Talk on the 4 April
2019 by Eddy Lear
Definition of Honeys:
- Honey; is the sweet foodstuff derived from the
nectaries of flowers or extra nectaries of plants after it has been gathered,
partially converted and stored in the honeycomb by the honey bees.
- Honeydew; is the sweet exudate of certain
insects, usually aphids. The bees use it as raw material, instead of nectar
extract.
- Honeybees; of the genus Apis mellifera.
Overview of tasting.
Before I started getting an intolerance to sugar in my body
one of my greatest passions in beekeeping was tasting honey. Not only had the
honey harvested from my own hives, but that of hundreds of others.
Having been involved in the Rand Show apiarian section
during the last centenary also broadened, not just what honey was available
locally but the whole of South Africa and then in the later part of the 90’s I
was able to taste honeys from all over the world, as a result of my connection
with Apimondia. I often wondered what
proportion of honey is consumed in the world that has actually delivered all
the messages inherent within it and how much is just thrown down into the
stomach without a pause on the incredible process that it’s been through to
arrive on the table in a bottle.
Not only that but I’m sure you’ve all experienced how dull
your senses are when you are not well.
We each have an olfactory area at the top of our noses where millions of nerve cells react to volatile molecules bearing flavour messages to the brain. These messages are merged and sorted in patterns, which may be recognised and identified by the brain. Vapour also reaches the olfactory area from the back of the mouth up to the retro-nasal passage.
Tasting something involves persuading it to release
molecules which stimulate special nerve cells in the mouth or the much more
discriminating ones of the nose. In fact we can sense flavour only as an aroma
because our flavour-sensitive nerve cells are concentrated in a small, postage–stamp-size
area at the top of the nose called the olfactory area, which transmits specific
messages to the brain, and the only way of getting up there is to vaporise the
liquid. (This is why most food tastes better or worse when hot than cold.)
To be able to taste honey to the full is to get those
molecules encouraged to escape from the saturated honey liquid, liberated
through various techniques and drawn into the olfactory arena by sniffing. Most
judges in South Africa do this by slowly opening the jar and quickly sniffing
in the residual aromas in the space between the top of the honey and the lid. This
is partly because honey volatiles vaporise quite easily and honeys which are
inherently quite aromatic need very little stimulation to float out of the
aperture. Internationally in addition to the quick sniff, a wine glass is used
and the honey is agitated with an odourless plastic spoon.
By sniffing from the lid gives a huge degree of
identification of the various elements, but agitation liberates an
extraordinary range of flavours, which also change with oxidation. The lid can
also give off a smell and the honey judge wants to identify this.
We take a taste of the honey by putting a sample into the
mouth. This is how most foods are ‘tasted’.
Food is chewed in the mouth, transforming it into a liquid from which
flavour molecules escape up into the olfactory area.
But what of those nerve cells in the mouth? These also have
an important, but quite different role to play.
We have about 10 000 taste buds on our tongues, distributed all
over the tongue and to a lesser extent the inside of the mouth and a few at the
back of the throat. Rather than distinguishing between thousands of different
flavours the way that the olfactory nerve cells can, taste buds are sensitive
to nothing more sophisticated than the basic ‘tastes’: sour, sourness or
acidity, sweetness, bitterness and saltiness.
There is however a
fair bit of disagreement about how exactly our taste buds function, but in very
general terms, the taste buds are around the tip of the tongue.
Savoury or Umami is based in the centre of the tongue. And
maybe neutral in taste.
Now the condition of the palate is essential when judging
honey. These conditions can usually be overcome by drinking some sparkling
water or chewing dry bread. However, people can do permanent damage to these
receptors through; smoking, habitually drinking strong unsweetened black
coffee, they can’t enjoy food without copious amounts of chilli, being obese
and unhealthy (sickly) or over stressed.
Many of our taste receptors have been taught what is nice
and what is not nice. And these haven’t
been challenged by our inquisitiveness of what other foods may taste like. The
connection between our smell and taste receptors may be vast; for instance, in
Cornwall, England you can go to a pup order a warm flat beer with a head. To me
it smells like vomit, but tastes great. Other European beers I have also
enjoyed but yet I’ve never acquired a taste for South African beers in general
in both in smell and taste.
