1. Is it normal for Kvell honey to crystallise and does it affect its edibility or nutritional value?

Any unprocessed honey is expected to crystallise with a drop in its storage temperature since honey is a naturally occuring, super-saturated sugar solution containing less than 20% of water and over 70% of sugar. This abundance of sugar triggers crystallisation of honey to move it to a stabler state without affecting any of its edibility or nutritional value. Hence, it is perfectly normal for honey to crystallise.

 

2. Can I get Kvell honey that does not crystallise?

While processing honey would delay crystallisation, it also affects the naturally occuring micro-nutrients and hence at Kvell, we take utmost care to retain all the goodness that honey has to offer while making it 100% safe for consumption without processing it. Crystallisation of honey has no effect on the shelf life or the nutritional value of honey but if you prefer the texture of decrystallised honey, we recommend leaving the jar in sunlight for 1-2 hours or submerging it in lukewarm water to get prefectly flowing, viscous honey.

 

3. Do I need to refrigerate honey?

Honey is naturally antibacterial and hence is easily storable at room temperature in a tightly closed container. Refrigeration is unncessary and only crystallises the honey.

 

4. Is it safe to heat honey to decrystallise it or add it to hot drinks?

Directly heating honey or adding heat upwards of 50 degree Celsius is not recommended since excessive heat can be detrimental to its nutritional value. That said, you may add honey to lukewarm drinks (45 - 50 degree Celsius) and if you wish to decrystallise honey, simply placing it under direct sunlight would do the trick.

 

5. Can Kvell honey be used for baking?

It is recommended not to use honey in baking as excessive heating causes it to lose its nutritional value. However, honey may lusciously be drizzled on baked goods

 

6. Is Kvell honey sugar free?

Kvell honey is free of any added sugar.

 

7. Why does the colour of Kvell honey vary everytime I buy?

Our honey comes from both unifloral and multi-floral farms and the colour depends on the most predominant flower during the collection of nectar by the bees. This changes with seasons and is the reason why it is perfectly alright for each batch of honey to have different shades. This does not affect its fitness of consumption in any way.

 

8. Is Kvell honey waxy and how does texture the honey's health benefits?

Honey's texture has no effect on its quality and does not influence its beneficial value.

 

9. What honey classifies as raw honey?

Honey that has been extracted and settled without any heat application or pasteurisation is often termed raw and usually contains pollen and small wax particles from the honeycomb. Raw honey may be filtered or unfiltered, although minimally processed honey is also often labelled the same.

 

10. Is Kvell honey unfiltered?

We remove any large debris like beeswax and tiny bits of honeycomb that may be present, while retaining the incredibly healthy pollen naturally found in the honey through minimal straining.

 

11. Is Kvell honey pasteurised?

It is found that paterurisation destroys most of the beneficial properties of honey and hence our Kvell honey is only mildly heated to a lower temperature of 46 - 47 degree Celcius, mimicking sun exposure to ensure that all harmful pathogens are eliminated while all the goodness of honey is left intact. This mild heat also reduces moisture content, thus inhibiting any possible bacterial development or contamination and increasing the overall shelf life.

 

12. Kvell honey is minimally filtered, unprocessed and unpasteurised. Is it absolutely safe for consumption with no harmful effects?

We warm the honey to mimic the sun's exposure, which helps remove unwanted fungi, contaminants, and pathogens but keeps the nutrition of the honey intact. We also strain our honey to ensure large debris like bee parts, bits of the honeycomb are removed while retaining the pollen, and other beneficial qualities of honey. In other words, Kvell honey is perfectly safe for consumption!

 

13. Is Kvell honey flammable?

The moisture level or free water present in honey influences its flammability. However, contrary to popular opinion, the flammability test is not a credible one to determine honey's purity and only accredited laboratory tests provide authentic results.

 

14. Why did my honey turn runny after prolonged exposure to air?

Honey is naturally hygroscopic and it attracts moisture from the air. Hence prolonged air exposure can make it runny and less viscous. It is recommended that honey is stored in tightly closed containers as an increase in moisture level can cause fermentation, which is not advised.

 

15. Is Kvell honey certified?

Kvell honey is FSSAI certified with a COA and approved under NMR and total pollen count standards.

 

16. Does Kvell also have unfiltered honey that contains beeswax and other natural impurities?

Completely unfiltered honey is unsafe for consumption and hence not on our Kvell product list.

 

17. From where is Kvell honey obtained?

Kvell honey is obtained from ethical bee farms.

 

18. Are bees at Kvell farms given antibiotics?

The bees at our farms are not fed antibiotics or any added sugar and our NMR test results prove the same.

 

19. Is Kvell honey cruelty free?

Yes, Kvell bee farms are cruelty free and no harmful tactics are applied to extract or increase the yield of honey. At Kvell, we ethically source honey by ensuring it is extracted only from worker bee boxes while the queen and larvae remain undisturbed.

 

20. How is Kvell honey extracted from the comb?

Kvell honey is extracted through centrifugal action. This way, the honey flows out of the side without destroying the honeycomb in the process.

 

21. Is it true that pure honey tastes slightly bitter?

Untrue. The taste of honey is pure derived from and dependent on the flowers that the bees collect nectar from and certain unifloral honeys have distinct fragrances and bitter after tastes.

 

22. Are the different flavours of Kvell honey natural or artificially induced?

Our Kvell honeys get their inherent, natural flavours from their source. Our unifloral farms provide bees with nectar and the honey made has a mild yet distinct flavour of the flower from which the nectar was obtained.

 

23. Does Kvell honey expire?

Technically, honey properly stored in sealed containers can remain perfectly edible for centuries. However, honey is susceptible to physical and chemical changes depending on various environmental and temperature dependent factors and hence the shelf life of honey cannot be standardised. Often, a shelf life of 2 years is states for practical purposes.

 

24. Is Kvell honey medical grade?

No.

 

25. Does Kvell honey contain pollen?

Yes, Kvell honey contains pollen in amounts that are optimal and beneficial for human consumption.

 

26. Can Kvell honey be used for facial and hair application?

Yes, Kvell's Acacia Honey can be most effective when used for wound healing and clearing acne due to its natural anti-bacterial and antioxidant properties.

 

27. Can Kvell honey be applied on eyes?

No, eye application of honey is not advised.

 

28. Which specie of bees is farmed for Kvell honey?

Kvell honey is sourced from the western honey bee, also called the Apis mellifera.

 

29. How do I open the Kvell honey jar?

Kvell honey comes in vaccum sealed glass jars and these jars require unscrewing the lids.