Layne said:
The methodologies and techniques used to produce raw "organic"  unheated,
unfiltered
hobbyist honey might vary from those used by a commercial producer producing
for the mass
market.

I supply health food stores on a commercial level with a product I believe
to be superior to most hobby beekeepers honey as they use a hot uncapping
knife.

My process for health food stores:

I use a Dakota Gunness uncapper which uses no heat (unlike a cowen or hot
knife). I use no heat as my pump will pump even cold honey. The extractors I
use will spin out even cold honey but the temperature of the honey
processing area is usually between 80 to 100 F. when extracting. I do STRAIN
the honey by gravity through nylon material after the honey has had time to
settle and wax rises to the top.  Slow process but the honey does strain.
Granted  every once in a while a speck of wax will slip through the nylon
material but the health food stores only want the honey strained and not
pressure filtered. I actually can heat the honey up to 120 F. but only do so
with honey which has crystallized on the store shelf and then sell the honey
at a farmers market.

  Several of the health food stores have  came to observe the operation and
while the honey is agitated a bit and picks up *air* from the straining
process the honey is about as natural as  honey comes. They are allways
pleased with the operation and tell their customers.

Layne said:
 but I personally can tell the difference in taste
between my "crushed comb" (cold pressed) honey and my extracted honey.

I suspect the difference Layne says he tastes comes from the use of the hot
knife. I can not tell a taste difference between my comb honey crushed and
the honey processed by me for the health food market. Neither has a health
food store person when given the test.
.
The bulk honey I sell on the open market is not treated as above and I have
NEVER had a packer ask about the way the honey was processed, amount of heat
used etc.

We are all entitled to our opinion so I am going to give mine on "Really Raw
Honey" . The story is on page 618 of the August issue of the American Bee
Journal.

A very low quality product which in the end will cost customers. A business
built on bad mouthing the rest of the beekeepers products as inferior. A
business built on the ignorance of the customer.

Bob

Ps quote from page 618 about "Really raw Honey":

" A look inside a Really Raw Honey jar. All the crunchy goodness beeswax,
pollen, and propolis have to offer"

I am sure the proplis adds flavor to say nothing of the green stain color on
your teeth!

If you want crunchy grind a few small hive beetles into the mixture!

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