How to spot real vs fake honey — Raffles Makati executive chef

MANILA, Philippines — Like truffle and caviar, honey, for Raffles Makati Executive Chef Daniel Guevara Quintero, is a luxury when it comes to food.

“It's real luxury because honey, for me, is not different from mushroom like a truffle, right? Like an expensive fish or like other items that are maybe super expensive. But a product is a product. There's no product better than the other, in my opinion, as a chef,” he told Philstar.com at a recent interview.

Personally, the chef likes to pour honey into tea or corn. In the hotel, he uses it to balance the saltiness of ham and as condiment for yogurt, granola, sourdough bread with salted butter, berries, pancakes and toasted bread in the breakfast buffet spread.

“You know, a little bit of honey here and there. It's good. And of course, for desserts. I think it has a lot of versatility, honey,” he attested.

Proof to honey’s flexibility was the hotel’s Honeyluxe Afternoon Tea, which was offered month-long for July. The afternoon tea stand had three tiers showcasing the ingenuity of the hotel’s culinary team in infusing dishes with honey: from the delicate Honey Gorgonzola and Arugula Mini-sandwich, to the succulent Honey-Glazed Chicken with Cranberry Jam Mini-Sandwich; and to the creamy Spinach Crepe with a mousse made of honey, goat cheese, and walnuts.

For seafood lovers, there was Smoked Salmon with Honey Dill Cream Cheese on Rye Bread, and for a unique combination of flavors, there were the Prosciutto-Wrapped Honeyed Date Skewers. Pastry delights included Dark Chocolate Honeycomb Pralines, Honey Tahini Macarons, Raspberry Pot de Creme with Honeyed Nuts, Honey Lemon Ginger Mousse, Burnt Butter Honey Profiteroles, and Osmanthus-Infused White Chocolate Honey Tarts.

While afternoon tea remains a quintessential part of the Raffles experience globally, Raffles Makati takes pride in introducing its honey-themed afternoon tea, now in its third year. 

More than just a tradition, the hotel’s use of homegrown honey marks its commitment to sustainability and to sourcing locally as the honey is sourced directly from their own beehives in the hotel. According to Quintero, the hotel’s beehive is as big as a wall in a café and is tended by a dedicated staff to ensure the honey’s consistency and high quality.

"Fairmont Makati is cultivating three bee colonies in the heart of the metro, which are expected to yield quality, authentic honey while also being instrumental in the propagation of surrounding flora," a digital poster in the hotel reads.

Based on his use of their own honey, Quintero has been able to spot the difference between real and fake ones.

First, according to him, honey bought from the supermarket could be processed and might contain chemicals, as opposed to ones bought straight from a bee farm.

“Well, I think, one, when you buy products in the supermarket, you have to know that these are processed food, right? And it has also invaded the honey market. If you have processed food and different items that should be natural, but they have preservatives and different things, right? I think some of those honey that you see in the supermarket might have something like that,” he pointed out.

Second, real honey gives off a strong and powerful flavor, and only too much sweetness, said the chef.

“When you try the honey that we produce, that right here in the property, I personally feel a big, big, big difference in the flavor and in the power of the punch that it has brought,” he affirmed. “If you try a honey that you can buy in a store, when you open from a jar or from a glass, it's a completely different game.”