*Note: Bees make the honey and you are not winning on the honey, but your presentation of the honey.
Judges look at how you present the honey and taste is a secondary (sometime deciding) factor.
Make sure you present your honey in the container called for by the contest.
Use the right container: Queenline Jar – 1#, 2# – and good lid!!
Cleanliness is next to…
Make sure your containers are clean. Wash in the dishwasher by themselves.
Never touch the jar with your hands after that; use a lint-free cloth (flower sack towels) or
photo gloves.
Pick the Jar Well (blemish-free). Look carefully for bubbles or flaws in the glass, even
the bottom.
Put Good Honey in your Jars. Honey Quality Check – Choose only fully capped frames
(moisture) and taste it for flavor (no bitter weed, leafy spurge, goldenrod). Filling your Jars: Slowly, holding with a towel, tipped at an angle to prevent bubbles.
Fill Level of Jar: Up to the top screw thread (the first time). Reduce lever before
entering into the contest. This allows for removing bubbles and/or debris later.
Cover Jar with Plastic Wrap: Judges look under the lid and no honey should be there,
remove the plastic wrap before giving to judges.
Bottle Honey Early as Opposed to Late: Give your honey time to settle up and provide
opportunity to skim or remove bubbles and/or debris. Remove top layer with a silver spoon to above the inside fill line. You should not see empty space below the lid.
*Honey is judged on three categories, Light, Amber, & Dark, the Appearance of the
Bottle (cleanliness of the bottle inside and out, no honey under the lid), the Uniform Fill (up to fill line), Free of Foreign Matter (granulated crystals, bubbles, foam, wax, lint), Flavor, and Brightness(clear, sparking, transparent).
Hints: You can heat honey slowly and allow bubbles to rise by leaving the jar in a closed, parked car all day (in Texas = 100+ degrees).
To remove specks, wax, or lint try long wooden squares to move the foreign
matter to the top and dip off with a silver spoon.
Polish jars with silk cloth.
Use individually cut moist squares of lint-free cloth (white men’s handkerchief) to
wipe the underside of the lid before presentation.
Store honey at room temperature above 57 degrees to avoid granulation.
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