# Question about Honey Taste



## BanTam (May 11, 2013)

I have two bee books (Beekeeping for Dummies and Beekeepers Handbook/updated) on order and I'm in the process of learning as much as I can about bees. 
This weekend I purchased two honeys ( :shocked: *bee* honey), and I tasted them side by side. One is from the Austin area and the other is from the hill-country about 1 1/2 hours away, west. The Austin honey had a stronger honey taste...that "musty" taste. *Is there a name for that taste?* The hill-country honey had a "brighter" taste. 

Is there a list or a map that shows areas known for honey and their taste profile? 

Can you influence the flavor of your honey by feeding the bees say as an example...orange juice or flavored teas?

I'm sorry if my questions are silly...!


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

No map available but lots of lists of the various honeys. With over 300 distinct types, and many more hundreds of combinations, I'm surprised that every jar doesn't taste different.

http://crazyazhoney.com/Colors.htm 

Martin


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Honey flavores can be infulanced by the type of forage. I've tasted honey with a distinked Maple syrup flavor. the bee keeper put supers on while the maple trees were in bloom and removed them when they stopped blooming. I would also bet that there was a bit of leaking sap gathered too.


 Al


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## countrygal (Feb 14, 2010)

In my area, an experienced beekeeper told me to harvest my honey BEFORE Bitterweed came out. It makes the honey bitter.


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## JamieCatheryn (Feb 9, 2013)

My favorites are orange blossom and buckwheat honeys.


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## BanTam (May 11, 2013)

Martin - Thanks for the link, that is interesting!

Al - I've seen bees (especially in the spring) go after soda cans in the trash. Are they "eating" the soda or do they make honey out of it? 

CountryGal- That is good info to know. We have a lot of lambsquarter in our pasture and it really STINKS. I wonder if that adversely effects the honey?


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

The difference in honey is somewhat constant when it's "wildflower". I'm from an area 50 miles west and my wife is from about 25 miles east. I've never found another honey like that which I knew as a child and can still get from there today. It's virtually identical taste to that which we collected from wild bee trees 60 years ago. A while back, had a chance to buy 5 gallons of wildflower honey from east of here. Totally different taste and wife claims that it is identical to the honey which her grandparents produced when she was a child. 

Martin


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

In this area if you see a flying stinging insect in a soda can it is a yellow jacket.
Honey bees from very early spring here start forageing the skunk cabbage, catkins of the willows and leaking sap from storm dammaged trees till the fruit trees blossum.

 Al


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## BanTam (May 11, 2013)

alleyyooper said:


> In this area if you see a flying stinging insect in a soda can it is a yellow jacket.
> Honey bees from very early spring here start forageing the skunk cabbage, catkins of the willows and leaking sap from storm dammaged trees till the fruit trees blossum.
> 
> Al


We are usually in a state of drought or flood. Maybe that's why the get their sugar when they can. It's mostly during our Easter picnics that I notice them.


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## Liberty'sGirl (Jul 7, 2012)

Not sure if there is a geographical taste, but there certainly is a type-of-flower taste. 

Example: We have hyssop in our garden, a street over the people have bees and honey they sell and the bees LOVE the hyssop. Last year, the honey tasted like our hyssop, a sort of liquorice-like flavor. Hyssop was late this year and the honey bees are few.

This year their honey tastes like the bees hung out on pepper plants, can't place the flavor, I swear the honey has a spicy kick to it.


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## fatrat (Feb 21, 2009)

The best honey I ever had came from some late season honey that I think was mostly asters and goldenrod with a lot of pollen in it because it was harvested by crushing the combs which had pollen and honey. I've never tasted honey like it before and I hope I can get some more some day. It was fairly dark and not at all clear and for that reason I'm sure it would never have sold in a store but it was wonderful and everyone that tried it said it was the best they had ever tasted.


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## 1shotwade (Jul 9, 2013)

It's clover and locust honey around here but go south a couple hours and all you hear about is sourwood honey.


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## WesleyDS (Feb 16, 2013)

A guy I work with keeps bees and said he had a little bit of honey this spring that had a very pronounced peppermint taste. Must have been some peppermint in bloom.


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