VIHCheader

April 2011  

  

Aloha!

 

This month we're excited to tell you about our fresh, limited batch of organic macadamia honey, enhanced with a hint of kiawe honey! 
  
We will also learn more about nectars, sugars, crystals and honey texture.
  
Enjoy!

richard
A Taste of Macadamia Magic
  
Some of you have been waiting for our Macadamia Honey for a long time. After two years of not producing Macadamia Honey, we are happy to offer it once again.
  
mac
Macadamia nuts, shelled and whole
Three weeks ago, we harvested an unusual blend of macadamia and kiawe honey - a combination that, in Hawaii marks the end of winter and a sudden turn to spring.  Because the kiawe flower bloom started a month early, we moved the bees from an organic macadamia nut orchard into the Puako kiawe forest before we could extract the Macadamia Honey. And, before we were able to get the macadmia honey off the hives, the bees had already collected some kiawe honey; the result: a natural but unique blend we have never had before, capturing some of the bees' winter surplus of Macadamia Honey and a hint of their first spring harvest of White Kiawe Honey - all in one jar!
  
This naturally blended Macadamia Kiawe Honey is truly a happy
mac flowers
Macadamia flowers and nuts 
marriage of two honeys that has some very unique qualities; in fact, we've never tasted anything quite like it.
Kiawe Flower
Kiawe Flower
   
Its full, fruity Macadamia Honey flavor (think warm caramel with a tropical tang) is quite different from the rich, round, neutral sweetness of our White Honey.  But it isn't like pure Macadamia Honey either, which has a deep bronze color and viscous liquid consistency.  This honey does have a smooth buttery texture like our white kiawe honey, but it's not as firm, and with an opaque amber sheen.  What creates this unique texture? 

 

In our March newsletter, we talked about our fancy Silk Honey and how its exquisitely smooth texture is the result of microscopic crystals.    As we learned last month, texture is related to how the nectar crystallizes and crystallization is a result of the specific combination of different sugars present in the nectar.  This month, let's look a little deeper into the relationship between nectars, sugars, crystals and honey texture.  

 

Many people know that honey is largely composed of sugar with small amounts of minerals and vitamins.  But not many people know that there are different kinds of sugar in honey - dextrose and levulose are the main sugars, along with sucrose, maltose, and at least 20 other more complex sugars.  Honeys from different flower (nectar) sources have different sugar compositions; and that's the main reason why different honeys have different textures.

 

Crystallization in honey is a complex process, involving many other factors still not fully understood. From our understanding, it is the proportions of sugars that affect crystallization timing. Essentially, honey with a higher proportion of levulose to dextrose crystallizes more slowly, while honey with a lower proportion of levulose to dextrose crystallizes more quickly.  Most honeys have a high levulose to dextrose ratio and crystallize slowly over time, causing large gritty crystals to grow; honeys that crystallize quickly, on the other hand, grow tiny crystals.  Thus, the faster honey crystallizes the smaller its crystals, and the smaller the crystals the smoother the honey.

 

Our White (kiawe) Honey crystallizes very quickly, within a couple days of bottling, due to its relatively high dextrose to levulose sugar ratio; this fast crystallization leads to its naturally thick, smooth, creamy texture. Macadamia flower nectar has less dextrose in relation to levulose, making it crystallize more slowly and typically remain liquid for about a year.  

 Macadamia Nut Honey 

This year's natural blend of a hint of kiawe honey in the Macadamia Honey is a unique mix of nectars and combination of sugars, resulting in a smooth, crystallized but soft-textured honey.

  

You can order a jar right now through our online store and get a taste of the macadamia magic, 100% organic and raw, while it lasts.

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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In This Issue
Macadamia Magic
Macadamia Honey
Macadamia Nut honey

Macadamia Honey

 is unlike any of our other honeys. Price: $15

Limited Quantities. 

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