Tropical Forest Organic Forest Zambia Honey 3.18 kg

I have read some curious reviews about this honey, mainly in the one star category, and I must say I am perplexed as to some of the rubbish that has been written. Apricot Jam? Smells of Alcohol? Flavoured syrup? I don't know that planet these people come from but here is my review of the product as I have seen, smelled and tasted. And by the way, my next order will be my third batch of the stuff sold by Suma WholeFoods.As soon as you open the tub the strong smell hits you. It is not an unpleasant smell. Just strong. Someone has already pointed out that it smells like Valerian, and having been familiar with Valerian, and in particular Valerian tea, I can say that that is exactly right. That is the smell nailed down, totally!As far as appearance is concerned, the honey is dark brown to brown and is crystalline in appearance, meaning it will appear grainy or look like sugar crystals. The crystallization of honey is normal and is a sign that you are getting an authentic product in terms of being raw, natural and organic. Interestingly, the amount of crystallization of a given honey is dependant on the types of flowers that the bees forage as some pollens lend themselves better to crystallisation than others.As far as taste is concerned, it is very sweet with a Valerian taste/after-taste. The taste reminds me of a cross between Valerian tea and Earl Grey. Whether or not the bees have been foraging Valerian flowers is impossible to say but it's more likely that the taste comes from the accumulation of many pollen types from wild flowers and plants in the region where this honey is harvested. If you are used to supermarket honey, then this may taste slightly strange to your tastes. The taste is not overpowering or unpleasant but if you require a more delicate/subtle taste for whatever reason, then this honey probably isn't the honey for you.I'm sorry, but I don't understand the mentality of people who set out to buy a natural, organic, and raw product and then complain that it doesn't taste like the tasteless and sterile stuff sold in the supermarkets. Surely common sense dictates that thousands upon thousands of jars of supermarket honey all looking and tasting the same with the same consistency year in, year out, is not right or natural?To my pallet, it tastes stronger but stronger doesn't mean unpleasant, just different. It has all the qualities you would expect from a natural product which is why I have continued to buy it and will probably continue to buy it, except for some occasional experimentation with other products, in the future.Tip: If like me you use a lot of coconut oil, then save your empty 500g jars as they make ideal honey storage jars

Superb product

My family and I are self confessed honey and bee products addicts. We have good base for comparison. This is high quality really good, strong honey. The taste and the aroma are specific and I personally like them very much. Well worth the price. The information about the production process, provided on their web site, is enlightening.I am happy that with my purchase I not only gain this great quality food, but help people living far away from me. One happy buyer here. Thank you.Word of caution: I bought this from Tropical Forest sellers, but then a few days later I saw that the same sellers sell the same honey but for nearly £2.00 less, just because the title given to the item is different. The item received is the same: same origin honey inside, same quantity, same bucket size, both are Amazon Prime, etc. Here is the cheaper version: Tropical Forest Organic Honey Tub 3.18 Kg So do be careful which item you buy, because why pay more when you can pay less for the same thing! In addition, you have to spend three days on the phone with Amazon representative and try to convince them that "Yes, this is the same product" and "No, you are not stupid enough to buy the same amount of the same honey in a different size bucket (for which bucket you have to pay additionally according to the Amazon representative)". It takes long time to explain to them that it is more plausible the measurements of the two buckets to be wrong (and for it to be the same bucket, as shown on the images to both items) than for you to want to pay £2.00 more for a bucket you will throw away anyway when you've eaten the honey. I did get a refund, but that is not what I wanted to spend my time doing. Overall, just be careful, but dont let my experience and comments deter you from purchasing the item, as the honey itself is exquisite! My only complain is in regards of Amazon themselves, NOT the product. The product is heavenly!!!

Just bought my 7th tub of this! And before that, I used to buy it from a health food store, going back over a decade - I use it in my early morning coffee. But I have to say, it's not the same.It used to be darker in colour, and darker in flavour too, very unique - I liked it, but some people were not as keen. Unfortunately that uniqueness seems to have been reducing over the years. I just got a new tub and it was more a lighter orange colour, with the original flavour only slightly there in the background. I had to taste a few spoonful's just to find it, making this not much different from standard supermarket honey, only more expensive. I noticed the same with the previous tub too, except it was a little closer to the original. It's just not the same product any more.Perhaps they were struggling to get enough in bulk from the rainforest gathering process, and it's now only fractionally the original "rainforest honey". Or perhaps they diluted it because too many people were moaning, I hope not - seriously, it's supposed to be wild Zambian rainforest honey, you expect it to be identical to the tasteless liquid sweetener you buy from Asda?! Anyway.... maybe it's random too, luck of the draw, I see some recent reviews discussing the flavour, and pictures that are closer to what I remember.I'll keep on buying it, for now, hopefully the next tub will back to form. Damn shame though.