The pros:  Trader Joe's Organic Himalayan Honey is a tasty honey with a sugary top.
The cons: Trader Joe's Organic Himalayan Honey is a thick honey that you'll need a knife to spread, so if you are baking you still might need to reach for a more liquid honey.
The verdict:  For $4.99 you get a decent 12 ounce sized organic jar of honey from India. The Himalayas run along India's norther border and I was wondering what this would taste like. I previously review a seasonal item, Trader Joe's Rainbow of Honey, that made me realize just how different honey can really be. Those flavors ranged from the familiar clover to honey that tasted of eucalyptus and nuts. The first thing I noted when trying this was the strong smell of honey when opening the jar.
I wasn't expecting the appearance of  what looked like a white hardened foam on top the jar. After a bit of digging the real honey revealed itself. The white hardened foam on the top that could easily be sold as honey candy. After a bit of digging I hit the actual honey. It has a very thick consistency like a creamed honey. This is a honey you would spread with a knife over toast. It can be used with a spoon in a cup of tea. Unlike its syrupy counterparts, this won't make a mess the way the liquid honey tends to.
Unlike Trader Joe's Rainbow of Honey which allowed me to experience different flavors or notes, I was struggling to find the notes on this one. It reminded me a cross between a clover and orange blossom creamed honey but there wasn't flavors that really stood out here. Whether or not you should buy it depends upon how you intend on using this. If you prefer the thicker variety, this should work. If you need more flexibility to eat, drink, and bake with honey and don't mind the mess, then skip this.
The jar:
The nutritional information and the ingredient:
Out of the package you get:
However, digging a bit further reveals the rest of the container:
Would I buy this again? It was neat to try once, but since I do a lot of baking, I'll stick to the liquid honey.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Noelle says
I did not care for the flavor or smell at all. I actually thought it was rotten until I googled it.
Brian says
Funny, as above, myself found that the strange white layer resembled a mold or spoilage, until I heard that Betty has condoned this strange start to this different kind of honey, which is really a curious flavor, not what american honey is, but I like a change, and its not that bad..