HEATHER COMB HONEY 200G
Ling Heather honey is reddish/orange to dark amber. It has a slightly bitter, tangy, pungent, smoky, mildly sweet taste that persists for a long time. It has a strong distinctive woody, warm, floral, fresh fruit aroma reminiscent of heather flowers. The crystallisation rate is quite slow and in early stages results in a smooth light-coloured mass, and if very pure, it may not crystallise at all. Some beekeepers feel that the purest Heather Honey comes from higher moors (British Bee Journal April 4, 1912).
SCOTTISH HEATHER HONEY
SPECIFIC CHARACTERISTIC: VERY HIGH THIXOTROPY – MEANING IT TURNS INTO GEL, WHEN AT REST.
Heather honey has an unusual texture, due to its thixotropic characteristic, being a jelly until stirred, when it becomes a syrup like other honey, and turning again to a jelly.
Both heather (Calluna vulgaris) and manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) honeys are described as thixotropic. This means that they are gel-like (extremely viscous) when standing still, but they can turn liquid when agitated or stirred.
The viscosity of heather honey is so high that makes the extraction of the honey from the comb very difficult. That’s why, this honey is extracted by pressure (instead of centrifugation), which destroys the combs.