The Honey Shop Raw Organic Forest Honey Review

The Honey Shop brings a range of honey that is raw, ethically harvested, and free of antibiotics. Their range revolves around honey and honey-based products like soaps, teas, spreads, and jellies. We ordered the organic and raw Forest Honey from Amazon. The Honey Shop Raw Organic Forest Honey review discusses its price, packaging, color, clarity, and flavor. But what is forest honey?

Purchasing honey is not a simple task anymore. The spreads and honey section is chock-a-block with multiple variants of honey – raw, organic, unfiltered, wild, forest. Phew! We know, the labels can be confusing. So, what should you buy?

This article also talks about forest honey and how it is different from the regular commercially packaged honey we purchase.

What is forest honey? Forest honey refers to the honey obtained from natural beehives in the wild. The bees are not artificially fed and are not cooped up inside boxes. Forest honey is not a result of industrial beekeeping but is collected from natural hives that exist in the forest.

Now coming to the term ‘organic’. Organic means that the flowers or plants that the bees fed on to manufacture the honey are free of pesticides and harmful chemicals.

The term ‘raw’ refers to the fact that, unlike commercially available honey, this is not processed. When honey is processed, some very beneficial antioxidants and nutrients are lost. Raw honey is only filtered to remove bee parts and any solids remaining in the honey. This is done without heating. 

Let’s discuss The Honey Shop Raw Organic Forest Honey a bit more.

1. Packaging

The forest honey by The Honey Shop is packaged in a glass bottle. It has a beautiful pale turquoise label.

2. Available sizes

The Honey Shop’s Forest Honey is available in two sizes – 

• 320 gms
• 700 gms

3. Type 

The Honey Shop has several kinds of honey like:  

• Sunflower Honey
• Forest Honey
• Cotton Honey
• Eucalyptus Honey
• Ajwain Honey
• Acacia Honey
• Wild Berry Honey

We purchased a 700 gm bottle of Forest Honey, which is raw and organic.

Another feature that grabbed our attention is the mention of the bees. This honey is collected from natural hives of wild bees (Apis Dorsata) in deep forests in India. Apis Dorsata bees are larger than the ones used in commercial beekeeping. 

The brand mentions that they are ‘happy to boast’ that no bees are harmed while honey collection. Their tribal honey foragers are trained to not harm the bees and collect the produce hygienically.

4. Color, Clarity, and Consistency

The color of the honey has nothing to do with the purity of honey. The color of the honey can vary from dark brown to light amber to almost clear and colorless. This largely depends on which plants or flowers the bees feed on and the season during which the honey was manufactured and extracted.

The forest honey by The Honey Shop has a dark golden, deep amber, color. It was clear and we could not see any free-floating elements at all. The consistency of honey is thick when compared to a regular bottle of commercially processed honey. 

5. Flavor

Some may describe honey with a plain, simple word – Sweet. Contrary to what you may believe, honey can have varied flavor profiles. Some have floral or citrus notes, while some may have a woody aroma. Some may even end up tasting very industrial, synthetic, and full of added refined sugar or jaggery.

This bottle of honey is very fresh tasting. It isn’t sugary-sweet but has mild citrusy notes, which we really liked. Some of us could also taste mild and fresh fennel-like notes.

6. After Taste

It is not necessary that all honey is just sweet. Some kinds of honey can end up having a sour or bitter aftertaste as well. The Honey Shop’s forest honey does not have an undesirable aftertaste. It tastes fresh, has a pleasant aroma.       

7. Price

A 700 gm bottle of Forest Honey by The Honey Shop is priced at Rs 750/-. On their website, they mention ‘The value of honey depends upon the flowers from which bees collect their nectar.’

8. Shelf Life

The shelf life of this honey is 18 months from the date of packaging.

It is advised not to refrigerate the honey.

9. Nutritional Information

As per the information provided on the pack – 

This honey provides 320 kcal of energy. There are no added sugars. It is not a source of protein and fat.

