Airborne’s Kamahi Honey Review

A unique, uncommon treasure

Kamahi Honey is unique to New Zealand and is from the native Kamahi tree (Weinmannia racemosa)  that is typically found on the west coast of the rugged South Island. It is an evergreen tree which blossoms with small pink or white flowers in October through to December making it a Spring time honey in New Zealand.  It is a fairly common tree but despite its abundance Kamahi Honey is not easy to find. We know of Happy Valley, Watson & Sons and Airborne as producers of Kamahi Honey, all of which are reputable New Zealand honey producers. We wanted to find out more about this unique flavour so we are reviewing Airborne’s Kamahi Honey today.

Taste

Kamahi Honey is a medium strength honey that is smooth and delicious. With pleasant floral, herbal notes and a golden yellow, buttery colour it is great for all the family. It is stronger in flavour than the well known clover honey and much more complex in flavour composition. It adds some great flavour variety to your honey collection at home and is ideal as an ingredient in baking and cooking due to its well rounded taste profile.  Airborne produces this as a creamed honey as this varietal has a tendency to crystallize. This means it does not congeal in the package as some honey’s can. The Airborne container is a square and the lid is firm and very easy to open.

Expertise

Airborne Honey Company pride themselves on their range of honey types. They are also dedicated to ensuring the integrity of the New Zealand honey industry and use science to back up their claims and support their processes. From Clover through to Honeydrew they have a range of flavours from mild to strong. They are passionate that customers get the real deal so they have great product information on the side of their packs that shows important details such as the pollen count. You can even trace the origin of your honey via their website. We recommend Airborne if you are looking for a range of great flavours and assurance that you are buying genuine honey true to the pollen type. We have reviewed a couple of their honeys before including their Kids Honey, Honeydew Honey and Clover Honey where we go into more detail about this great company.

Value for Money

The price for 500g of Kamahi Honey be Airborne is NZD $10.99. The price denotes the cost of producing a quality honey product but this honey may not suit families in view of this price. It may be more suitable for the dedicated baker or chef who is interested in the interesting flavour profile this varietal offers.

Kamahi Honey Cheese Board

On the cheeseboard, Kamahi Honey, proves an excellent match for white mould cheeses such as a Double Cream Camembert or Blue Brie. It also suits more robust, sharp cheeses such as a feta cheese or a creamy blue. A sophisticated cheese board doesn’t have to be expensive. Here is all you need to provide a simple yet wonderful taste sensation for your dinner party guests:

• Double Cream Camembert
• Creamy Blue Vein
• Kamahi Honey in a small glass pot
• Chunks of crusty bread
• Dried apricots

Serve with a sparkling water or crisp New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

Thai Lime & Kamahi Honey Chicken Wings

Kamahi Honey is ideal with the hot flavours of Thai food. Try this scrumptious recipe that features Kamahi Honey.

Ingredients