Many people have thought wine tasters would make good honey
judges, unfortunately this is not true as honey has many more facets to deal
with, which is expounded with mead judging.
Some tasting exercises:
- Put a clothes peg on your nose, and see if you
can tell the difference of black coffee from black tea?
- Add a blindfold as well and you’d probably not
be able to tell the difference between milk chocolate and cheddar cheese. These
both demonstrate how important it is for the judge to be fit and well for the
exercise.
- To work out how your palate reacts to acidity,
smell and then taste lemon juice or vinegar. It takes only a smell to make the
sides of my tongue start to crinkle up, but different tasters react
differently.
- To identify tannin, rinse a mouthful of cold
black tea round your palate and notice which parts of your mouth react most
dramatically. (This will help you to identify adulterated honey as you cannot
smell tannin nor sugar.)
- To get some idea of body as it relates to honey,
notice the difference in the palate between orange blossom honey and molasses.
Awarding of points in honey tasting competition.
- Start with presentation. Looking at honey is
both the least pleasurable and important, but for judging can be the make or
break.
- Colour. Looking at the honey should preferably
be done against a white background. The
colour should be consistent to the experience the judge will get when he cracks
open the lid.
- Aroma. The importance of smelling has already
been covered. Maximise the experience by agitating in a wine glass. Notice if
the smell is clean and attractive. It must be remembered that words are limited,
thus poor describers of something as subtle, subjective and private as smell
perception.
- Density. Texture and viscosity are measured.
- Taste. Take a sample and try to ensure that all of
the palate, or at least all of the tongue, is exposed to the liquid by twirling
the tongue around. Notice how sweet, sour/acid, subtle bitterness, tannic or
astringent and compare the difference between it and water. Take another sample
and allow the pleasures of you palates history come to the fore.
Awarding of points for Frames of comb honey competition.
- Start with presentation. Check evenness of
capping, percentage covering of capping, cleanliness of frame and comb,
suitability for uncapping and deformities such as mapping by braula.
- Colour. The colour of the cappings should be
well selected, the cappings should look fresh, there should be transparency
through the comb and the selection should be single source.
- Aroma. The importance of smelling has already
been covered, and the same attributes are looked for as in liquid honey. The
frame shouldn’t smell of smoke, creosote or any other unnatural smell not
related to the interior of the hive. The judge will sample the honey and
conduct the same test as in liquid
- Density. The same as liquid honey
- Taste. As
in liquid honey except there should not be oiliness in the taste, raised HMF
due to age.
Awarding of points for Wax blocks competition.
- Start with presentation. Check quality of block.
Overall cleanliness. Avoid cracks. Complies with mass requirements. Smoothness
of exhibit. Check for frosting and air in the block.
- Colour. The colour of the wax should be well
selected, the wax should look fresh with no distortion due to heat and the
selection should be single source.
- Aroma. The importance of smelling has already
been covered. The wax shouldn’t smell of smoke, creosote or any other unnatural
smell not related to the interior of the hive. The judge will rub the wax to arouse
the vapours to detect burning and hive condition.
- Density. It should be consistent. There should
not be any bubbling crumbling.
- Oral texture.
The flavour should be pleasent.
Honey basics.
To start the process of becoming a honey judge, a potential candidate
needs to prove that they are able to produce honey judging quality of honey and
products. They need to have won in their entries at least 3 times. They would
be expected to enter into liquid class: Light, medium and dark, granulated and
also into light wax, super frame capped comb and a commercial display of honey,
frames of both super and brood capped honey and wax.
The potential honey judge must have a feel of what they are
entering and take great care to enter honey as close to the bees natural
production as possible. This means that there should be the least exposure to
air in the extraction process. Honey
becomes oxygenated and due to its inherent hydroscopic qualities will draw in
moisture if the humidity is greater than 50% at 21° C.
It has been found that honey with a moisture content of
17,4% is in equilibrium with air with a relative humidity of 58%, while in the
case of honey with a moisture content of 16,1% the equilibrium relative
humidity is 52%. Honey from dryer areas
tends to have a lower moisture content than from moister areas.
Direct sunlight of the honey will also affect it adversely.
If the temperature is warm, the atmosphere has a greater
capacity to hold water in a vaporous state than if it were cold. The dew point reflects
the water vapour content in the air and that water vapour influences the
hydroscopic properties in honey. If the air is filled with water vapour, it
can’t hold much additional water. So when the dew point is high and the water
vapour content is high it creates the best combination for the hydroscopic
conditions to work.
The bees work hard fanning the nectar to bring down the
water content in honey (known as ripening).
However, even they will cap honey at higher water content if the
humidity is such that no evaporation takes place. This is why some honeys will
be more viscus than others taken from the same crop at the same time of year in
a different year.
The cleanliness of the honey extraction facility will also
impact on the quality of honey. If the
facility is not rat proof, even the taste of rat urine might be caught up in
the honey. Rats urinate on everything to mark their territory and while you are
sleeping will enter a honey extractor and leave their mark. This was a
condition that Peter Mountain found in honeys regularly.
Kitchens can be a no no, especially if your wife is making food
with onion or garlic while you are extracting the honey in the kitchen. A honey
judge would pick up a dirty oil taste in the honey.
Natural honey has a complex and heterogeneous composition,
the components of which are directly dependant on the type of vegetation, the
soil, the weather conditions, the health of your colony and their strength, the
conditions under which the nectar is collected, the means used by the beekeeper
in harvesting and extracting. Citrus honey from the Eastern Cape will differ in
composition from that produced in the bushveld regions.
The moisture content:
The natural moisture content of
honey in the comb is that remaining from the nectar after ripening. Its composition is thus a function of the
factors involved in ripening, including weather conditions and original
moisture of the nectar.
It is one of the most important characteristics
of honey, having a profound influence on keeping quality, granulation and body.
The average water content is 17,2%
or 172g per kg of honey. When it gets to 20% then there is a likelihood of
fermentation, especially if it granulates. Honey has been found to be as low as
12%.
The sugars of honey:
In today’s world there are
powerful analytical and separation procedures of honey revealing honey to be a
high complexity of sugars. The simple
sugars, dextrose and levulose, predominate and give honey its sweetness,
hydroscopic properties, energy value and physical characteristics.
Honey is above all carbohydrate
material with 95% to 99.9 % of solids being sugars. Sugars are classified
according to the size and complexity of their molecules. The simple sugars
known as monosaccharides are the building blocks of the more complex
types. The disaccharide sugars are made
of two monosaccharides joined in various ways; many of these are known. Common examples are maltose (malt sugar),
sucrose (table sugar) and lactose which is (milk sugar).
Polysaccharides are higher sugars
of which only about 1,5% is found.
Minerals in honey:
The ash content of honey averages
about 0,17% of its weight, but varies widely from 0,02% to over 1%. Calcium and
phosphorus are the minerals present in the body in the largest amount. Next in
order come potassium, sulphur, sodium, chlorine and magnesium. In general dark
honeys are richer in minerals than light honeys.
Not quite minerals, but are the
flavour and aroma substances (terpenes, aldehydes, alcohols, esters, tannin,
acetylcholine, etc.,)
Vitamins in Honey:
Honey contains small, but
measurable amounts of several vitamins, namely thiamine, riboflavin, ascorbic
acid pyridoxine, pantothenic acid and nicotinic acid.
Enzymes in honey:
These are complex materials formed
in living cells that are in carrying out the myriad reactions and processes of
life. The most important enzyme in honey
is undoubtedly invertase which converts the sucrose of nectar into the “invert
sugars” dextrose and levulose found in honey.
The quality of pollen also has an
effect on the enzymes, ultimately having an effect on the enzyme quality.
So in the larger scheme of things the judge is looking for
things that would take away the purity of the honey. In South Africa we do not
use extra-sensorial methods for testing the honey for brix measurements, HMF
analysis (although can be detected) Stable Isotope Ratio Analysis,
Oligosaccharides, capillary GC, Organic acids, Metals and pesticide residues as
in the West. These are only used when adulterated honey is being tested.
