WESTON, CONNECTICUT, September 1, 2015 — C. Marina Marchese, the first American resident accepted into the Italian National Registry of Experts in the Sensory Analysis of Honey internationally known as the Albo Nazionale Esperti di Analisi del Miele, is proud to announce the launch of the American Honey Tasting Society (AHTS). With the growing number of people keeping honeybees in the United States interested in the diverse flavor profiles of varietal honey, this newly launched organization fulfills a true need in America for an educational resource for beekeepers, chefs, food enthusiast and mead makers interested in learning the fine skills of becoming a honey tasting expert.
The American Honey Tasting Society’s mission is to standardize the protocol for sensory training in honey and to raise the awareness of its diversity through educational courses and guided tastings. “The American Honey Tasting Society is the first organization of it’s kind in the United States that provides educational insight into the finer points of identifying the flavors in honey and matching them with their floral source and region,” says Marchese. “There are many honey enthusiasts, but there are no resources in our country that provide accurate and in-depth education or sensory training in honey which includes its color, aroma, and flavor which are determined by its nectar source, terroir and beekeeping traditions. The art of being a honey tasting expert is as complex as being a wine sommelier and both food industry professionals and those in beekeeping are seeking this knowledge and experience.”
The AHTS is launching its first training course in the sensory analysis of honey on October 7th and 8Th in Weston, Connecticut. Marchese will be leading the course with colleague Raffaele Dall’ Olio, an Italian trained expert in honey and also a member of the Italian National Registry of Experts in the Sensory Analysis of Honey for more than ten years. This two-day course is a full immersion into sensory training of honey based upon the established methods taught at the Italian National Beekeeping Institute (CRA-API) in Bologna, Italy. Attendees will learn the methods for tasting and evaluating honey through engaging in the olfactory and gustatory experience, how to recognize and identify the 9 basic aromas and flavor families then how to write detailed tasting notes for the most important domestic and international honeys. The course will also cover the basics of honey composition, crystallization, defects, storage and handling. Seats are limited for this course, travel, food and accommodations are not included. More information can be found on the AHTS web site below.
The launch of The American Honey Tasting Society comes less than one year after the release of Marchese’s ground breaking book The Honey Connoisseur: Selecting, Tasting, and Pairing Honey with a guide to more than 30 honey varietals co-authored with Kim Flottum, editor of Bee Culture magazine. The Honey Connoisseur, is considered the definitive guide to the terroir of American honey. “My travels to Italy over the past decade to study honey have been an incredibly enlightening experience,” Marchese continues. “The Italians are as serious about their honey as they are about their wine and olive oils and have tasting honey down to a fine art and science.” In 2014, Marchese was invited by the Good Food Awards to the inaugural honey judging competition in san Francisco. She has taught honey tasting courses at renowned venues including La Scuola Eataly, Slow Food Metro North, Murray’s Cheese Shop and Artisanal Premium Cheese Center. Also the past president of the Back Yard Beekeepers Association of Connecticut, Marina Marchese is a graduate of The School of Visual Arts in NYC.
For additional information about the premier sensory training courses in honey
Visit the web page here or email honeytasting@optonline.net, or call 203.226.4535
