American Honey Library American Honey
Library

For Level 2 and above certified sensory tasters

Take a seat on the panel.

Panels convene as sample cohorts are ready. Approved panelists join our active roster and receive invitations to upcoming tasting sessions — a kit of blind-coded samples arrives at your door beforehand, you taste over Zoom, the group converges, and another American honey enters the record.

Approved panelists receive the emblem at right — the 2026 Panelist mark, issued once per year and yours to display as you see fit.

Apply for the tasting panel
Panelist badge: American Honey Library, 2026

Issued to panelists on completion of their first session.

Who can join

Required

  • Level 2 certification or higher to score with the panel — Level 1 / In Training tasters are welcome as silent observers
  • Reliable video and a quiet room for two hours
  • A mailing address in the United States

Not required

  • Prior panel experience
  • Membership in any organization
  • Beekeeping of your own
  • A commitment beyond the invitations you accept

How a session runs

1

Apply to the roster

Tell us your certification and mailing address. We review by hand — no fee to apply.

2

Invited to a session, kit arrives

When a cohort is ready, approved panelists get invited and pay the $15 kit fee. Six to eight coded samples arrive — leave them sealed until the session.

3

Taste together on Zoom

Two hours. Silent tasting and individual sheets first, then open discussion until the panel agrees on wording.

4

Entries published, badge issued

The session's profiles go into the library with the panel credited, and your Panelist mark arrives by email.

Apply for the Tasting Panel

We review applications by hand, so allow a few days to hear back. Approved panelists join the active roster and get invited as sample cohorts are ready.

Please fix the highlighted boxes below.
Contact details

Your mailing address is for sending tasting kits once you're invited to a session — a physical U.S. address, no PO boxes.

Please tell us your name.
Please enter a valid email.
Enter your street address.
Enter your city.
Pick a state.
Enter a valid ZIP.
Certification & credentials

Self-reported for now — we may follow up to confirm before adding you to the roster.

Please pick your certification level.
Please tell us who certified you.
Please enter a year.
Applications are reviewed by hand. There is no fee to join the roster. When you accept an invitation to a specific panel session, a $15 kit fee covers sample materials and shipping.

Got it — thank you!

We review applications by hand and will follow up by email. Approved panelists join the active roster and receive invitations as sample cohorts are ready.

Questions panelists ask

What does the fee actually cover?

Kit materials and shipping both ways — only charged once you accept an invitation to a specific session, never to apply. Nobody on this project is paid, and the panel is not a revenue line.

Do I have to commit to every session?

No. Accept the invitations that work for your schedule. Many panelists sit two or three a year and that is genuinely useful.

How is the badge earned, exactly?

Complete one full session with scoring sheets submitted. The mark names the founding year it was issued in and does not expire.

Can I use the badge professionally?

Yes — on a website, a business card, or a competition entry. It records panel participation, not a certification level, and we ask that you describe it that way.

What happens if I miss a session I accepted?

You have one week from the session date to complete your tasting asynchronously, using the same samples and scoring sheet. Write to us and we'll get you set up.

Still deciding? See what the panel produces for the beekeepers who send us honey.