Honey has been valued for thousands of years—not only for its natural sweetness but also for its unique flavor, versatility, and long history of traditional use. But as honey grows in popularity, concerns about adulterated or diluted products have also increased. Some products may contain added sugar syrups or other sweeteners, making it difficult to know exactly what you’re buying from appearance alone.

One popular method is the shake-and-flip bubble test. After gently shaking and turning the bottle upside down, people watch how quickly the bubbles move. Thicker honey usually slows bubble movement, while thinner honey allows bubbles to travel faster. Another common experiment is the water glass test, where a spoonful of honey is dropped into water. Thick honey may sink before slowly dispersing. But there’s an important catch: these tests mostly reveal consistency, not authenticity—and two other popular “purity tests” can be just as misleading. Continue below to see what they really tell you.