3 Easy Ways to Store Manuka Honey

Manuka honey is a lot longer-lasting than most people think, and with the proper storage and care, you can keep your honey just the way you want it.

What is the shelf life for Manuka honey? 

It’s surprisingly tricky for honey to spoil or rot. In fact, some kinds of honey could be preserved for thousands of years and have been.

That’s because honey:

• Has a low water content.
• Has a low pH (acidity) value.
• Is full of microbial goodness.

The best way to store Manuka honey

Honey is well known and studied for its microbial properties, and with its long shelf life, Manuka honey can simply be kept in the pantry and away from the elements like bright light and extreme temperatures.

To store Manuka honey, you should:

• Keep it in its original bottle or jar.
• Keep it in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight (hence the pantry being the perfect storage spot).
• Store at room temperature of around 20℃ — this is recommended to ensure Manuka honey retains all of its beneficial properties

Special packaging for natural products, such as our unique Violet Glass jars are now available, to extend your honey’s shelf life and health benefits. These biophotonic vessels have been developed for high-grade natural goods and flawlessly preserve the honey,  as if it were still in the beehive.

The unique properties of this jar protect the honey from the harmful effects of light and protect its potency. This special glass packaging is eco-friendly, made from natural raw materials, reusable and 100% recyclable.

If you’re unsure about the conditions in your pantry, the humidity and temperature sensor lids for your Violetglass jars can help. The sensor lid shows the humidity of the jar contents, as well as the temperature, in Celsius, so  you can keep track of your precious Manuka honey and move it to a more suitable environment, if necessary. It will enable you to keep your honey in perfect condition. 

It's important to note that short-term storage of Manuka honey, such as storage during the shipping process, won't have an impact on the overall quality of honey.

About the consistency of your Manuka honey

Why your Manuka honey crystallised

Some people believe that once their honey has crystallised it’s inedible, but that’s simply not the case.

If your honey has crystallised, that means that you’ve bought a pure, natural honey product like Biosota’s Australian Manuka honey range. 

Crystallisation happens due to the naturally occurring glucose in the honey being less soluble than the naturally occurring fructose. It then starts to form crystals within the honey. 

This process can speed up when Manuka honey is exposed to certain conditions and can change consistency again when those conditions change.

But remember, crystallised Manuka honey is still completely natural, edible, and delicious.

Why is Biosota Manuka honey runnier, compared to some other brands?

Some Biosota Australian Manuka honey batches will be naturally runnier, especially compared to those produced in New Zealand. That’s because our bees use a native Australian species of Leptospermum called Leptospermum Whitei, which is very high in methylglyoxal (MGO).

While many of us have a preference when it comes to the consistency of Manuka honey, remember that this feature alone is not a defining factor in honey’s quality. If you’d like to understand more about what contributes to the production of high-quality, organic Manuka honey, check out this article.

Do you want to de-crystallise your Manuka honey?

Even though it’s still absolutely delicious to enjoy crystallised, you can easily make your Manuka honey runny again by adding some warmth to it.

We recommend staying away from the microwave and giving it a nice warm bath following the instructions below.

1. Partly fill a bowl with warm (not boiling) water.
2. Partially submerge your jar of Manuka honey in the water.
3. Allow time to gradually get warmer and runny again.

You can speed up this process by stirring your Manuka honey occasionally too. 

Key points:

• If kept correctly, it’s nearly impossible for Manuka honey to spoil or go rotten, even over thousands of years.
• Appropriate storage of your honey will extend its life and health benefits, particularly for those products available in Violetglass jar, with a humidity and temperature sensor lid. 
• Crystallised Manuka honey is perfectly delicious and still full of vitamins and minerals, however, if you wish, you can safely make it runnier again. 

If you have any questions on honey storage or any of our products, please feel free to reach via our website chat or contact us page.