Talk about a buzzing good time — without any bee stings.
Kailua Honey, a brick-and-mortar that sells local honey and home goods, recently launched its bee talk story and honey tasting experience, which is held every Monday at 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. when the retail store is closed. The business is run by owners Richard and Shiyana Wainscoat.
Richie is the beekeeper/bookkeeper/delivery driver and taste tester; I’m the honey mixologist and product developer, along with our team of a few part-time wāhine employees,” says owner Shiyana Wainscoat. “Our son — who’s in college — is our e-commerce manager and tech help; basically, we’re a small family business.”
In April, the business launched its Bee Talk Story & Tasting in honor of Earth month, and we were invited to check it out. It’s a guided experience ($55 per person; kamaʻāina discount available) that gives guests a look into the world of bees in Hawaiʻi. The private experience is designed for a minimum of four people (maximum eight) and lasts about one-and-a-half hours.
You’ll learn about local honey, more about the bees’ lifespan and duties, the shape of the hive, and how pollinators keep the Island’s ecosystems alive. Richard leads the bee talk story session, which is designed to be interactive.
“Raw honey is different from supermarket honey,” Richard explains. “The supermarket honey that you might buy is going to have been pasteurized and probably filtered. Raw honey is more prone to crystallize. This one honey from Hawaiʻi — Kiawe honey — crystallizes as soon as you get it out of the hive. People are sometimes scared to buy crystallized honey but it’s essentially normal for it to crystallize.”
After you learn more about bees and honey comes the fun part — a guided tasting in the form of a honey flight, which features raw island varietals. You’ll learn the subtle differences in honey flavors, textures, origin and color. The flight features samples from Lehua honey, macadamia honey, Kiawe honey, barrel-aged bourbon honey and more.
The flight is paired with delicious bites in the form of charcuterie and fruit platters, which are almost too pretty to eat. The charcuterie board during our visit included blue cheese, dates, figs, herbed cream cheese, prosciutto, pesto, housemade lilikoʻi butter, guava jam, ginger lemon honey and hot Hawaiian honey, with crackers and baguette pieces on the side.
“I recommend you put some pesto on a baguette, put some herbed cream cheese and prosciutto on there, and drizzle a little of the ginger lemon honey,” Shiyana says. “It’s a nice combination.”
The fruit platter included cherries, berries, grapefruit, mango and grapes with cacao honey, which is made from raw Hawaiian honey and cacao.
Guests can also opt for the international bee upgrade ($65 per person), which includes sampling exotic honeys from around the world, including Europe, Asia and Australia.
A more casual honey flight and bites ($25 per person) experience is also available. This option is self-guided and is available at 10 a.m. and noon on Thursdays and Saturdays, and at 5:30 and 6:45 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. It’s basically a shortened version of the Bee Talk and Honey Tasting that focuses on sampling raw Hawaiian honey flights paired with seasonal bites; reservations are required (minimum two people, maximum eight). The tasting lasts about 45 to 60 minutes.
Starting in July, Kailua Honey will be showcasing its creamed honey. On Sundays, the biz will serve mochi waffles topped with lemon, coconut or whiskey creamed honey. Seating will be limited (maximum four per reservation); visit kailuahoney.com for details.
CONTACT
Kailua Honey
54 Maluniu Ave. Ste. 101, Kailua
808-517-5457
Kailuahoney.com
Instagram: @kailuahoneyoahu
Bee talk story and Hawaiian honey tasting experience is every Monday at 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
