I listen to the talk radio show Dennis Prager sometimes, and one of his producers is a guy named Allen Estrin.

Allen is extremely passionate about honey. He collects honey from around the word, tastes it for various factors, and blogs extensively about it.

He occasionally talks about honey on Prager's show, and his passion comes through really well. So much so that I feel compelled to try some of his honey suggestions, despite previously not feeling particularly interested one way or the other in honey.

Indeed, his description fine honey is essentially that nobody has tasted actual honey until they taste fine honey, and you can't actually even appreciate what he is talking about until you try it. I'll trust him on that. I know I didn't feel like I had tasted real cheese until I started buying fine cheese, and my passion for cheese when I first discovered "real" cheese sounded just as odd as Allen sounds about honey.

So, here is a reproduction of Allen Estrin's Honey Journal, for friends to read. You can also find the originals (well, at least up until this point, which is the first six) at: http://www.townhall.com/blog/g/cc960ae4-50e3-491c-8de5-953d2c512b62


THE HONEY JOURNAL

Monday, October 08, 2007
The Honey Journal Begins
Posted by: Allen Estrin at 6:38 PM
If you heard the third hour today, then you heard Dennis and me talking about my "Honey Journal." I have fallen in love with honey (who doesn't love honey?) in a serious way and have decided to write down my impressions. If I don't write something down, I forget it. That's why I've kept a daily journal of my life for twenty-seven years. Most of it is very mundane, but I know what I was doing on March 23, 1994, for instance. That's kinda cool. I even have the entry of the first day I met Dennis.

So, today the honey journal begins. I'm going to catalogue my current collection over the next few weeks and as I add new honeys, I'll add more entries. I don't exactly know why I'm putting this on our show blog other than that Dennis asked me to and it sounds like fun.

Your own entries and impressions are, of course, welcome.

The first entry is from honey that Susie and I bought in Papua New Guinea in January of this year. Since customs in both the US and Australia are so strict about agricultural products and since packaging in PNG is not exactly high-tech, we were worried that our container would be confiscated. But it sailed through without any problem.

One final note: I won't buy any honey that's flavored. It has to be raw, unfiltered and untreated. Just the flowers, the bees and God.

Honey Journal -- Entry 1
Name: Lufa Natural Honey
Country: Papua New Guinea
Purchased: January 13, 2007 in Alotau, PNG
Color: Very dark. Coffee bean brown.
Flavor: Strong molasses taste, so much so that it one could mistake for molasses if one didn’t know it was honey. Hint of coffee, too.
Consistency: Medium plus.
Fragrance: Forest primeval, earthy, molasses. Not subtle at all.

Cost: 18 Kina

Notes: Makes you think of robust bees working in a dense jungle. I imagine it was all they could do to make it back to the hive with their heavy loads of pollen. You couldn't eat this honey every day. It's too rich.

This honey comes with a lot of memories. Alotau is a small coastal town in southwestern PNG banked against dark green mountains. Wild banana trees grow everywhere. The people are very friendly and very curious. When they smile, which is often, they reveal their stained red teeth. They mix lime with a certain local nut and chew the mixture. The nut turns red in their mouths.

Okay, since you insist, here's one story from our PNG trip, part of our wonderful Prager listener cruise this past January. It was very hot the day we were there. Susie and I ducked into a store to take a break from the sun. Susie took the opportunity to reapply some sun screen. She has very pale skin and burns easily. Two boys stared at her transfixed as she slathered herself. I looked at them, gestured to Susie and said "have you ever seen anyone that white before?" They vigorously shook their heads, no. And we all started to laugh. Susie and I saw something exotic that day and so did they.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Honey Journal, Entry 2
Posted by: Allen Estrin at 11:41 PM
10/12/07
Honey Journal -- Entry 2
Name: Natura Prime UMF 16 Manuka Honey. You can buy it here.
Country: New Zealand
Purchased: April 2007
Color: Rich, dark brown
Flavor: Not sweet by honey standards. Tastes of raisins. Also has medicine-like tinge, not surprising given its purported anti-bacterial qualities. Has a grainy texture.
Consistency: Thick. You can turn the spoon upside down. It’s not going anywhere.
Fragrance: Like a fresh box of raisins and dried apricots. A bit on the musty side, but pleasantly so.
Notes:
People take this honey very seriously. Gathered by bees from the Manuka tree, a white-flowering shrub native to New Zealand and Australia, Manuka honey is purported to have medicinal qualities. Indeed, serious scientific research is being done on the subject.
You can’t officially call your product “manuka honey” unless you receive a certain rating. The higher the rating, the more curative the honey. You can read all about Manuka Honey here.
I first discovered Manuka honey which I was doing some research on my acid reflux. I figured if I have to take medicine why shouldn’t it be honey? This isn’t my favorite honey for taste – not even close – but I still enjoy it. Has it helped me? I can’t prove that it has, but I like to think so. If it’s a placebo, it’s a damn pleasant one.
One New Zealand Story: When Susie and I were there in 2005, we rented a car for a day. New Zealanders, like the Brits, the Aussies and the Irish, drive on the wrong (left) side of the road. Also, we sit on the left side of the car when we drive; the Kiwis sit on the right. It takes a little getting used to, to say the least. The problem I had was with my depth perception for the left front bumper. I couldn’t quite get a handle on how close or far I was to the curb. Aside from some near-accidents, and Susie shrieking “Watch out!” and turning white with fear three or four times, I thought I did okay. But when we stopped at a zoo outside of Wellington, I noticed that the hub caps of my left front and rear tires were missing. I had “lost” them on the way.

