NZ Honey Co. UMF24+ Manuka Honey: Our Review

The New Zealand Honey Co. operate out of the beautiful Mt Maunganui area of New Zealand's North Island. They produce a range of world class Manuka honeys raging from UMF 5+ right the way though to UMF 28+.

Currently, NZ Honey Co is our top recommendation across all price ranges, due to the impressive UMF gradings they have been able to achieve with their manuka honey range, and their very affordable pricing.

In this review, we zero in on their UMF 24+ product. 

Who is NEW ZEALAND HONEY CO?

NZ Honey Co. is a New Zealand manuka honey producer who operate from the heart of New Zealand's North Island. 

The company was established in 2006 by a conglomerate of South Island bee keepers, before being bought by a couple of passionate local entrepreneurs.

Over the last decade and a half they have established themselves as one of the world’s leading manuka honey manufacturers, and have produced some of the highest grade manuka honey ever made.

They have a relationship with the area’s leading high country farming stations and communities that has been forged over three generations. This provides NZ Honey Co. with exclusive access to some of the most remote manuka regions in the world.

NZ Honey Co. is an accredited and qualified UMF member. That means that every batch of manuka honey that they produce is independently tested to ensure its purity and quality.

Product overview:

NZ Honey Co. produce a range of honeys at various UMF ratings from 5+ all the way through to 28+.

For this review, however, we shall focus on their UMF 24+ product.

The first thing we liked about the product is it's beautifully packaged. Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of their boxing before it got sent to the bin, but it's first impression really does present itself as the premium product that it is.

The thing I didn't like about it is the plastic jar. There are many producers who insist only on glass jars to leave no risk of adulterating the honey. NZ Honey Co. does use BPA free plastic, so that's a plus, but I would expect glass jarring for a product at this price point.

The monofloral manuka honey that goes into every jar of NZ Honey Co. UMF 24+ is foraged from bees that have exclusively collected nectar from the Central Otago region’s richest manuka rich regions over six weeks during the spring and summer. The majority of the company’s hives are located in the beautiful Wanaka Lakes region.

At a UMF rating of 24+, this product rates very high in terms of its antibacterial properties, making it applicable for both medicinal and general food purposes.

Grading

The New Zealand manuka honey industry is regulated by the UMF Honey Association. Its grading system makes use of a UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) rating. The UMF rating tracks the antibacterial quality of the batch of honey under scrutiny by testing the levels of the following key ingredients:

• Methylglyoxal
• Leptosperin
• DHA
• HMF

The final UMF rating is a comparison against the known antibacterial agent phenol. The UMF rating of 24+ puts this into the category of Ultra Premium Grade, making it among the highest rating available anywhere in the world. 

The UMF Rating guarantees that the jar of manuka honey you receive has been produced, packed and labelled in New Zealand. In an industry that is rife with false manuka claimants it is important to only buy a product, such as NZ Honey Co. UMF 24+ graded honey.

PURITY

Although not officially certified as organic, there are no additives put into this product at any stage of the manufacturing process.

One huge bonus is their honey is also tested to be glyphosate free by the The Detox Project.

Glyphosate is still legal in New Zealand despite being a probably carcinogen, and producing glyphosate-free honey is very difficult to the sporadic and far-reaching feeding habits of bees (they can fly up to 5km!).

The fact that NZ Honey Co is one of the few producers in New Zealand that has certified glyphosate-free honey is one of the factors that bumps it to the top of our list.

NZ Honey Co are also committed to the most sustainable, ecologically friendly manufacturing processes and this honey is GMO and antibiotic free.

And again, while not glass jarred, the BPA free tinted material to ensure that the honey is free of the sun’s glare which may cause some degradation of the quality of the manuka. 

Taste

The taste is classic manuka, but on the milder side. 

It has a slightly bitter aftertaste and the usual caramel flavor. What does stand out though is the consistency - it's slightly thicker than most manuka honeys, and has a thick, chewy consistency.

What we like most about it (and manuka honey in general) is it's not too sweet. While some other commercially produced honeys can taste more like sugar syrup, manuka honey gives you that "eating from the bush" feeling, where you can tell the honey is pure and from the earth, just as it was meant to be.

NZ Honey Co. produce a creamy consistency to all of their manuka honeys, and we've tasted all their grades between UMF 20 and 28. You will probably notice a slight medicinal taste with this honey. This is an indication of the purity and rawness of the product.

Because the honey is thick and chewy, it's great for eating. It spreads easily and has a dark amber color. Spreading it on some freshly toasted bread with some butter is a real delight.

Do note the consistency of the color may vary from batch to batch. This is quite normal for manuka honey so you might find a difference in the thickness and texture of the product between their first and second purchases. Don't worry - this is actually a sign of pure, unadulterated honey - it's very normal for it to vary in texture between seasons and batches! 

value for money

NZ Honey Co. is one of the best value brands in the market, and significantly cheaper than other manuka honey heavyweight Comvita.

Considering NZ Honey Co has raw, glyphosate-free, fully traceable, UMF graded manuka honey, we consider it better value than most other brands.

For this reason, we recommend it before the popular Comvita and Manukora brands, as we feel you pay a sizeable premium for the branding alone, while not necessarily getting a purer or more potent honey.

suggested uses and benefits:

Manuka honey is a proven wound healing agent, and my son has used manuka honey from NZ Honey Co multiple times to treat staph infections he gets from jiu jitsu.

Manuka honey also has a host of other benefits such as combating h pylori, coughs and colds, MRSA and moist wound healing, inflammation, boosting immunity and many others.

If using to treat staph or MRSA, this UMF24 product will do just fine, as anything over UMF 20 is considered medical grade. My son Byron has written a guide on how to do that here.

If using this for regular wellbeing and health benefits, we recommend taking 1-2 teaspoons per day, which you can enjoy any way you like!

We generally enjoy it simply by eating straight out of the jar, but it's also great on toast and muffins, on top of oatmeal and cereal, or mixed into a hot drink.

overall summary:

FAQ

Is NZ Honey Co. honey real?

Yes, NZ Honey Co. honey is real. It is guaranteed to have been produced in New Zealand using only monofloral honey. Every batch of NZ Honey Co. manuka honey has been independently audited by the NZ Honey Association and carries a UMF grading.

Is NZ Honey Co. honey better than Comvita?

There's no definitive answer on whether NZ Honey Co is better than Comvita - both go through the same UMF certification process and both have achieved high grades.

However, NZ Honey Co does produce honey up to UMF 28, whereas Comvita has only achieved up to UMF 20 regularly.

The one place where NZ Honey Co does outshine its counterpart is on price. NZ Honey Co is much cheaper than Comvita across all grades, and therefore we generally recommend NZ Honey Co as the better choice.

Can you buy NZ Honey Co. manuka honey in the United States?

Yes, you can buy NZ Honey Co. manuka honey in the United States.

In fact, the company ships their products from New Zealand to most countries around the world through their web store.

OTHER OPTIONS:

The NZ Honey Co. range of manuka honeys goes all the way from UMF 5+ to UMF 26+.

This provides you with the largest range of potencies that we have yet come across.

The UMF 28+ product is also the highest UMF rating we've seen from a reputable brand.

Where to buy:

We recommend buying NZ Honey Co's products directly from their webstore to ensure authenticity, best prices and fastest shipping times.

Shipping is also free for orders over $50, and standard shipping times in US is 1-3 days.

NZ Honey Co UMF 24+ was one of our top rated manuka honeys for this year. See the full list on our rankings page here.