Trust is earned through transparency. Here's exactly how we evaluate products and calculate scores — with no paid influence involved.
The Melvea Select badge appears on products that meet our editorial standards across three core areas. It is not a paid designation — no brand can purchase it, and it is not awarded based on affiliate commission rates.
The product label accurately represents its contents — honey variation, origin, and processing method are clearly stated and not misleading.
The brand shares where their honey comes from — region and flora are named, and the beekeeper or farm behind the jar is identifiable.
The brand publishes or provides on request evidence of quality: certifications (UMF, USDA Organic, NMR testing), lab results, or equivalent documentation.
Products that do not meet all three criteria still appear in the Honey Finder — they simply do not carry the Melvea Select badge. Absence of the badge is not a negative score; many good honeys don't publish documentation simply because they're smaller producers.
Every product in the Honey Finder receives a Melvea Score from 0–10, calculated from three weighted dimensions. The composite formula is Flavor (50%) + Origin (30%) + Purity (20%). Each dimension also displays a confidence indicator — like "43 tastings," "Farm verified," "Lab verified," or "Unverified" — so you always know how much data backs each score.
| Dimension | Weight | What We Look At |
|---|---|---|
| Flavor | 50% | Community tasting data, flavor complexity, pairing versatility, and flavor tag consensus |
| Origin | 30% | Region specificity, named beekeeper or farm, flora detail, and third-party provenance certifications |
| Purity | 20% | Raw processing, organic certification, NMR or pollen testing, lab verification results |
Scores are reviewed when product formulations change, new certifications are published, or when significant new customer feedback warrants re-evaluation. We do not guarantee real-time accuracy and recommend verifying current certifications with the brand directly for high-stakes purchasing decisions.
Melvea's scores and Melvea Select designations are determined entirely by our editorial team using the criteria above.
We do not accept payment to alter scores. Brands cannot pay to receive a higher Melvea Score, to be awarded Melvea Select status, or to have negative findings removed. Products are included in our database based on editorial relevance, not commercial relationships.
We do maintain affiliate relationships with Amazon and may earn a commission when you click through and purchase a product. These commissions help fund Melvea's editorial work. However, affiliate commission rates are identical across product categories — a product with a high commission rate receives no scoring advantage over a product with a low commission rate.
In plain terms: if you click a product link on Melvea and buy it, we may earn a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. This is how we keep Melvea free and independent.
Melvea is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Our affiliate tag is melvea-20. This disclosure applies to all product links across the site.
We only link to products we've evaluated and chosen to include on editorial merit. Our affiliate relationships do not influence which products we feature, how we score them, or what we write about them.
We're always expanding the Honey Finder. If you're a brand or producer and would like your honey considered for inclusion, we welcome submissions — though inclusion and scoring decisions remain entirely at Melvea's editorial discretion.
To submit a product for review, email us at hello@melvea.com with:
We do not guarantee review timelines or inclusion. Submission does not constitute endorsement.
Last updated: March 2026. Questions about our standards? Email hello@melvea.com.