Clover, multifloral and liquid honey: what's the difference?

What's the difference between liquid, multifloral and clover honey?

They describe different things. Clover names the flower the nectar came from. Multifloral means the bees worked a mix of flowers and no single one dominates. Liquid (or runny) describes texture, as opposed to creamed or set. So one jar can be all three at once: liquid clover, or liquid multifloral.

Three words, three different questions

Shoppers often read a honey shelf as if clover, multifloral and liquid were three kinds of honey to choose between. They aren't. Two of the words answer "which flowers?" and the third answers "what texture?". Sorting them that way makes most New Zealand honey labels easy to read.

Clover: one dominant flower

Clover honey comes mostly from white clover on pasture country — Waikato, Manawatū, Canterbury, Southland — wherever clover is sown with ryegrass for dairy and sheep. It is pale, mild and sweet, the everyday table honey most New Zealanders grew up on, and it sets fast to a fine white grain because it is high in glucose. More on clover honey.

"Clover" on a label describes the dominant source, not a certified grade. Outside mānuka, New Zealand has no test that a floral name has to pass, so the name is the producer's description of where the hives were and what was flowering.

Multifloral: a mix, by design or by nature

Multifloral (sometimes "wildflower" or "bush blend") means the bees worked several flowers at once and no single one dominates. That is how most honey is actually made — bees don't read signs — and it is not a lesser product. A good bush blend from native forest can be darker and more complex than any single-flower jar. Bush blend honey covers the native version.

One exception: for mānuka, "multifloral" is a regulated category under the government's mānuka test, meaning honey that meets some of the mānuka markers but not all. On any other jar, it simply means mixed.

Liquid: a texture, not a type

Liquid, runny or clear honey is honey that hasn't set. Creamed, whipped or set honey is the same honey crystallised under control so it spreads. Many producers sell the same clover or multifloral both ways at the same price. Every honey eventually sets on its own — some in weeks, some after a year — which is why a liquid jar going grainy isn't a fault. Why honey crystallises.

How the three combine on a jar

Liquid clover: mild, sweet, pourable — until it sets, which clover does quickly.
Creamed clover: the classic spreadable New Zealand honey.
Liquid multifloral: varies with the season and site; often a little darker and fuller than clover.
Creamed multifloral: the same mixed honey, set smooth.

Which should you buy?

For baking, tea and kids' toast, liquid or creamed clover is the cheapest and mildest. For flavour, a multifloral or bush blend from a named region gives you more. If you want one specific taste, pick a single-flower honey — rewarewa, kāmahi, thyme or pōhutukawa — and the guide to every New Zealand honey type describes each.

What to check on the label

The country of origin line. Some honey packed here is a blend of New Zealand and imported honey, and the label has to say so.
Whether a region or site is named. A named place usually means a single source.
The best-before date, which is required even though honey keeps.

How to read a New Zealand honey label goes through every line.

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