth. While consumed, its taste is strong, a mix of herbs and molasses. Nothing to do with the fragrance.

Cup number seven contained Greek vanilla fir honey. It is thick, beige-brown, with a gentle pearly glow. According to Lowndes-Nikolova, it should be kept in a fridge, otherwise it turns red. Not as sweet as the nectar types, vanilla fir honey combines the fragrances of resin and herbs, with a subtle shade of vanilla.

Next came Bulgaria's pride, honeydew honey from Mt Strandzha. Its colour is intense dark amber. It has the taste of roasted plums, rose hips and herbs, and its fragrance is a mix of fruits and exotic spices. Lowndes-Nikolova called for much more effort to promote this product internationally.

Bitter honey was in cup number nine. It was strawberry tree honey from Sardinia, which is usually amber-coloured but grows darker with time. It has an intense fragrance of coffee, ivy and bitter herbs. To the unaccustomed palate, it leaves a strong bitter first taste. But in fact, it is used in Italy as a coffee sweetener, because it does not take away the taste of the coffee, the expert said.

The taste of the 10th sample was memorable. With the colour of dark amber, Italian sweet chestnut honey has an intense fragrance in which you can recognize blossoming chestnuts. The taste is intense, not very sweet, herbal. Chestnut honey is produced in Bulgaria as well, and its quality is good, Lowndes-Nikolova said.