Honeys
Wing Wo Pure Honey
Wing Wo is one of Hong Kong's last remaining apiaries, located near the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin. While the honey is beautifully delicate with a lasting finish on the palate, the first thing that will strike you is its complex fragrance that evokes chrysanthemum. This is a winter honey, the bees take nectar from the flowers of the ivy tree (Schefflera heptaphylla). Winter honeys are unique to warmer regions of the world where bees do not need to hibernate, and this slightly cloudy, pale golden product is a delicious example.
HK$90, Patisserie, Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Sha Tin
HK Honey Lychee & Longan Springtime Honey
Conceived by designer Michael Leung, this emerging local brand bottles honey from local bee farms, such as Wing Wo (next example) in fetching glass jars that can be reused as tumblers, sealing them with a stopper made of pure beeswax that doubles as a candle. Don't be thrown by the cedarwood-like aroma. The lively floral flavours and fruity tang more than make up for it.
HK$240, Kapok, 3 Sun Street, Wan Chai
Mizutani Pure Japanese Flower Honey
This springtime honey is produced by bees that harvest nectar from various kinds of flowers around Osaka, southeastern Japan, including acacia, tangerine and linden. It has a distinct tartness of fruit vinegar with a hint of dried rosemary. The smell carries a similar astringency, with pungent overtones of old hay, which isn't entirely pleasant on its own, but would go well drizzled on strong soft cheese.
HK$158, City'super, citywide
J. Friend and Co Wild Thyme Honey
A thick, chunky, creamy honey from Central Otago, New Zealand, with the pliable texture of dough and the slightly medicinal taste of sun-dried thyme. While not the most agreeable honey to eat on its own, it is certified organic by New Zealand's AsureQuality, meaning beekeepers must ensure that the land within a three-kilometre radius of the hives is also certified organic. Chemical sprays or treatments are strictly prohibited on the hives or in the surrounding environment. For those whose motto is 'safety first', this may be just the thing.
HK$47.50, ParknShop International
Airborne Manuka Honey
Entirely opaque, with the texture and colour of toffee, this is an intensely flavoured honey with unmissable earthy tones and acidity. It is sourced from two types of flowers, commonly known as red manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) and white manuka (Kunzea ericoides) and is believed by the Maori people to have healing properties. Manuka honeys are marketed on their claimed anti-bacterial properties, measured by a Non-Peroxide Activity or Unique Manuka Factor rating, comparing their properties with a solution of the disinfectant phenol in water. This honey scores 8+ on that rating, meaning effectiveness similar to an 8 per cent solution of phenol
HK$132.80, Great Food Hall
