Australian Manuka Honey - MGO 100+

Australia's #1 Manuka Honey - now available here!

Manuka honey is one of the food trends of recent years. Inspired by the traditional use of honey by New Zealand and Australian natives, the honey has long since made an excellent name for itself in the health community. Until now, however, if you wanted to benefit from the advantages of Manuka honey, you had to dig deep into your pocket. This has now come to an end! The Manuka honey from Capilano in Australia is an inexpensive, high-quality alternative to the better-known, high-priced Manuka honey from New Zealand, which does not have to hide in terms of taste, effect, consistency and the MGO content that is so important for Manuka honey - quite the opposite!

Manuka - more than "just" honey thanks to MGO

Manuka honey - a single-flower honey - is obtained from the nectar of the Manuka bush or South Sea myrtle. Typical of manuka honey is its intense flavour, which harmonises perfectly with a subtle sweetness. And the texture of Manuka honey is also typical: unlike many "normal" honeys, it crystallises much more slowly and thus remains pleasantly liquid and spreadable for a long time. But there is one point in particular in which Manuka clearly differs from other honeys: its very high content of the substance methylglyoxal, which is indicated with the abbreviation "MGO". The higher the MGO value, the more valuable - because "more active" - the Manuka honey is considered to be.

The number 1 from Down Under
Capilano is considered the largest and most popular producer of all kinds of honeys in Australia - including the valuable Manuka honey.

High MGO value, low price
And especially in the segment of the potent GMO-100 & GMO-300 honeys, Capilano impresses with particularly attractive prices.

Authentic from Australia
The origin and purity of Capilano products is guaranteed to the consumer by the AMHA Authentic seal.

 

Australian and New Zealand Manuka honey in comparison

Manuka honey from New Zealand is particularly well known, but this is probably mainly due to its relatively high price. The high price of New Zealand Manuka honey is mainly due to the low supply: because of the considerably shorter flowering period, the New Zealand production quantities are significantly lower than those in Australia. And because of this - and not because of inferior quality - Manuka honey from Australia, like that from Capilano, can be offered at a much more attractive price.

But Australian Manuka honey also knows how to score in terms of quality. As there are more than 80 different Manuka species in Australia (whereas there is only one in New Zealand), the composition of a pleasantly sweet honey is possible in Australia, while Manuka from New Zealand has a very tart, medicinal taste. At the same time, the latter undergoes various production processes, while Australian honey is less processed. The reason for this? Unlike Australian Manuka honey, which is very liquid and only crystallises extremely slowly (i.e. becomes hard), New Zealand Manuka only becomes creamy-liquid through various processing procedures, which is supposed to mask the faster crystallisation process.

On the production of Manuka honey

The production of Manuka honey is no different from that of normal honey varieties. Since the flowering period in Australia is comparatively long, the honey bee season is also correspondingly longer here. The bees collect the nectar from the manuka flowers and store it in the honeycombs of the beehive. The beekeeper "harvests" the bulging honeycombs, the honey is finally extracted from the individual combs by centrifuge before wax residues and pollen clumps are carefully sieved out. The Manuka honey is then stored for several months, which is crucial for its ripening process, because it is during this time that the MGO, which is important for it, is produced. This happens when the bee's saliva reacts with the carbohydrate dihydroxyacetone (DHA). In other words, the level of the MGO value and thus the activity of the Manuka honey depends directly on the DHA concentration in the flower nectar used.

 

Two recipe ideas for Manuka cough syrup

Manuka honey can basically not only be used as a spread and sweetener like "normal" honey, but can actually also be applied externally. For example, the Maori used Manuka honey as a kind of ointment for wound healing. The bark and leaves are also traditionally used, e.g. as oil or infusion. Since the MGO contained in the honey, which is partly responsible for its special properties, is very heat-resistant, Manuka honey can also be stirred into hot drinks without any problems - for example, into a pleasantly warming cold tea - where it can fully develop its special aroma and unique properties. These also come into their own in the following recipes for homemade "cough syrup".

"Cough syrup" with ginger and garlic

Ingredients:
Approx. 100 ml Manuka honey from Capilano
10 small cloves of garlic
1 piece of ginger (approx. 4 cm thick)
Water (optional)
Lemon juice

Peel the garlic and ginger, place in a screw-top or preserving jar and cover completely with Manuka honey. Keep in a warm place for 2 weeks and leave to infuse. Dilute with a little water and lemon juice if desired.

If you have a sore throat, simply take a teaspoon!

"Cough syrup" with lemon and thyme

Ingredients:
Approx. 100 ml Manuka honey from Capilano
1 fresh lemon - diced or
     cut into wedges or slices
Fresh thyme from the garden or
    dried thyme

Place the thyme and lemon pieces in a preserving jar and cover completely with Capilano Manuka Honey. Make sure that no air bubbles remain in the jar. Place in the fridge - the honey will extract the liquid from the lemons, giving a watery texture. Shake before using. If necessary, take a teaspoon.