Preparing for exhibit.
When harvesting your honey take note of what you’re
collecting. If it is found to be good
set it aside. Check your frame against the light and look for different
colours. Bees are very territorial and particular and this behaviour ensures
that they will not mix honey from different sources.
If there are two sources, then uncap only the one colour,
extract and then uncap the other.
Check one frame against another and if there is a different
colour, again keep them separate.
To prevent honey from granulating keep it in the freezer
until it needs to be delivered to the judging venue.
For
bottled honey, select your bottles well, ensuring that the glass and lids
do not have any deformities or inherent spots.
Ensure the lid is the colour required by the exposition. Clean them well. When filling with honey keep them warm to try
and prevent air entrapment. Fill to the
ridge on the bottle just before the screwing section.
Once you have filled the bottle,
check for air bubbles, specks of dust in the honey. If you see specks, using a
queen larva tool, try to remove the speck (making sure the tool is clean). If
there are entrapped air bubbles place bottle in a sunny position with a black
sock over it. Don’t let the honey get above 37° C, otherwise it will change
colour.
For Honey
on the comb, select your frames with 95% or more capped cells. Clean the
frame of all propolis or wax. Check that there are not different colours of
honey on the exhibit. If the competition calls for 3 frames of honey, check
that all three are the same colour and not granulated. Again a deepfreeze can
be used to store until judging. Note that the honey will granulate very fast
after reaching ambient temperature again.
For bees
wax, obtain a mould that will hold 2 kg of beeswax. Use a silicone spray
inside the mould. Heat the wax and clean by boiling in distilled water. Allow to harden and remove any debris from
the base. Bring to a liquid again and pour through a sieve with a 45µm
aperture. Do not heat too often as this causing the wax to darken.
If you steam your frames to
garner wax then the wax should be clean, but you’ll just need to heat it to
pour into mould.
The art is to ensure that the wax
does not split during cooling. Make sure it is clean and rubbed down as the judge
does not want to taste silicon or any other oily substance used for releasing
purposes. Weigh the wax as it will be disqualified if under 2 kg.
So, you have now won prizes on three different occasions and
would like to pursue the craft of judging. It will be an entrance criterion to
pass a tasting test. You will be given a blind test to see whether you can
distinguish between sweet, sour/acidic, salty, bitter or plain from 10 samples.
Next to
the item number please indicate what you believe the taste to be: – salty, acidic, sweet, bitter or plain
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On passing this test you can become a Steward registered by
SABIO. SABIO will ensure you get the
exposure to progress.
Stewardship.
The steward will do all the leg work at a show.
The Chief Steward:
- The chief steward shall be nominated by the
board of SABIO for a minimum of two years. The person is to accept the position
in writing, acknowledging the contents of the Judges Honey tasting Requirements
document. The position shall only be
made available to a person who has been a reliable steward for a minimum of 3
shows. The chief steward may delegate any of his responsibilities to the
stewards, but remains accountable for it.
- The chief steward takes sole responsibility for
the actions of the stewards and Judges. The chief steward may request an
assistant chief steward if the show becomes too onerous for them or a paid
steward should SABIO agree.
- The chief steward is to liaise between the board
of SABIO and the Exhibiting Show Organisers. He shall plan activities around
the dates of the show, giving ample warning of the event to all stakeholders.
He shall set up meetings on progress plans, set a date for the setting out of
the stand, followed by a delivery date and staging of exhibits and then set up
a day for judging. During honey judging a separate room, where there will be no
disturbance should be available. Signage indicating judging is taking place
would be a benefit. A prize giving day/evening should also be nominated.
- From date of appointment the chief steward is to
keep a record of all activities, minutes of meetings, etc., before and after
the show. This should be recorded in the Chief Steward’s report to SABIO, which
may be summarised and printed in the SA Bee Journal
- The chief steward is to request the names of all
stewards from SABIO and invite them to participate in the upcoming Show. The
Steward should sign a register acknowledging their availability and commitment.
- The chief steward is to write to previous years
exhibitors encouraging them to participate at the upcoming Show. An advert
should go out to all the members of SABIO and/or general public, to entice new
participation in show exhibits.
- The chief steward is to arrange a duty roster
for the stewards that have acknowledged their stewardship.
- The chief steward should have meetings with the
team of stewards to identify how the exhibit is to be set up. The team should
evaluate the space and cabinet requirements. The exhibition stand should be set
up before delivery day.
- The chief steward shall give adequate
instructions to the stewards ensuring that they understand their duties.
- The chief steward should arrange for exhibit
labels to be printed or pre-printed as per stationery requirements.
- The chief steward shall appoint a checker from
the list of stewards.
- The chief steward shall appoint someone to
calculate the scores.
- The chief steward shall have a copy of the
latest honey standard regulation, with which he may disqualify an exhibit if it
does not meet the minimum criteria.
- The chief steward shall see that all entries are
recorded and stored safely for staging day.
- The chief steward shall arrange prize tags be
placed on winning entries.
- The chief steward shall be available for any
queries that the judge may have.
- The chief steward to inform all the stewards and
judges of dress code for judging day and prize giving.
- All score cards to be signed by judge.
- On commencement of show, the chief steward
should check that all winning positions are displayed by exhibit and
certificates are printed out by SABIO secretary. They shall notify the winners
of their success and arrange for their attendance at the prize giving event.
Stewards:
- The steward shall accept the entries of
exhibitors on staging day and place in display cabinets after placing the
exhibit number on the lid and bottle. In the case of distant exhibitors, the
steward might receive a fresh set of lids. The new clean set should replace the original
lids. The exhibits shall be handled with
care when placing/staging into the exhibit position to ensure that the
exhibitor is not penalised for sticky lids as a result of the steward’s
carelessness.
- To ensure all score cards and sheets are in
place.
- To set up judging tables. These tables are to be
prepared with brown paper on which parallel lines are ruled for each section at
80mm apart.
- To ensure that there is one wine glass per
tasting entry, a scale for weighing the wax. Sparkling water with cup and dry
bread (unbuttered) for the honey judge. Colour glasses or refractometer should
be provided by the chief steward, to check entries.
- The steward is to shadow the judge and observe
what the Judge does, but may not question the judge, which could unduly sway
the judges’ decision.
- To be fully conversant with the scores given and
the calculation to weigh the score appropriately to lower the risk of
subjectivity.
- Ensure the exhibits are lit sufficiently
- To have on hand all the judges’ score cards and categories.
- Each table to have 3 chairs allocated.
- Two tables are to be allocated for the addition
of scores and administration.
- Stewards should record the comments made by the
judge on the score card.
Equipment requirements:
- Trestle tables according to number of entries,
but one for mead, one for wax and at least two for honey exhibits. Two admin
tables should also be available.
- Chairs, one per table for judge, steward and
checker.
- Dust bins.
- Stationary and cleaning
materials.
- No admittance signs
- Cloth and bowl for cleaning judges tools
- Score sheets
- Masking tape.
- Labels (round sticker) with exhibit number, two per exhibit. i.e. If exhibit require 3 bottles there should be 6 labels
- Wine glasses. “Paris Goblet”
- Sparkling water.
- Sliced bread.
- Colour grading glasses/refractometer.
- Bottle opener
No polishing or adjustment of exhibits inside the hall after
staging will be permitted.
Once the Chief Steward has completed his 2 years, he may
become a learner Judge by submitting their intention to SABIO. The board shall
evaluate the professionalism of the candidate during their tenure of being
Chief Steward. On the SABIO recommendation he will undergo an examination
indicating his understanding of tasting.
On successful completion of the exam, they shall be nominated to Judge
the next upcoming show (whether minor or major) under the supervision of a
mature Judge. The mature judge shall in
a non-partial manner recommend or disqualify the candidate. Should the
candidate wish to continue aspiring to be a judge, they shall repeat the
exercise until the mature Judge recommends to SABIO that the candidate is
qualified and competent to be recognised as a fully-fledged Judge. If the
candidate is of the opinion that he has been wrongly disqualified, SABIO should
hear the case and adjudicate whether the mature Judge has been partial. They
may call for an independent second Judge to observe the tasting abilities of
the candidate.
