Give us some undersized red t-shirts and call us your Pooh bears, because we looooove honey. One Saturday morning, we tasted five different honeys [insert sexual innuendo here] to decide what we'd most like to keep stocked in our pantry.

We tasted:

1. Buckwheat Honey from Wixson's Honey, a small Dundee, NY producer that sells at local markets and farm stands
2. Fall Flower Honey from Wixson's Honey
3. 100% Pure Honeycomb Honey from The Savannah Bee Company, a small Savannah, GA producer that sells in gourmet food shops and online
4. Pure Raw Mesquite Honey from McClendon's, an small producer near Phoeniz, AZ that sells at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market
5. Pure Clover Honey from Billybee, a mass market Canadian producer that sells at American supermarkets

The Buckwheat Honey from Wixson's got very mixed reviews, Scott finding it "like a lollypop" while Jen called it "too processed" and Kate went with "musty and overpowering." No one liked it on bread by itself. Ultimately, Jen has found good use for it while cooking, pulling it out for stir fry dishes and sauces where palm sugar would be too subtle and maple syrup would be too strong. It has even been known to balance out an overly acidic tomato sauce mere moments before it hit the spaghetti. Not a bad buy at $4 a bottle, really.

Kate called the Fall Flower Honey from Wixson's "mild, acrid, and nice," and Scott liked its "subtle floral taste." Jen was the dissenter, finding it a bit too mild for her tastes. One thing we could all agree upon is that it works well in tea. It's a good buy at $4 a bottle.

The 100% Pure Honeycomb Honey from The Savannah Bee Company consists of an edible honeycomb drenched in honey, designed for serving alongside a cheese plate. All three tasters found it nice on bread, if "a bit thin." Jen liked its "strong floral taste" and Scott found a "woody note," though Kate called it "plain." In all, we have found it to be a good accompaniment for cheeses or even just a spread for morning toast. At $15 a pop, it would have to be a special occasion treat.

The Pure Raw Mesquite Honey from McClendon's was the all-around favorite, Scott delighting in its "toothsticking ur-sugar," Kate applauding its "citrus" note, and Jen appreciating its "thick texture and unique taste." It is great alone on bread or used in recipes of all sorts. At $8 for a big bottle, it can be an everyday indulgence.

The Pure Clover Honey from Billybee was, not surprisingly, the all-around least favorite. Jen felt it complained of "no flavor," Kate called it "harsh and sugary," and Scott found it "boring," We'd skip this stuff entirely, despite the mere $3 price tag and adorable bear-shaped bottle.

Comments:

Interestingly, Kate identified all five honeys correctly, Jen managed three out of five, and Scott got only one out of five. We also found that old neckties will make sufficient blindfolds for future taste tests.