ManukoraRaw Manuka New Zealand Honey MGO 850+, Non-GMO, Monofloral, 3rd-Party Tested, Glyphosate Residue Free Certified, 2000+ Natural Compounds, Traceable Hive-to-Hand, Digestive & Immune Support – 250g

You know you're getting some great quality honey when it actually tastes delicious for manuka honey. It's also got a nice viscosity, not too liquidy or hard -- just right. The color is a beautiful medium-dark caramel, which is how manuka honey should look like.The 8.8 oz jar is indeed small, not much taller than a stick of lip balm. You'll only get about 36 teaspoons of honey from this one jar, so it's best if you save it for special cases and emergencies. My jar won't expire until another 4 years and I hope to keep it that long in my cupboard.This honey's really great for colds. I had a cold, and taking a teaspoon helped relieve my sore throat for a good while. But what makes it special to me is that it has helped me since then *prevent* colds. What I mean is that if I feel a cold coming on (e.g. I feel a sore throat after waking up), I dab a bit in my nose and I feel back to normal within the day. If this sounds hard to believe, someone also realized this and made a product called Cold Bee Gone (Link: Cold Bee Gone Nasal Swab Remedy) that does the same thing I'm describing -- and guess what? It's based off of manuka honey.So, I think the question most here might be asking is if UMF 20+ is worth it compared to UMF 15+. It really comes down to if you would like that extra activity (NPA, non-peroxide activity, or sometimes referred to as MGO). This is the activity that is unique to ONLY manuka honey and what you're paying extra for -- as discovered by the late Dr. Peter Molan. With UMF 20+, you'll get an extra 5+ NPA (or 300+ MGO), making this some seriously potent honey. For most people, a good quality UMF 15+ is probably going to be more than sufficient (the recommended minimum level has been stated to be 12+ to treat most MRSA infections). However, if you plan on keeping this jar for 4+ years, I'd say this 20+ is definitely worth it in the long-run. You won't ever have to worry about the quality compared to other brands -- this is really top-notch honey.Personally, I bought this UMF 20+ to also help attack a hard-to-beat problem: blepharitis (red eyelid inflammation). This is usually caused by staph (MRSA super bugs) or demodex mites. A few times a week I dab a tiny bit on my eyelids (via q-tip) before going to bed and leave it overnight. It hasn't cured my bleph completely (this is a chronic and life-long disease), but I do see signs I'm slowly improving -- the redness is getting lighter (although I am trying multiple things at the moment, like tea tree oil).Overall, this honey's really good, probably the best quality honey I think I've ever bought. It's not raw honey, but you can be assured it's been pasteurized properly. Keep a jar in your cupboard for your worst of times (especially cold season). For daily honey needs, I would recommend using a more cost-effective lower-grade UMF, or Ulmo honey from Chile, or really, any other raw honey. Ulmo honey is far cheaper and is actually been tested to be just as effective -- if not more so -- than manuka, although its activity is peroxide-based, and is not the same kind as manuka's unique non-peroxide activity (NPA).And no worries as far as the Manukora brand is concerned, they're a valid UMFHA member (license #2228) on the UMF New Zealand website. I believe they're a relatively newer UMF licensee, but I have no reason to suspect the quality so far. Note: Manukora recently updated their jar design for 2016, so my pictures are of the older jar design, but the honey should still be the same good quality!Tip: To get the the residue off after removing the safety seal, you can apply a bit of Goo Gone onto a paper towel and carefully rub around the rim of the jar.Update September 2016: I had initially rated this honey 4 stars, but I recently tried using it again to help fend-off a cold and it worked once again. I now feel this honey is deserving of a 5 star rating.

1/10/17As promised my true final review regarding the effectiveness of the honey relative to clearing up my skin (face). I must say this is by far the best Manuka product ive used compared to roughly a dozen or so other certified vendors. My skin is the clearest it has been since my early 20s (35 yo male) and i am truly amazed how well this is working in combination with my salicylic toner and a klairs toner (also use rose water on rotation) i recently added to my regimen. I am very much in love with this particular honey and will be using for the forseeable future, clear skin finally in my grasp!12/17/16So my final update in lieu of my initial review. First its worth saying that dealing with the sales team at Manukora and Export Exclusives was some of the best customer service ive encountered in decades while handling the entire complaint with extreme professionalisn, while being super friendly, understanding and responsive to boot. In this instance they took full responsibility no questions asked, sending out a replacement at no charge, including a refund which was unexpected but greatly appreciated all within a week. Regarding the product, i have used probably 30-40% of the various approved NZ vendors for Manuka, spefically 15+ and above, and although its been to short of time to truly give a valid rating for it effectiveness (healing characteristics specifically), i can speak to some other nuance qualities relative to a portfolio of other vendors ive used. You can definately tell the honey has gone through a creaming process as described by the vendor, its consistency was much less viscous at a typical 70 F than most ive tried. Coloring was standard, but taste was slightly different, considering i despise the taste of manuka honey specifically it was only tried out of curiousity but i found the honey to have a sweeter and less overpowering "manuka-esque"(more edible, lol) flavor than any other ive ever tried, i wouls say this would be the best or one of the best candidates flavor wise ive found for someone looking to injest it in tea or such, so worth keeping in mind. Ill try and provide another update regarding its particular healing characteristics after a week or so has passed to evaluate effectively. One last thank you to the vendors for great customer service and bonus of getting the replacement for free and a refund which was well beyond what i expected. However from a product review perspective free product sways my views zero regarding product quality and effectiveness, so any opinions expressed, both good and/or bad are based solely on that reality and my subjective opinions/experiences.12/8/161 star until vendor responds to my review and others to explain why tamper evident seal for lid is already broken on jar, not very comforting. Other seal to jar looks ok but cant be sure it wasnt just glued back on, need explanation for lid seal being opened from vendor to trust product.

Expensive, but you get what you pay for and it is far better than regular grocery store honey.