On successful accomplishment, SABIO will present a
certificate of excellence to the candidate.
Judging.
- Judging to take place on the date selected
starting at 08:00.
- It is the
Judges prerogative to move any entry to a more suitable class or category,
without prejudice to the entry.
- Judging
will be by points
- If an
exhibit is below 45%, that exhibit will not be displayed.
- When
attending the judging event, the judge should be clean in appearance, with no
noticeable body odour or too much deodorant. His breath should be fresh with no
tint of cigarettes or alcohol smells. His focus should be normal with no signs
of blurring, loss of memory or a disability, which could hinder their ability
to judge.
- A first
prize will not be awarded to an entry if there are not more than 3 entries for
the category. No prize will be awarded
unless the exhibit attains the following standards of excellence:
PRODUCTS
FROM THE HIVE
For a 1st
Prize………………………90 points or over
For a 2nd
Prize……………………..80 points or over
For a 3rd
Prize………………………70 points or over
EXHIBITION STANDS
For a 1st
Prize……………………….80 points or over
For a 2nd
Prize………………………70 points or over
For a 3rd
Prize……………………….65 points or over
A sample
of honey should be placed into a “Paris goblet” (wine glass) where most of the sensory
tests are done ‘blind’. To avoid
discrimination and partiality, only once the sensory tests have been completed
should the judge move over to do the examination of the outward appearance.
AROMA
On first impressions when
opening the container; is the aroma pleasant?
Does the aroma linger while the container is open? Does the aroma remain pleasant or are some of
the volatiles coming out of suspension and leaving a different sensation? Is the aroma enhanced when rubbed in the wine
glass? Award 2 points if all the
criteria are positively reinforced. 1 point if the aroma is pleasant and
lingers. 0 points if it is pleasant on
opening but is lost once opened. –1
point for the fact that there is an aroma but neutral. –2 if aroma is nasty or
totally non-existent.
If the nasal sensation from
rubbing the honey with the back of a spoon against the side of a glass is
pleasant award 2 points. If the
sensation is good but lost after a few seconds or if the sensation improves
after a few minutes award 1 point. If
there is deterioration by the volatiles becoming lost immediately after rubbing
0 points. If the volatiles are only
slight to begin with –1 point. If the volatiles
are non-existent –2 points.
Have any smells been absorbed
into the honey through processing. If
the smell is totally agreeable indicating purity and freshness of honey,
lacking metallic undertones, high HMF and oxidation, then award 2 points. If there
is any hesitancy towards being agreeable 1 point. If there is no agreement 0 points. If there is a dislike –1 point. If
objectionable (like H2S or bad egg from absorption of smells from the room
where the honey was processed) –2 points
Being a product of the hive
there should be some identifiable aroma which reminds a beekeeper of the floral
source. On the other hand if some form
of deterioration has taken place within the hive through the presence of
medication, the small hive beetle or foul brood. These aromas are often conveyed with the
honey. Should the fragrance be such as
to indicate the source and freshness of recently extracted honey from a healthy
hive, award 2 points. If there is only a floral fragrance with no perception of
the hive; 1 point. If there is fresh
fragrance but no floral appreciation 0 points.
If there is something in the honey which could point to fermentation –
1point. If there is a definite aroma of
souring due to disease in the hive –2 points
TASTE OR
TEXTURE
Place in mouth and allow the
honey to make contact with all the sensors in the mouth. If the taste is well balanced there will be a
sensation to swallow immediately. On the
other hand there maybe something which gives the sensation to spew out. If totally agreeable, then swallow. If there
is any bitterness this will now be recorded by the sensors in the mouth. Award 2 points if all the criteria are
positively reinforced. 1 point if the taste is pleasant and lingers. 0 points if it is pleasant on placing in the
mouth but after a while the sensation changes.
–1 point for the fact that there is a bland taste. –2 if the taste is
nasty or unpleasant.
