Honey tank 60kg with sieve

01 · THE STRAINER

The first pass, as you fill

It comes with a stainless steel strainer that sits in the mouth of the tank, so the honey is filtered as it is poured in rather than in a separate step. Its mesh is 0.83-0.87 mm: it holds back pieces of wax, bits of capping and whatever comes over from the extractor.

It helps to know what it is and what it is not: at 830 microns this is a coarse strainer. It lets the fine particles through — and those are exactly the ones that rise to the surface later during settling.

02 · HOW IT SETTLES

The clean honey comes out at the bottom

Once the tank is filled, over a few days the bubbles and fine debris rise to the surface. That is why the tap is at the bottom: you bottle from below that layer.

And the step many people skip: skim the foam before bottling, with a wide scoop and while the honey is still warm. It is the difference between a clean jar and one with white scum at the neck.

03 · NO DIRECT HEAT

And here less than ever: the tap is plastic

The same rule as for any honey vessel: no fire underneath and no element against the wall. Local heat caramelises honey against the metal and drives up the HMF.

On this model there is one more reason: the tap is food-grade plastic, with its ring. It stands up to honey; it does not stand up to a blast of heat. If honey has to be liquefied, it is done slowly and with surrounding heat.

04 · IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE TAP

Measure the outlet, not the litres

This is the classic fitting trap: the size of a tap is not deduced from the litres of the tank. If one day you want to fit another valve — a ball valve or an anti-drip tap — measure the thread and pitch of the outlet before ordering anything.

The rest is 18/10 stainless steel, cover and handle included: a vessel that lasts decades if it is washed properly.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

It is a settling tank with its strainer, not a bottling line: