Mountain Valley Premium Raw Manuka Honey, Certified MGO 265+ Monofloral New Zealand Mānuka, 17.6oz (500g)

Gritty texture

This brand is “FernMark Licenced” which is a program managed by the NZ government to grow NZ businesses. This is genuine NZ Manuka honey. Their licence # is 100382. There is a lot of fake Manuka honey out there so be sure you are getting the real thing. FernMark is not the same as UMF Certification (this honey is not UMF certified). Google UMF.org.nz to learn more & see the full listing of certified Manuka honey brands. The UMFHA is an organization in New Zealand that certifies the UMF rating for member manuka honey brands.This honey is good with a light “manuka” flavor IMO but it was very crystallized on arrival. Manuka honey has a different taste than traditional honey. It has a somewhat herbal/floral flavor – hard to describe. We love Manuka honey in this house & have tried many. The honey comes from bees who gather pollen from manuka bushes – a scrub tree/bush that grows in New Zealand & Australia.Yes, all real/no additive honey will eventually crystallize. It is disappointing that this honey arrived so crystallized but it is still good honey. That is perfectly normal & does NOT mean the honey is bad/spoiled – honey does not really spoil. You can make it smooth by putting the container with the honey in a pan of simmering water. It will crystallize again so this is not a permanent fix. And if you heat it several times, it will lose its taste & probably ruin the MGO. Microwaving is NOT recommended because it is uneven & will ruin your honey faster. So, I recommend you just enjoy your crystallized honey as is.The rating MGO (methylglyoxal) tells you how much Methylglyoxal are in the honey (the naturally occurring compounds from the Manuka bush honey). The UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) is a grading system based on the MGO, Leptosperin, DHA & HMF. You can’t convert a MGO to UMF because there are more factors than MGO to determine the UMF.Manuka honey is reputed to have many health benefits – I do not know if that is true but it certainly tastes good so it is no hardship to use it as “medicine”. I like it by the teaspoon, on its own, so I can fully enjoy the flavor.

Disclaimer: I received this product for free through the Vine program.This is an interesting product to review. As simply a jar of honey it has an unusual aromatic flavor that is more intense than standard store-bought honey. It is not unpleasant, and I would be happy to use this in place of ordinary honey. The honey itself was crystalized on arrival, which the package materials indicate would be likely and that gentle warming will cause the sugar crystals to go back into solution. I sampled the honey as is, crystals and all, as I didn't want to have to put the jar in a pot of hot water and wait for it to liquify.Manuka honey comes from Australia and New Zealand where it must be tested and certified as authentic prior to export. There is enough demand for the product around the world that there is a significant counterfeit market for Manuka honey. The product is positioned as a premium, luxury honey and this package came with a hand signed certificate of authenticity, a thank you note, and notification that a dollar from the purchase goes to support sustainable agriculture in developing countries.Manuka certified honey must have minimum levels of Methylglyoxal (MG) and two other chemicals which are naturally occurring compounds that are present at levels up to 100 times higher in Manuka honey compared to typical honeys. Some websites claim health benefits from Manuka honey and MG, particularly in wound care (it is applied to the wound), but any type of honey promotes wound healing. Methylglyoxal, in fact, may adversely affect healing in Diabetic ulcers, and it is associated with progression of atherosclerosis. Thus, any health promoting claims of Manuka honey should be looked at with a very skeptical eye. Additionally, this honey is raw so you should avoid giving it to children under a year old.Health benefits or risks aside; this is a pleasant tasting honey with a premium cachet. The reasons someone would be willing to spend forty dollars for a 17-ounce jar would be that you simply like or want to try Manuka honey, you like having luxury items, or you want to give an interesting gift. For those purposes this is an excellent product. For everyday use I'd stick to something less expensive from the local grocer.

Manuka honey is known for its antimicrobial and other medicinal properties. Although most honey has medicinal properties, Manuka honey uniquely contains higher levels of methylglyoxal (MGO), which is antibacterial, as well as leptosperin, which is anti-inflammatory, and dihydroxyacetone (DHA). These are derived from the nectar and pollen the bees gather on the leptospermum scoparium bush (also known as a tea tree). Genuine Manuka honey is produced in New Zealand and Australia, where this plant grows.Because quality Manuka honey is difficult to produce, and therefore is more expensive, and to better inform consumers, standards have been developed to grade the honey according to the content of the key ingredients. Labels will usually bear an MGO number that discloses the level of that chemical, ranging from around 50 to as high as 2000 mg/kg. Some New Zealand beekeepers belong to the Unique Manuka Factor association, which allows them to use the trademarked UMF grading system on their honey.This honey is MGO 265+, which is equivalent in MGO level to UMF 10+ (the producers apparently don't belong to the UMF group and therefore don't use the UMF number on their products). This is considered a good, general-purpose grade, suitable for putting in tea or licking off a spoon to help with a cough or sore throat. It's more potent than many Manuka honeys that are available, and less potent than some others. I have no miracle cure stories to report; my view is, if you prefer natural health products and want to try it for a sore throat, go for it.In terms of taste, it isn't for everyone. I happen to like it, but there's a distinctive medicinal element that some may find unpleasant. But as Manuka honey goes, it's a good quality product.