Cavity Dept: Honey, are you listening?

[Capn Jimbo]

Cavity Dept: Honey, are you listening?


Honey, sweet honey! If your heritage includes the Mediterranean countries, or even if it doesn't, you may be a big honey fan. I love honey and we actually feel that it really is "a food of the Gods", healthy and medicinal. But sadly - and like so many products - real honey may soon be the minority of what appears on your grocer's shelves.


Here's the truth...

" Time Magazine:
"Experts interviewed by Food Safety News say some of the largest and most long-established U.S. honey packers are knowingly buying mislabeled, transshipped or possibly altered honey so they can sell it cheaper than those companies who demand safety, quality and rigorously inspected honey.

“It’s no secret that the honey smuggling is being driven by money, the desire to save a couple of pennies a pound,” said Richard Adee, who is the Washington Legislative Chairman of the American Honey Producers Association."

“These big packers are still using imported honey of uncertain safety that they know is illegal because they know their chances of getting caught are slim,” Adee said."

This "honey" amounts to literally millions of pounds, and is mostly sourced in China. This Chinese product often is tainted with lead and illegal bee antibiotics, and is often diluted with corn syrup, artificial sweeteners - to the point that real honey compromises a minority of the content! The tipoff?

Such faux honey is "ultrafiltered", ostensibly to produce a "clear" product, but actually to remove the pollen and wax to prevent it being traced to China (and rejected). Almost all the "honey" at Walmart is ultrafiltered.

At our household we love honey - real honey - so we buy only unfiltered product known to be produced right here in Florida. It's still affordable and the taste difference is notable.


Why is this important here?

I recently read a review of Florida's own Siesta Key Spiced Rum, in which the distiller was alleged to use "real spices and honey". Big wow! Really, if true this is a truly admirable practice. Think Richard Seale's Foursquare.

So naturally, I emailed Siesta Key... Stay tuned!

[Capn Jimbo]

Siesta Key Spiced Rum uses "real spices and honey"?!


Or do they? Based on the above, I emailed Siesta Key on their alleged use of "real spices and honey". Actually the bottle states "natural spices" with "natural" being a well known red flag word. Check this out...

Moi, via email: At The Rum Project (perhaps the largest non-commercial rum reviewing website on the net) we are big fans of artisan distilling of rum in the United States. We have a rich history of moonshining, and like many countries at one time home distilling was quite common, as it is in Australia and parts of Europe. One of my favorite distillers is Phil Prichard who actually built his own home still, which is still used to develop recipes. His rums are simply amazing.

Your Carl still is a top quality still, widely respected. But I digress..

I recently read a review which exclaimed your use of “real spices” and “honey” in your spiced rum. If true, you have joined a handful of distillers who do so. Think Foursquare and Richard Seale for example. Naturally, I rushed off to Total Wine & Spirits to find a bottle to review, but when I read your label I found it stated “natural spices” and “a bit of honey”. Forgive me, but I have to ask the following:

1. The flavoring industry, which is substantial, not only uses “artificial flavors” – which are considered, well, artificial – but accordingly then promotes “natural flavors” - a term which is intended to imply that the flavor is not artificial. As you may know, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. “Natural flavors” do indeed extract perhaps a single natural component (which doesn’t even have to be drawn from the named flavor, eg strawberry), which is then combined with artificial flavors and other components.

Bottom line: “Natural flavors” are hardly much different than the “artificial flavors”. Of course they are used on the basis of cost, consistency and profit. Designer flavors.

Real spices are a world apart, as you must know. Honey – if it is unfiltered – is too.

Question 1: I am bothered by your use of the adjective “natural” instead of “real”. Do you use real spices and only real spices, completely authentic and directly from nature? If so could you give an example or two? In what form do you get them, and how are they added?

2. Honey is yet another matter. Recently we discovered that millions of pound of honey sold in the US, is actually sourced in China and may contain lead and certain banned bee antibiotics. The Chinese hide their sources by using “ultrafiltration” – ostensibly to to provide a clear product – but actually to remove traceable pollen and wax. The Chinese also extend the product by adding other sweeteners and syrups, often with honey being the smallest component or not present at all!

Thus in our household we avoid all “ultrafiltered” products, and try to buy honey from Floridian producers. We are fortunate that Florida is famous for our orange blossom and other honeys which are absolutely real, and still affordable. Nothing at Walmart makes the grade.

Still your use of honey in any form is admirable and I commend you for the attempt.

Question #2: Is your honey ultrafiltered? What kind of honey (eg orange blossom, etc) do you use, if you can say?


Thanks... If you do indeed use only real spices and honey, we look forward to buying and reviewing it


Cordially,
Capn Jimbo

Will Siesta Key reply? If they really do use "real spices" I'm sure they will. Stay tuned...