Which Maple Syrup is the Right One?

Posted Tue, May 13, 2008, 5:25 pm PDT

22 Comments

1. Posted by K_Main on Fri, May 23, 2008, 4:15 am PDT

I’ll have too disagree with you on the “Light” vs “Dark” preference on pancakes etc… My family has always used the darkest grade syrup at the table. We used to get grade “C” till a few years back when the grading was changed. I figure we like the dark syrup given that our family has been weaned on it from the early 1600 here in New England. So go ahead and use the “fancy” all you want. I’m sticking with the full flavored dark B.
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2. Posted by LISA C on Fri, May 23, 2008, 5:21 am PDT

I agree with K-Main. We came through Vermont as tourists and got our first experience with syrup sampling a couple of years ago (well, that is, syrup not bought from store shelves). After trying both grades, we found that we liked the grade B much better and that's what we brought home with us. Surprisingly, we found out after picking the grade B that it was actually a little less expensive than the grade A too!
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3. Posted by Curmudgeon at Large on Fri, May 23, 2008, 6:33 am PDT

The third time is the charm, I guess. Grade B wins in my humble opinion hands down also. I first learned about the flavor difference from an early TV chef, tried it, and have been converted ever since.
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4. Posted by Curmudgeon at Large on Fri, May 23, 2008, 6:35 am PDT

The third time is the charm, I guess. Grade B wins in my humble opinion hands down also. I first learned about the flavor difference from an early TV chef, tried it, and have been converted ever since.
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5. Posted by lynh2o1938 on Sun, May 25, 2008, 4:19 pm PDT

The color of the syrup depends on more than the season, like, soil, the weather, moisture, ambient temperature, etc. Learn more before you write about something.
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6. Posted by Erin D on Sun, May 25, 2008, 5:06 pm PDT

ummm the colour has to do with how long it's boiled. the longer it boils the darker it gets!
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7. Posted by Kim on Sun, May 25, 2008, 6:31 pm PDT

We just started eating the real maple syrup with our breakfasts and I can't see me going back to the brown colored corn syrup any longer. For now it's trial and error with us.
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8. Posted by Erich L on Sun, May 25, 2008, 8:27 pm PDT

love pure maple syrup but good luck on finding enough this year. it was a bad bad year for maple trees. syrup will be in short supply.
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9. Posted by ybh_613 on Sun, May 25, 2008, 10:24 pm PDT

My wife loves maple, but give me pure ribbon cane everyrtime. Course we did live in TIDE country.
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10. Posted by ybh_613 on Sun, May 25, 2008, 10:24 pm PDT

My wife loves maple, but give me pure ribbon cane everyrtime. Course we did live in TIDE country.
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11. Posted by michaelpiskl08 on Sun, May 25, 2008, 10:33 pm PDT

The grades roughly correspond to what point in the season the syrup was made. U.S. Grade A Light Amber and Canada #1 Extra Light is early season syrup, while U.S. Grade B/Canada #2 and #3 is late season syrup. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_syrup
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12. Posted by leilaluw on Sun, May 25, 2008, 10:41 pm PDT

you forgot to add that there is a vast difference between grade A and grade B nutritionally speaking. grade B is more wholesome, grade A is the equivelant of refined sugar!
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13. Posted by Lyn on Mon, May 26, 2008, 3:08 am PDT

I have lived in the northeast all of my life. I can drink maple syrup out of a glass I love it so much. I have always purchased syrup from a local producer, Spragues in Portville, NY. I have never seen grade B there or in any store. I am sure I would love it. Now I am going to be on the hunt for it.
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14. Posted by rsusman on Mon, May 26, 2008, 5:24 am PDT

There is no question that maple syrup has a special place on the breakfast table. I have a colleague who is on sabbatical in the UK this year and his host wanted him to bring one thing from here-maple syrup. As for which syrup is best, and how it gets that way, I think there are so many variables and tastes that it defies a simple explanation. The quality and color of the syrup depends on the trees, soil, weather, and these, in turn, lead to sugar content of the sap and the boiling process. With high sugar content it can take 30 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup. Low sugar content can yield a gal. from 40 or more gal. of sap. I have a stand of trees on my property in VT and my neighbor collects the sap along with that from his acreage. He is meticulous and his sugar house is stainless steel and a post and beam laboratory. It is a lesson in art and chemistry to watch him boil. Time, temperature, specific gravity, and titration are all part of the boiling. He produces syrup that he sells and mails all over the U.S. Local conditions vary from one part of the state to another, from year to year. Contrary to an earlier comment, this year was the best in three years in our part of VT. The price has gone up, but that reflects the market and costs of food and food production generally.
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15. Posted by iswc2 on Mon, May 26, 2008, 5:46 am PDT

