How To Choose Manuka Honey: Your Ultimate Guide to Selecting the Best

People who are going to buy manuka honey need to make sure that they’re going to get their money’s worth. Using the UMF grading system is the best way to do that. Choose the right MGO rating to ensure that the potency is perfect.

Above all else, ensure that the product has been UMF certified. So, how to choose manuka honey?

What Actually Matters?

When it comes to buying manuka honey, certain attributes are vitally important. Some characteristics matter more than others because they will impact the authenticity, taste, and potency of the honey.

With this in mind, you’ll find that only a handful of factors must be considered when purchasing manuka honey. In particular, it is best to use the UMF grading system.

The grading system can ensure that you’re getting an authentic product. Plus, it’ll tell you more about the taste and potency of the product.

Although there are other ways to evaluate manuka honey, the UMF system is the most reliable and comprehensive.

About The UMF Grading System

Ultimately, using the UMF grading system is the best option. The system can tell you everything you need to know about manuka honey products.

The system was created by the Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association based in New Zealand. It attempts to safeguard the industry and customers by ensuring that fraudulent products don’t reach the public.

The UMF system is the most comprehensive grading system so it is important to use it when attempting to buy manuka honey.

Specifically, the system is used to evaluate the authenticity, potency, freshness, and shelf life of the product.

What Does UMF Guarantee?

The UMF system can guarantee that the customer is receiving an authentic product. For a product to be UMF certified, it has to be tested extensively by a 3^rd party lab.

If a product has been certified by UMHFA or the Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association, it means that the product is authentic.

The grading system also provides manuka with MGO ratings that detail the potency of the product.

It is always important to use the UMF results to ensure that you’re choosing the right product.

What Do You Want?

Now that you’ve learned about the UMF grading system, you should find out how to choose manuka honey. Start by deciding what you want to do with the honey.

Are you going to use it to boost your immunity and enhance recipes? Do you need to rapidly heal an open wound? Determining the purpose of the honey will help.

Once you’ve found the purpose, you can choose a potency that will meet your needs the best. Of course, there is nothing stopping consumers from buying low-grade and high-grade manuka honey.

Then, you’ll be able to use each product for different purposes.

Identifying Potency

When you start looking at manuka honey brands, you will find that each product sells several products. They’re probably numbered. The label will say something like “UMF 20+”.

This tells you the potency of the product. The UMF grading system evaluates the Methylglyoxal content of the honey. This is important because the Methylglyoxal in the honey is what makes it medicinally beneficial.

If it has more Methylglyoxal, it’ll be more potent. Customers have to look at the MGO rating of the honey when attempting to choose the right product.

Some companies provide an MGO rating while others use the UMF rating.

If the company only offers an MGO rating, make sure that the product is UMF certified. Choosing a higher potency isn’t always wise. In some cases, a lower potency is better.

For instance, you should pick a lower potency if you want to spice up recipes and use the product daily. A higher potency is better for healing wounds.

Traceable

You’ll also want to know where the honey came from. After all, it is pertinent to make sure that it came from New Zealand. If it didn’t, you’re not buying manuka honey.

All manuka honey is made in New Zealand. Some companies use systems that allow customers to trace the honey back to the hive.

Usually, you will find a QR code on the label or lid. When you scan the code, you will be told where the honey was harvested.

If the honey is traceable, you can guarantee that the company has nothing to hide.

Leptosperin

The UMF grading system evaluates several factors. Besides the MGO rating, the system also checks the Leptosperin level.

Ultimately, this is used to determine whether the customer is buying authentic manuka honey. Leptosperin is a unique compound that can only be found in the nectar of manuka flowers.

In addition to proving authenticity, this compound is believed to possess some anti-inflammatory properties.

DHA

The DHA in the honey helps measure its shelf life. Over time, the DHA is going to transform into MGO.

Choosing manuka honey with a high DHA content is important because this means that the product will last for much longer.

To be UMF certified, the product must have 70 mg/kg DHA or higher. Again, this is one of the reasons you should only buy UMF-certified manuka honey.

HMF Rating

Finally, the HMF rating is the last aspect of the UMF system. This aspect of the test determines how fresh the honey is.

It can be used to make sure that the manuka honey hasn’t been stored for too long and that it hasn’t been overheated. Either issue can degrade the quality and effectiveness of the product.

Make sure that the honey is fresh to ensure that you’re going to receive satisfactory results.

UMF Certification Matters

The easiest way to guarantee that you’re going to be happy with the product is by ensuring that it has been UMF certified.

The UMF Honey Association rigorously tests manuka honey products to ensure that they’re authentic, fresh, and potent. If the product passes these tests, it will be certified by the UMF Honey Association.

You’ll also want to check to make sure that the brand has received a UMF Honey Association license. This can be checked by visiting the official website of the UMF Honey Association.

If a company doesn’t have a license, its products may not be able to pass the requirements set forth by the UMF Honey Association.

Read Reviews

If you’re curious to learn how to choose manuka honey, you should make sure that you’re reading plenty of reviews.

Previous customer reviews can tell you a lot about the product that you’re about to purchase. The reviews will tell you about the taste of the honey, its potency, delivery time, and more.

Always read reviews before purchasing any manuka honey.

What About The Price?

Most people cannot overspend on these products so the price is very important. However, some new buyers will make the mistake of buying the cheapest manuka honey they can find.

This is problematic because manuka honey is expensive. If the price is surprisingly low, there is a good chance that the product isn’t authentic.

Instead, the price might be deceptively low to lure unsuspecting customers. Although you don’t want to spend too much, you have to understand that manuka honey is rare and expensive.

Furthermore, the price will increase as the MGO rating increases. Compare the prices from the most reputable brands to ensure that you’re not paying too much.

Always Buy Raw Manuka Honey

If you want to get the best results, you need to make sure that you’re buying raw honey. Unfortunately, processing and pasteurizing are only going to cause problems.

These processes are going to strip the vital nutrients and vitamins from the manuka honey. If manuka honey has been heated for too long or processed too much, it may lose its MGO content.

Then, the medicinal properties will be voided. Read more about the company’s harvesting and manufacturing processes to avoid issues.

What UMF Rating Is Best?

Finally, the customer must determine which UMF rating is best. In some cases, it’ll be best to get the highest rating and the most potency manuka honey.

However, the highest rating isn’t always the right option. Instead, it depends on what you’re using the product for and how often you want to use it.

UMF 5+ manuka honey tends to be good for everyday use. It can provide the user with a natural boost of energy without making them too hyper.

The taste is great for improving recipes too. For antibacterial purposes, choose UMF 26+ manuka honey.

Just remember that high-grade manuka honey may not be suitable for everyday use.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where Can You Buy Manuka Honey?

Manuka honey can be purchased from many retailers. It can be found online and in person. It may be best to buy this product directly from the brand’s website.

How Much Manuka Honey Can I Take?

Using too much manuka honey can lead to issues so you don’t want to overuse these products. Usually, you can take up to two tablespoons without running into issues. It can be spread out throughout the day to get lasting results.

How Can I Make Manuka Honey Last?

Since manuka honey is expensive, you’ll want to make it last. Store it in the original jar and keep the jar in a dry, cool place out of sunlight.