There are so many ways to describe nature’s perfect sweet – honey: aroma, flavor, texture and color. This course will teach you the tools to taste and describe each unique honey and the characteristics you will discover. Plan to learn more at the Sensory Evaluation of Honey Certificate Course, October 26-28, 2018 at the Honey and Pollination Center, Robert Mondavi Institute, UC Davis in Davis, CA.
Over three days, students will be immersed in the world of honey sensory analysis, beginning with an introduction to Sensory Analysis by Professor Jean Xavier Guinard and then travel through the world of honey learning from trained teachers and sensory experts.
“UC Davis’ Sensory Evaluation of Honey] blew any expectations I had out of the water! The presenters were extremely knowledgeable and passionate about their areas of expertise. Every session was a fun learning experience.” Karen Summerlot; Product and Process Improvement Manager, Sees Candy.
The Honey and Pollination Center will use this course to describe its research into monofloral honeys of North America. With this definitive information attendees will learn the nuances of three of the myriad of honeys available in the US as defined by work in the pilot program. The Center is presently applying for grants and funding to continue this research using both sensory tools and instrumentation – gas chromatography, nutritional analysis, pollen analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance.
Amina Harris, director of the Honey and Pollination Center explains “The Sensory Evaluation course has grown in scope and potential impact. Initially it was designed to teach the basics of sensory evaluation by educating your palate and expanding vocabulary used to describe honey. Now it includes educational presentations that are imperative for honey packers, beekeepers, bakers, mead makers – everyone who loves and uses honey.” This year’s program will showcase research at UC Davis in the fields of allergy science and honey bee health in addition to a session on labeling during which Margaret Lombard, CEO of the National Honey Board, will address the issue of how the label affects consumer perception.
Chef Mani Niall, author, baker and raconteur will design and prepare one of our meals in an educational cooking demonstration. His food pairings with honey will be offered during breaks throughout the course.
Each student will receive copies of the now famous, UC Davis Honey Wheel in addition to a new publication, ‘The Honey Journal’ designed by Harris and the center’s Marketing and Events Manager, Elizabeth Luu. The Journal, explains Harris, is to help students track the variety of honeys they will be tasting on the weekend (over 40), and will be a handy tool to use throughout a honey tasting career, adding each new honey they might taste in the future. Additionally, the small format will allow them to carry it along on honey tasting adventures and to compare and log their favorite (and not so favorite) honey experiences.
“We know that people who come to a sensory course about honey, love honey,” says Harris. To accommodate this, the course will have an evening appetizer hour for attendees to share their favorite or their own honey while getting to meet teachers and others in the course.
Sponsorships for this year’s course will help to defray the cost of continued research. Sponsors include the National Honey Board, GloryBee and Sweet Harvest Foods. Additional sponsorships are still available.
Sponsored in part by Bee Culture Magazine
The three day short course costs $699. More information and registration at: https://honey.ucdavis.edu/events/honey-sensory-experience. Contact Amina Harris at aharris@ucdavis.edu.
Links:
https://honey.ucdavis.edu/news/taste-connoisseurs-guide-tasting-honey-amina-harris-uc-davis
https://honey.ucdavis.edu/events/honey-sensory-experience
