Bangkok Street Honey - Real Or Fake?

[Grawburg]

Last week myself and 4 colleagues were eating lunch at street cafe on Lang Suang. A woman comes up with whisky bottles full of honey. I ask how much - B250. I offer her B200 and she accepts.

One guy said I bight B200 worth of sugar water. Others said it was real. Some said it was half and half.

Either as an attempt to prove themselves right - or to at least waste another hour after lunch - back at the office they began a series of tests.

1) If it smells/tastes like flowers it's 100% real.

2) if you put some drops on paper and you don't see the water separate out - again it's real.

3) if it doesn't have a slightly sour taste, its at least had sugar added to it.

4) if you dip a match in it and the match can still strike, its real

5) if its too runny, its fake

on and on....

So my question is...is there really any easy way to tell if this stuff is 100% real?

[necronx99]

Assuming you don't have access to a mass spectrometer... there are various subjective guides.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4851590_test-honey-purity.html

[kurnell]

Is 200 baht cheap compared to Tops?

[Dancealot]

One question back: Did it ever cross you mind to go along with the guy to the place where he brews it.

[BigRick]

Its 150Baht at the OTEP stores. 180baht at Tops for the Queens garden honey(good stuff). They use to mix it with inferior Indian honey and sugar but that racket got exposed so I am not sure what the going rate is. If the person was charging a lot then chances are its real because selling sugar water for 200baht is a short term prospect. Honey quility depends on the flowers used. They have some crazy expensive stuff in Canada called fire flower honey. It is a special kind of flower that grows after forest fires and they have to truck the bees in.

[soundman]

One question back: Did it ever cross you mind to go along with the guy to the place where he brews it.

Plenty of worker bees up to the task.

[Gone]

Its 150Baht at the OTEP stores. 180baht at Tops for the Queens garden honey(good stuff). They use to mix it with inferior Indian honey and sugar but that racket got exposed so I am not sure what the going rate is. If the person was charging a lot then chances are its real because selling sugar water for 200baht is a short term prospect. Honey quility depends on the flowers used. They have some crazy expensive stuff in Canada called fire flower honey. It is a special kind of flower that grows after forest fires and they have to truck the bees in.

You don't get a whiskey bottle full for those prices.

Yes normally it is real but why not just do the tests you say? Seems like you have it under control.

For 200 baht, if you like it, why worry?

Normally the same person selling it also has the actual Honey Comb you can buy too and just eat it. They are great tasting if you can get past the scenario of what you are eating. Can't see them faking that.

[Bakseedaa]

Put it into a cold fridge... honey does not freeze.... sugar water does..... and also the suger will crystalise....honey does not... also try tasting it... honey tastes like honey...

[bkkmick]

I was with a Thai neighbour when he got offered some honey. He asked for a sample and dropped it into a glass of water.

http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/pure-honey.html

[USNret]

Assuming you don't have access to a mass spectrometer... there are various subjective guides.

http://www.ehow.com/...ney-purity.html

Great web site. It says to dip your wick in the honey. It might work, but then who'd wanna eat the honey??

[Dancealot]

And nobody in this thread was talking in figures of speech. There is hope after all.

[BigRick]

Serious it was only a 150 Baht at the rest stop on the way back from Laos. I am not talking about mom and pop seedy sell Oreo cookies for 90 baht shop but a real state run OTEP shop. In fact the honey that I bought also says "OTOP product champion" and it has some Thai guy holding a giant thing of clovers. It is good stuff I even made Kool-aid with it at one time because I ran out of sugar(Best dang grape Koolaid ever!) And it is in the ubiquitous wisky bootle that you speak of.

[samsiam]

We buy honey straight from a beekeeper...120b big bottle...pure as and various flavours...sunflower, longan and another one but cannot remember...think lomyai

So at 200 you got shagged, especially as much of the stuff on the street is not real....just cos they have the comb and some bees in their bucket just adds to the con.

[Ulysses G.]

If you can not tell the difference from "real" honey, why worry about it?

[WilliaminBKK]

Ants do not like pure honey, place a tablespoon outside and see if the ants eat it. Ants are attracted to sugar and oil.

[robblok]

If you can not tell the difference from "real" honey, why worry about it?

Honey is healthier as sugar water. If it was only about the taste you would be right.

[Dancealot]

If you can not tell the difference from "real" honey, why worry about it?

Honey is healthier as sugar water. If it was only about the taste you would be right.

How much honey does one need to acquire a good taste for it. I guess you just have to try and try some more.

[maxme]

I did that too and promised myself not to do it again. If you leave the bottle on the shelf for a while you will start to see sugar flakes on the bottom. Now i always buy from supermarket, the brand is Healthy Mate.