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Specialty Honey
Honey is a very sweet, thick fluid produced by honeybees from flower nectar. A natural sweetener that is used in many food dishes to increase the intensity of the flavor desired for the food, honey is available in a range of colors, a variety of flavors, and in several different forms.

According to the National Honey Board, honey is primarily composed of fructose, glucose and water. It also contains other sugars, as well as trace enzymes, minerals, vitamins and amino acids.

The color and flavor of honey differs depending upon the nectar source (the blossoms) visited by the honeybees. In fact, there are more than 300 unique types of honey available in the United States, each originating from a different floral source.

Honey color ranges from nearly colorless to dark brown, and its flavor varies from delectably mild to distinctively bold, depending on where the honeybees buzzed. As a general rule, light-colored honey is milder in taste and dark-colored honey is stronger.

It's important to note that while some honeys taste exactly like their source —buckwheat honey tastes exactly like buckwheat — a honey does not necessarily taste like the fruit of the plant. Blueberry honey does not necessarily taste like blueberries, or raspberry honey like raspberries, etc. Honeys are based on the nectar of the flower, not on the infusion of the fruit of the plant.

When categorized for use, alfalfa, clover and orange blossom are general purpose honeys that can be used for baking, sweetening, desserts, and candy. For the preparation of sauces, marinades and dressings, avocado, eucalyptus, lavender, sage, thyme, and tupelo honeys are milder varieties that work well for use in flavoring food seasonings. The stronger honeys, such as buckwheat and chestnut, are best when used for earthy or savory dishes requiring a stronger flavor.

Following is a look at some of the most common U.S. floral honey varieties.

Alfalfa
Alfalfa honey, produced extensively throughout Canada and the United States from the purple blossoms, is light in color with a pleasingly mild flavor and aroma.

Avocado
Avocado honey is gathered from California avocado blossoms. Avocado honey is dark in color, with a rich, buttery taste.

Blueberry
Taken from the tiny white flowers of the blueberry bush, the nectar makes a honey which is typically light amber in color and with a full, well-rounded flavor.

Buckwheat
Buckwheat honey is dark and full-bodied, with a strong buckwheat, malty flavor. It has been found to contain more antioxidant compounds than some lighter honeys.

Chestnut
Chestnut honey is dark and strong. It has a nutty and spicy profile, with a bitter aftertaste.

Clover
Clover honey has a pleasing, mild taste. Clovers contribute more to honey production in the United States than any other group of plants. Red clover, Alsike clover, and the white and yellow sweet clovers are most important for honey production. Depending on the location and type of source clover, clover honey varies in color from water white to light amber to amber.

Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus honey comes from one of the larger plant genera, containing over 500 distinct species and many hybrids. As may be expected with a diverse group of plants, eucalyptus honey varies greatly in color and flavor but tends to be a stronger-flavored honey with a slight medicinal scent.

Fireweed
Fireweed honey is light in color and comes from a perennial herb that creates wonderful bee pastures in the Northern and Pacific states and Canada. Fireweed grows in the open woods, reaching a height of three to five feet, and sports attractive pinkish flowers.

Orange Blossom
Orange blossom honey, often a combination of citrus sources, is usually light in color and mild in flavor, with a fresh scent and light citrus taste.

Sage
Sage honey is light in color, heavy-bodied and has a mild but delightful flavor. It is extremely slow to granulate, making it a favorite among honey packers for blending with other honeys to slow down granulation.

Tupelo
Tupelo honey is a premium honey produced in northwest Florida. It is heavy-bodied and is usually light golden amber with a greenish cast and a mild, distinctive taste. Because of the high fructose content in Tupelo honey, it granulates very slowly.

Wildflower
Wildflower honey is often used to describe honey from miscellaneous and undefined flower sources.

Forms of Honey
Most of us know honey as a sweet, golden liquid. But, in fact, honey can be found in a variety of forms.

Comb Honey
Comb honey is honey that comes as it was produced — in the honeybees' wax comb. The comb, as well as the honey, is edible.

Cut Comb
Cut comb honey is liquid honey that has added chunks of the honeycomb in the jar. Also known as liquid-cut comb combination.

Liquid Honey
Free of visible crystals, liquid honey is extracted from the honeycomb by centrifugal force, gravity or straining. Because liquid honey mixes easily into a variety of foods, it's especially convenient for cooking and baking. Most of the honey produced in the United States is sold in the liquid form.