There is a pronounced taste of a
monoflora honey then award 2 points. If
there is a pronounced taste of multiflora honey 1 point. If there is a foreign taste in the honey 0
points. If there is a taste of
artificial honey –1 point. If there is
an objectionable honey taste –2 points
The aftertaste is consideration
of the sensations that occur after the honey has been swallowed. If the delight is continuous or even
seemingly more enjoyable and interesting award 2 points. If there is a residue of pleasure award 1
point. If the sensation is bland award 0
points. If there is a slight souring in
the mouth –1 point. When there is a
distinct sensation of dislike award –2 points
Is the honey consistent in the
feel on the tongue? No noticeable
degrees of solid granules or conglomerates, with an even consistency; 2
points. There are some granules but not
distracting from the honey 1 point.
There are many granules or conglomerates 0 points. The feel of the granules or conglomerates is
noticeable and slightly uncomfortable –1point.
The granules or conglomerates are such that you would not want the
product for yourself –2 points.
The idea of judging density is
to determine whether there are properties which could cause the honey to
deteriorate or to make it unpleasant to use.
If it has a low viscosity this would normally indicate that the water
content is high, which would in all likelihood cause fermentation. Test the density with an instrument. If using a spoon draw the honey up. If it has
a thick stringiness look and slowly becomes thin before it breaks award 2
points. If the honey is not as thick as
experience suggests it should have 1 point.
If the honey is thin and flows quickly 0 points. If the honey flows
quickly –1 point. If the honey is like
water –2 points.
Stickiness is not necessary with
honey, but if found in the wrong place will have an impact.
Oiliness could indicate a
residue, contaminating the honey due to negligence of the producer, but some
plants exude an oil which can sometimes be seen floating when honey is diluted
with warm water. If there is no sign of
oil 2 points. If there is a slight presence of oil and it can be determined to
emanate from the nectaries 1 point. If
the oil content gives a taste 0 points.
If it is apparent that oil has been added –1 point. If the product is spoilt due to the oil
content –2 points.
How is honey absorbed? A droplet smeared on back of hand or the arm
should be seen to be absorbed within few seconds. If the honey is pleasantly absorbed quickly 2
points. If there is any indication that
it does not meet the first criteria 1 point.
If the honey takes a few minutes to absorb 0 points. If the honey needs to be diluted before it is
absorbed –1 point. If the honey does not
absorb under dilution and is unpleasant –2 points.
COMPOSITION
The composition has to do with
the mixture of things in the honey and how each element compliments the overall
effect by sight, smell, taste or touch.
Has the honey been cleaned of
all the debris? If it has, then it has been well selected. If there is no noticeable particle of dust,
crystal, air bubble award 2 points. If there is one particle noticeable award 1
point. If there are at the most five
particles observed 0 points. If there is
noticeable dirt without examination –1 point.
If honey is full of particles and thus clouded –2 points.
This criteria has to do with the
container selection. Is it complimentary
to the honey it contains? The container
enhances the honey it contains and makes it “mouth-watering” award 2
points. The container enhances the honey
but does not make it more appetising; 1 points.
The container does not enhance the honey, but at the same time does not
detract from it; 0 points. The honey is
clouded by the container –1 point. The
honey cannot be seen in the container –2 points.
It is perceived that the honey
was bottled without any fore thought of the consequences. If it can be determined that the container
was meticulously cleaned as well as the honey that they both sparkle 2
points. The bottle and honey were
subject to cleaning but not shined up 1 point.
Either one or the other of the container or honey were not cleaned 0
points. No real effort was made to clean
the container or honey –1 point. The
combination looks unhygienic –2 points’.
No score required for artistic
criteria with honey.
EFFECTIVNESS
The overall effect of this
exhibit. Considering the application and
the show being open to the public; does this item make an impact? Does it draw your attention? Is it something you would like to own? 2
points if it fulfil all these criteria, 1 point if partial, 0 points for
neutral, -1 for no effort and –2 if it detracts from the excellence of others.
References:
Figure 1 – BrainFacts.org – Taste and
Smell
Figure 2 – The original tongue map
depicting which areas of the tongue sense the four primary tastes. Courtesy of James Beard Foundation