Glossary
The USDA system for classifying honey based on color, clarity, flavor, and moisture content. Grades range from Grade A (the highest quality with water-white to light amber color, good flavor, and clean appearance) to Substandard (failing minimum quality requirements).
The United States Department of Agriculture maintains a voluntary grading system for extracted honey. The grades are: Grade A (the best overall quality considering flavor, clarity, and absence of defects), Grade B (reasonably good quality), Grade C (fairly good quality, suitable for manufacturing use), and Substandard (failing to meet Grade C minimums). The grading is voluntary; producers can sell honey without a USDA grade, and most small-batch producers do.
The USDA grading criteria evaluate several factors. Flavor must be "good" for Grade A, meaning the honey tastes pleasantly sweet with a character appropriate to its type, free from off-flavors like fermentation, smoke damage, or chemical contamination. Clarity examines the honey's transparency against a light source; Grade A honey must be "clear" (free from air bubbles, pollen particles visible to the naked eye, and wax fragments), though "strained" honey is judged by different clarity standards than "filtered."
Moisture content must be at or below the Grade's threshold (18.6% or less for Grade A). Absence of defects means no visible debris, foam, or crystallization in the graded sample.
Our honey is raw and minimally strained. By USDA Grade A clarity standards, the natural pollen particles and micro-bubbles that give our honey its authentic, unprocessed character would technically lower the clarity score. We believe those particles are features, not defects. We would rather sell you honey that retains its full pollen content and enzymatic activity than one that has been processed to meet an aesthetic grading standard. You are buying nutrition and authenticity, not appearance points.
Not necessarily. USDA grading evaluates clarity, color, and flavor appearance, which favors heavily filtered, processed honey. Many raw, small-batch honeys skip grading because their natural cloudiness (from pollen and enzymes) would reduce their clarity score despite being nutritionally superior.
USDA grading evaluates quality characteristics of genuine honey but does not specifically test for adulteration. Ultra-filtered, adulterated honey could potentially score well on clarity and appearance tests while lacking authenticity. Direct-from-beekeeper sourcing remains the best guarantee of genuine honey.
Keep Learning
Browse hundreds of terms covering honey, beekeeping, and natural skincare.