Mike’s Hot Honey Review

Mike’s Hot Honey is definitely honey first with a little heat on the back end. This hot honey is just like your typical honey with a very light kick of chili pepper heat. It comes in the exact kind of bottle you’d buy at the store, with the exact same honey spout.

So with all those similarities to a regular honey experience, how well does its heat, flavor, and use set itself apart as a spicy condiment? I added this to my tea and it tasted exactly the same as regular honey with the slightest hint of pepper heat, and that was with two tablespoons. For those that love extra-hot foods, it may be disappointing. For honey lovers that want a little extra simmer, you’ll take to Mike’s Hot Honey plenty fast.

Flavor:

Simply it’s more honey-sweet than spicy heat. Really I could just replace my regular honey with it since the heat is very much on the mild end of the scale. The ingredients are simple in Mike’s Hot Honey: honey, chilies, and vinegar. The hot pepper flavor is smooth and balances well against the sweetness of the honey.

When the heat hit your tongue, it’s low-key enough that I would feel comfortable letting kids try this. It’s really just a honey with a little more fun. It goes great with a charcuterie plate and on top of ice cream. I also thought this was amazing on my pizza, mixed in with red pepper flakes.

Heat Balance:

If you’re a fiery food fan who wants a little sweet, you may be disappointed in the heat level here. Mike’s Hot Honey is for honey lovers everywhere who like a little warmth, not a fiery heat. This will leave your sweet tooth satisfied, but keep your tongue from any burning.

In terms of heat, think Frank’s RedHot which comes in around 450 Scoville heat units (SHU). That’s about as hot as a fresh banana pepper. This is a family-friendly level of spiciness and the sweetness is the real star here.

Usability:

This Hot Honey is perfect on toast, cereal, chicken, steak, fish, salad, and coffee or tea. It’s the sauce to reach for when you’re craving a little sweetness with your meal. The spice is nice but it doesn’t linger so you’ll need to use more for a better heat kick. This would easily replace my everyday honey without a second thought, because of its mellowness.

Collectibility:

The bottle is the classic honey bottle. It’s a simple, plastic squeeze bottle with a great honey spout, perfect for drizzling.

I love that the word HOT is the biggest word on the bottle, so everyone knows this is not your normal everyday honey. It keeps it from being confused with regular old honey bottles everywhere. Even then, if you accidentally used this honey, you might not even really notice the spice all that much.

While it’s not incredibly collectible, it’s highly functional, nice packaging, and the logo and wording catch the eye. Those reaching for it will certainly take a second look. And that’s all good. Mike’s Hot Honey is, in my book, here to potentially replace your everyday honey, so the packaging is perfect for easy use.

The Score:

Mike’s Hot Honey is an excellent alternative to everyday honey. It’s deliciously sweet and very mild in spiciness. Its overall mildness though may be too little for spicy food fans. (Amazon)