The Sodium content is 17 mg per 100 gms, Potassium is 138 mg, Calcium is 13 mg, Iron is 1.5 mg and Phosphorus is 5 mg.

We tried The Honey Shop’s Forest Honey over weeks in our test kitchen in warm water and in our cup of green tea. We even drizzled it on hot toasts, and slices of french toast, and coin-sized pancakes. 

Throughout our testing phase, we could not help but appreciate the freshness of the honey. In addition, the beautiful amber-dark golden color with its thick, luscious consistency is enthralling. 

Note – Honey crystallisation is a natural phenomenon which depends on the glucose and fructose ratio. The honey we received from The Honey Shop is from their summer collection of forest honey which does not crystallise. Read more on why honey crystallizes.

Features

• A 700 gm bottle of forest honey by The Honey Shop is priced at Rs 750/-.
• Shelf life – 18 months
• The honey is available online on Amazon and the brand’s own website.
• This is raw, organic honey.
• Honey collected from hives of Apis Dorsata. These bees are almost three times bigger than Apis Mellifera, which are generally used for commercial beekeeping. 

Pros

• We liked the dark golden, amber color of the honey.
• The honey tastes fresh, intense, and luscious.
• The light notes of citrus and fennel are delicate and well-rounded.
• There is no undesirable taste.
• The consistency is thicker than commercially processed honey.
• No bees were harmed while collecting the honey.

Best Suited For

This product is well suited for you if you’re looking for organic, raw, forest honey for daily consumption with your green tea and lemon water. If you want to replace refined sugar with honey as a sweetener, this is a fabulous product. 

Here are some interesting FAQs on The Honey Shop Forest Honey.

1. Is this raw organic forest honey 100% pure?

The purity of honey cannot be determined by physical attributes or taste. To test the purity of honey, there are multiple tests that can be conducted including a test for added sugars, HMF, moisture content, antibiotic test and much more. FSSAI has laid down permissible limits that must be adhered to by all brands.

2. What’s the specialty of this forest honey?

There are multiple USPs of the forest honey by The Honey Shop – 

• This is raw, which means it is not processed. Excessively processed honeys can lose out on essential nutrients.
• The honey is organic.
• Honey is collected by trained tribal foragers within the forests from natural hives.
• The honey is harvested ethically and no bees are harmed in the process.
• The brand also specifies online that their honey is found to be high on pollen count during testing. A high pollen count increases the medical value of honey.

3. What is the difference between raw honey and forest honey?

Raw honey means that it has not been processed or pasteurized. It does not signify the source of honey. While forest honey is indicative of the way it has been sourced or harvested. Forest honey means that the honey is not a result of honey created by bees in artificial hives (beekeeping), but are foraged from the hives existing in forests.

4. What is the shelf life of this honey?

The shelf life of the forest honey by The Honey Shop is 18 months from the date of manufacture.

5. ​​If Honey never expires, why is there an expiry date on it?

Honey never expires, that is correct. But as per FSSAI guidelines expiry date on every food product needs to be mentioned. That’s why the brands have to put it on the label. However, if honey is stored properly it may even be used for a longer time.

The Honey Shop’s Forest Honey is raw and organic. Collected from naturally existing hives in the wild, this honey is harvested ethically, which means that no bees were harmed during honey collection.

We loved the fresh tasting honey with delicate notes of citrus and fennel. This thick, amber colored honey can be used to sweeten your green tea, pancakes, waffles or be added to your dressings and marinades as well.

Have you tried the forest honey by The Honey Shop? If you have, let us know in the comment section about your experience with the product.

* If you do agree with our review, please give it a thumbs up! And, tell us which one is your favorite from this list. If you don’t, please tell us why!

* Food & Beverage is a constantly evolving segment with new products launched daily. Our endeavor here is to help shoppers buy better. If there’s a product you would like us to review tell us by clicking here.

* Our reviews are unbiased and all samples used during the reviews were paid for by us. Read our entire ethics statement here.

* No part of this review is sponsored by any brand. All expenses were borne b