Naturally Crystallized Honey
Naturally crystallized honey is that part of the natural glucose content that has spontaneously crystallized from solution as the monohydrate.

Whipped (or Creamed) Honey
While all honey will crystallize in time, whipped honey (also known as creamed or sugared honey) is brought to market in a crystallized state. The crystallization is controlled so that, at room temperature, the honey can be spread like butter. In many countries around the world, whipped honey is preferred to the liquid form.

Storing Honey
Because storing honey in the refrigerator accelerates the honey's crystallization (crystallization is the natural process by which liquid in honey becomes solid), it's best to store honey at room temperature — a kitchen counter or pantry shelf is ideal. Honey stored in sealed containers can remain stable for decades and even centuries. However, it tends to darken and lose its aroma and flavor over time. This is a temperature-dependent process, making the shelf life of honey difficult to define. For practical purposes, a shelf life of two years is often stated.

If your honey crystallizes, simply place the honey jar in warm water and stir until the crystals dissolve. Or place the honey in a microwave-safe container with the lid removed and microwave it, stirring every 30 seconds, until the crystals dissolve. Be careful not to boil or scorch the honey.

Source: National Honey Board, www.honey.com.

Home Coffee Roasters
People often wonder what the secret is to achieving that fresh-roasted coffee taste at home. While buying whole bean coffee and grinding the beans right before you're set to brew a pot of Joe will get you one step closer to coffee nirvana, the real secret is to start with green coffee beans (unroasted beans) and roast them yourself at home. You see, the closer the roasting process is to the brewing process, the more flavorful the cup of coffee will be.

The home coffee roaster has the flexibility to enjoy their own preference of roast styles and even experiment with creating their own blends based on personal preference. Plus, purchasing green coffee beans is quite economical — typically half the cost per pound of roasted beans.

There are many ways to roast coffee, from home appliances made specifically for this purpose, to simple pan roasting.


There are basically two types of home coffee roasters on the market today: fluid bed and drum roasters.

Fluid Bed Roasters
Fluid bed roasters, also known as hot air roasters, roast the beans as they tumble on a current of hot air. In this process, the beans are roasted over very high temperatures (400 degrees and up). After roasting, the heat is cut off and the cool-down process begins. The beans continue to tumble until they are cool.

These popular roasters are inexpensive, roast a batch in 7–20 minutes, and are easy to clean and maintain. Fluid bed roasters are similar in design to a hot-air popcorn popper, except they perform at a much higher temperature. Most fluid bed roasters have a glass roasting chamber that allows you to watch as the roast develops, and stop it as desired. A batch from these roasters yields between 8–20 cups, depending on how you make your coffee (strength of coffee and type of brewer).

Drum Roasters
Drum-type coffee roasters roast the green coffee beans in a cylinder-type drum. The green coffee beans tumble as the drum rotates over heat. When the desired roast is achieved, the heat shuts off while the coffee beans continue to rotate during the cool down process. When the cool down stage is complete, the beans are poured into a hopper. The advantage of using a drum roaster is that it can roast about a half-pound of beans at a time, but it does require a bit more attention during the roast process than an air roaster.

Stovetop Popcorn Popper
Although these poppers were originally designed for stovetop popcorn popping, they also work well for stovetop coffee roasting. Stovetop roasting is economical for first-time coffee roasters, but it should be noted that much more effort is required than using a roasting appliance because you have to manually crank the handle. You control the temperature, time and movement of the beans entirely by hand. Stovetop poppers can efficiently roast up to one pound of green coffee beans in 8–10 minutes.

Overview of the Roasting Process
• For the first few minutes, the beans remain greenish, then turn lighter yellowish and emit a grassy smell.
• The beans start to steam as their internal water content dissipates.
• The steam becomes fragrant. Soon you will hear the "first crack," an audible cracking sound as the real roasting starts to occur: sugars begin to caramelize, bound-up water escapes, the structure of the bean breaks down, and oils migrate from their little pockets outward.
• After the first crack, the roast can be considered complete any time according to your taste. The cracking is an audible cue, and, along with sight and smell, tells you the stage of the roast.
• Caramelization continues, oils migrate, and the bean expands in size as the roast becomes dark.
• At this point, a "second crack" can be heard, often more volatile than the first.
• As the roast becomes very dark, the smoke is more pungent as sugars burn completely, and the bean structure breaks down more and more.
• Eventually, the sugars burn completely, and the roast will only result in a thin-bodied cup of "charcoal water."