The New Zealand Honey Co. has been producing a variety of delicious types of honey including Manuka honey since 2006.
The company’s roots are based in New Zealand’s South Island, where the company prides itself on its relationships with local beekeepers as well as communities in remote farming and upland areas.
In practice, this means their bees forage for nectar in some of the most pristine not to mention dramatic locations.
Manuka Honey Review
The bouquet of this New Zealand Honey Co. UMF 10+ Manuka Honey has an intensely complex and yet classic scent of Manuka honey: an herbaceous and earthly scent and at the same time a strong hint of caramel toffee and a light note of beeswax for good measure.
Delicious New Zealand Honey Co UMF 10+ Manuka Honey
The colour is an enticing creamy light brown colour but what a texture the honey has: Incredibly smooth and silky – like eating velvet!
Now the all-important moment! What does it actually taste like? In a word: Fabulous. There is an initially sweet caramel toffee flavour followed by something akin to sweet banana followed by a surprisingly long sweet aftertaste with a hint of herbs and toffee.
This is a sweeter tasting manuka honey than some others tasted in these longer reviews and has absolutely no hint of astringency.
(The astringent taste of some manuka honeys is not in itself unpleasant just rather complex and unique to this type of honey).
UMF grading
This New Zealand Honey Co. UMF 10+ (MGO 263+) has a moderately high UMF grading of 10+. You can view the specific information and UMF certificate relating to the jar you purchased by searching the lot number printed on the side of the jar in the company’s web pages.
The certificate makes for interesting reading for those who want to know in detail what constitutes an authentic manuka honey. The test results for this jar of honey gave the level of MGO (methylglyoxal) as 269 mg/kg and Leptosperin as 368 mg/kg. The tests were carried out independently by Analytica Laboratories.
To find out more about the UMF grading system and its work it is worth taking a lot at the website of the UMF Honey Association. There is also a page with links to some of the scientific and academic research into the benefits of Manuka honey.
Conclusion
This jar of New Zealand Honey Co. UMF 10+ Manuka Honey also came with a handy leaflet for consumers with a myriad of tips on what you can do with Manuka honey from using it in drinks, smoothies, food and baking to some health and beauty tips, such as using it on your skin.
An absolutely fantastic Manuka honey! Click on the link to view the entire range of Manuka honey by New Zealand Honey Co.