A friend grew up on a sugar bush (Maple syrup farm). He says the Grade A is best. The sap flowing changes as the year progresses. Early sap has few minerals and the mineral content increases over time. These minerals have a somewhat bitter taste which increasingly overpower the sugar taste. Grade C becomes so bitter at the seasons end that, the average person would spit it out. Grade C goes into all the commercial syrups that indicate they have some Maple syrup, and the remainder of the syrup covers up the bitter taste. Grade C is only put in for advertising purposes, not taste enhancement. The extra minerals in Grade B do not offer enhanced health benefits, Grade B just has a taste some people like, similar to stout beer. The purest maple flavored syrup comes at the very beginning of the year.
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16. Posted by stephen_r1937 on Mon, May 26, 2008, 6:29 am PDT

Alexandra, your advice is generally sound, but let me put in a word for Pennsylvania maple syrup. PA doesn't know how to beat its own drum, and New England does. No disrespect to Vermont, a fine and beautiful state and their syrup is pretty good, but, shoot, they don't even know what a keeler is. You can find small maple syrup farms in Pennsylvania on line. Try it, you'll like it. You can't beat it with a baseball bat. Stephen R.
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17. Posted by carl on Mon, May 26, 2008, 6:36 am PDT

i grow up on a farm not in Vermont but in maine i thinks its better there i think. amber light ok dark is better go find a local person near you that taps trees buys some enjoy
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18. Posted by soundchoicekc on Mon, May 26, 2008, 6:40 am PDT

I think rsusman hit the tech aspects pretty good...and I must agree with those who like the darker syrups. My education and appreciation of all things Maple came from the 2nd Maple Products Capital of the US...Chardon, Ohio (Northeast Ohio, Geauga County). Kc at Bat
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19. Posted by Aud B on Mon, May 26, 2008, 6:52 am PDT

From the great maple syrup capital of the world, Vermont, Grade B is considered the best. I grew up in Vermont and helped in the making of maple syrup.
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20. Posted by litamx30 on Mon, May 26, 2008, 7:23 am PDT

Here in Vermont we have a sort of off handed comment that rings true simply because most non-experts have perpetuated it. "Flatlanders believe anything they're convinced of" Grade A light Amber is best? Only if you believe so. Locals will almost always prefer darker, more full bodied syrup. The grade has little to do with timing, and more with environment, soil, and sugar content of the sap. But you keep on paying more for the lighter, less flavorful syrups........we don't mind a bit.
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21. Posted by gilmarev on Mon, May 26, 2008, 7:35 am PDT

There has long been a big maple syrup industry in Quebec, Canada but in very recent years we, way over here at the other end of the country on Vancouver Island, have found that our local broadleaf maple produces an excellent (some say even better) syrup.
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22. Posted by kensate on Mon, May 26, 2008, 8:09 am PDT

I am a Vermont maple-maker. At one time we were what is considered a 'producer' as we made hundreds of gallons each season. Our family has tapped our sugarbushes for 4 generations and hail from 10 generations of Vermont sugarmakers, all within our southern Vermont county. Grade B is the best flavor, in my opinion. Fancy is more difficult to make, thus the higher price. A few decades ago I was set up at a local flea-market when my father thought I was wasting my time trying to sell the 'B' grade with the A and fancy. His claim was that people prefered the famcy and that was why they paid more for it. To test (and chalenge) his theory I flat-line priced all of my syrup except the B, which I added a few dollars to. I sold out of the B before the morning was out, when usually the fancy sold first. I speculated it was because of the price structure and continued to price the B higher than the fancy. I continued to sell more B and had many repeat customers, some of which still purchase from my family after all of these years. For two weeks I priced the fancy higher and sold more fancy. A couple weeks I flat-lined all grades of syrup and the sales were pretty much equal. My point is I think people assume the highter price constitutes a better quality. A few things to understand about maple syrup which have not yet been covered: wood-fired open arches make the best flavored syrup. Far too many producers today use reverse-osmosis to extract most of the water before they boil it over gas or oil fired burners and have the pans hooded to retain the heat and and pre-heat the sap. This is mass-produced syrup and has not the rich, satisfying flavor that the wood-fired open-panned method has. Another factor is vacuum-pumped sap where a pump forces the sap from the tree and is carried in plastic sap line. All mass-produced methods make an inferior syrup. Another factor to consider is the container. Metal will, over time, give a metalic flavor but can be reboiled to remove most of it. Plastic containers cause a chemical reaction which can change the grade a whole point within a years time. Glass is the best as long as it has not been stored in direct-sunlight. Earthenware is probably better but you cannot see the product. When I ship syrup I usually use metal because it is safer for shipping. I also suggest it is removed from the tin to glass or earthenware. Once syrup has been opened it has to be refrigerated or frozen. Buy your syrup only from trusted organic sugarmakers. Pure Vermont maple syrup demands a premium price so it is best to know you are getting the best quality available. Beware maple-blends or maple-flavored syrups because they contain cane and/or corn syrups. By Vermont law, Pure Vermont maple product has to be pure. There are no legal restrictions on the above mentioned methods of producing maple syrup. Wood-fired, open-pan, Pure Vermont maple products produced by organic, small family producers will offer you the best overall product with the most satisfaction.
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