Monday, October 22, 2007
Honey Journal -- Entry 3
Posted by: Allen Estrin at 10:22 PM
Honey Journal -- Entry 3
Name: Honey Pacifica Creamy Wildflower (Cold-packed)
You can buy it here:
They say they have some very Ritzy customers. I believe them. This outfit makes a quality product.
Origin: Long Beach, California, USA
Purchased: June 2007
Color: Vanilla candle
Flavor: New York cheesecake with a generous dash of vanilla. Very sweet. Slight Play-Doh aftertaste. (Of course, you would have had to have eaten Play-Doh to know what I’m talking about. I ate a lot and enjoyed every scrap.)
Consistency: Thick and creamy. This is a spreadable honey. You can apply it to any method of conveyance – bread, cracker, etc – without having to worry about it running off the side.
Here’s a recipe! Spread toast with chunky peanut butter then apply a healthy dollop, say a full teaspoon, of this honey. For a fast, filling and healthy breakfast or lunch, it can’t be beat. I have it a few times a week.
Fragrance: Close your eyes and you can smell the wildflowers on a wet field just after a rainstorm.
Notes: Susie and I buy this honey at the Sunday Farmer’s Market in Hollywood. If you haven’t been to a Farmer’s Market, you should really go out and experience one. Not only are they fun, but you can buy fabulous, fresh produce right from the farms that grow them. Today for example we bought some fuyu persimmons, figs, blueberries, peaches (the very last of the season), apples, and some absolutely delicious green plums.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
The Honey Journal -- Entry #4
Posted by: Allen Estrin at 3:09 PM
Name: Zambezi 100% Organic Forest Honey
You can buy it here: Whole Foods or on-line here.

Country: Zambia, Africa. Here’s a map and short description of the country.

Purchased: September 2007
Color: Maple Syrup
Flavor: Strong molasses influence with strong hint of sweet prunes. Has a pleasing smoky after taste (more on than in a moment). The combined taste sensation is very exotic.
Consistency: Toward the thick side, but not spreadable with a knife.
Fragrance: Most honeys have a mild fragrance that you have search for. Not this one. It hits you the moment you open the jar. I would liken it to opening a fresh bag of moist prunes.
Notes: I've never been to Zambia, home of Victoria Falls, among other natural wonders. Having seen Iguasu Falls in Argentina, I'd love to be able to compare the two. Someday...

Susie saw a documentary where African bee keepers, without any protection, gather their honey by literally smoking the bees out of their hive. I wonder if that could account for the smoky after taste.

This honey has been brought to the US by former Peace Corp workers. A portion of profits are devoted to community projects in Zambia.

If you’re looking for unusual honey experience, this is a good place to start.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007
The Honey Journal - Entry 5 -- White Gold
Posted by: Allen Estrin at 6:32 PM
11/18/07
Honey Journal -- Entry 5
Name: White Gold
You can buy it here: Whole Foods or on-line at Amazon.
The distributors of the honey have put up a web site, but it isn’t complete yet.
Country: Canada
Purchased: 9/07
Color: Golden vanilla with a white frosty top.
Flavor: Buttery with hints of tapioca pudding. Sweet, but not overly so. If you’ve ever tasted Clotted (Devon) Cream, one of the great taste pleasures available to humankind, you’re almost there.
Consistency: Thick and luscious. Spreads like a dream. Toast, English muffins, scones, you name it, this honey is made for it.
Fragrance: Morning dew. Take a whiff and you'll want to start singing the Rodgers and Hammerstein song “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning.”
Notes: Dennis asked me a few weeks ago to name my favorite honey. (It’s not as hard as naming my favorite film, but almost.) I said “White Gold.” The name is very appropriate. It gives you a good idea of its color and value. Produced by bees who populate remote wild clover fields in Canada (the location is a company secret), it is uncooked, unprocessed and even unwhipped. Apparently, the area is so dry and the flowers contain so little moisture that the honey comes from the bees just as we see it in the jar. Impressive work, fellas!

Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Honey Journal -- Entry 6
Posted by: Allen Estrin at 12:56 AM
Honey Journal -- Entry 6
Name: Rare Hawaiian Organic Winter Honey
Buy it: At fine food groceries or here.

Country: Hawaii, USA
Purchased: November 2007
Color: Light butter scotch.
Flavor: Rich, creamy butter scotch with a suggestion of banana and pineapple. Want to know what Hawaii tastes like? Dip into this ambrosia.
Consistency: As dense as Kiwi shoe polish (I’m describing the texture, not the taste!) and smooth. You peel it rather than scoop it out of the jar.
Fragrance: Honey candle.
Notes: This honey is the product of the Volcano Honey Company. Their bees live on the Big Island of Hawaii. According to the company literature, the honey is collected from a variety of wildflowers that bloom in winter at 2200 feet up the north side of Mauna Kea volcano. The product organic ,unheated, untreated, un-anything, straight from bees living the good life in paradise. If human beings love living in Hawaii, I don’t see why bees would be different. They have expressed their appreciation by producing this fabulous tasting honey.
I received this honey as a gift from my nephew, Dan, who is studying in San Luis Obispo with a view toward the wine trade. In this he takes after my brother (of blessed memory), Mark, who founded and nurtured the boutique wine sensation, Red Car Wine. At a young age Dan has already developed a discerning palate and a taste for fine food. His choice of this honey is a case in point.