Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
Maple syrup is a traditional and whole sweetener that has consistently played an integral part of the economies of North America ever since Native Americans first taught the early European settlers how to tap maple trees and boil down the sap.
Maple syrup derived early in the season at the time of the spring thaw runs sweet and clear. It takes about 20-30 gallons of boiled down sap to make one gallon of light amber colored syrup, labeled as Grade A. This is the maple syrup typically available in the supermarket.
Late in the season, maple sap thins out and grows watery. Much more than 20-30 gallons of sap must be boiled down to yield Grade B maple syrup of equal sweetness. Boiling down more sap to concentrate the sweetness also concentrates the flavor and nutrients. This late season syrup is darker, more maple flavored, and higher in minerals than the Grade A syrup and is labeled as Grade B.
The blander, lighter syrup typically commands the highest price as consumers tend to prefer sweetness without too much flavor.
The Growing Popularity of Grade B Maple Syrup
I’ve been a fan of Grade B maple syrup for years and have enjoyed the lower price point despite its relative rarity in comparison to Grade A.
As consumers have moved further away from refined sweeteners in recent years, however, the price of Grade B has risen as has its availability.
Years ago, I used to be able to call up my maple farmer in Chautauqua, New York who I got to know spending summers there as a youth visiting the farmer’s market on Saturday mornings and ask for a few gallons of Grade B to be shipped and it was no problem. Then, it became much harder to come by. In addition, the price for this homely sweetener kept going up with Grade B sometimes even higher in price than Grade A!
In the past couple of years, I’ve purchased maple syrup from Vermont as the price was really fantastic. The first few gallons were excellent quality, and then suddenly, I received a gallon of maple syrup from Vermont labeled as Grade B but it was in fact Grade A!
The first time this happened, I thought it was just a simple mistake because the next gallon I got was correctly labeled Grade B. Then, the “mistake” happened again and then again.
At that point, I realized that this might be happening on purpose – the Grade B was sold out so some gallons of Grade A were labeled as Grade B maple syrup to meet the increasing consumer demand with the hope that the consumer wouldn’t notice the difference.
Then I heard of this happening to other folks buying maple syrup from other sources as well!
Make Sure Your Grade B is Really Grade B
The motto of this story is to check your Grade B maple syrup and make sure you are really getting what you paid for!
Fortunately, it is easy to tell the difference. Grade B maple syrup is much much darker than Grade A so it is easy to tell the difference if you put them side by side. What I do is keep a small glass bottle of Grade A from the supermarket in the pantry to use as a comparison test each time I buy some Grade B in bulk.
More change is on the horizon, however!
By 2013, new international standards for labeling maple syrup will come into effect with the term Grade B no longer used.
Once these new standards come into effect, all maple syrup will be labeled Grade A with four identifying colors: Golden, Amber, Dark, and Very Dark.
Have you purchased what you thought was Grade B maple syrup only to discover that it was really Grade A? If so, what did you do? Did you complain or just switch suppliers?
Please note also that there is a significant difference between conventional and organic maple syrup producers. This article spills the beans on these little known production practices that will have many consumers switching brands in a hurry!
Do you just love Grade B maple syrup? If so, here’s a healthy, homemade maple kombucha salad dressing to try.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
More Information
Coconut Sugar: A Healthy and Sustainable Sweetener
Don’t Fall for Xylitol
Sugar Alcohols Harm Gut Health
Check out the grade comparisons on with the chart on the bottom of this web site: http://www.vermontbiz.com/news/december/new-maple-syrup-grading-standard-coming-january
Warning be very carful with the darkest grade it is not supposed to be sold if it is off flavor. But flavor is often the judgment of the producer. The darkest grade has typically been used for cooking some my like it others may not.
If you want to know more about why we have light to dark colors check out Cornell’s Maple Research site. Cornell and UVM both do maple research in the US and Center Acer in Canada.
26.Why is maple syrup different colors?
The color in maple syrup results from a browning reaction that occurs during the latter stages of evaporation. Sap that is boiled longer makes a darker colored syrup. Therefore, anything that slows the evaporation process, such as uneven or weak fire, an inefficient evaporator, or too much sap in the evaporator, will cause dark syrup. Because color develops during the latter stages of boiling sap, it is particularly important to reduce processing time as the sap approaches syrup. Microorganisms in sap can also cause darkening. Sap flowing into the sap house can be treated with UV light to kill the microorganisms. Sap should be processed as soon as possible after collection to reduce the potential for microorganisms and thus reduce the quality of syrup produced.
Syrup may also darken during storage. To prevent darkening, hot syrup that has just been put into containers should be allowed to cool before the containers are packed close together. Gas exchange during storage can also cause syrup to darken.
Lighter syrups are usually the result of earlier harvested saps and the darker ones are from later harvest. Time of season and changes within the trees is what will determine the color/flavor, not the boiling process.
I just read the opposite! The earlier the sap is harvested the darker it is. Yikes, what to believe! but you are correct in saying it has nothing to do with the boiling process.
Moving to VT recently from FL, we have found out that all maple syrup is beneficial. They all have the same amount of health benefits. The local sugar houses explain it all. The darker the amber color is due to when the sap was collected. Later or earlier during the season. http://deepmountainmaple.com/maple-facts-and-fictions
There are three grades we have the new grading kit. A-delicate, a-rich amber and dark robust. So if you like flavor dark robust. But to comment on the grading, when you pull off the syrup just before you bottle it you have to grade it. If it is darker than the lightest you have to go with the next one down if it is darker than the middle you have to go the next one down again. You cannot go to the lighter one even if you want to.
Hi, we at PIECES OF VERMONT sell and have sold a lot of Grade B Maple Syrup over the years, produced by small sugarhouses in northern Vermont. It’s one of our customer favorites. You can rest assured that when you shop on http://www.piecesofvermont.com for Grade B, it’s just that – 100% pure and natural Vermont Grade B Maple Syrup. In fact, sometimes the website photography for Grade B is sooo dark, it’s almost unrealistic. It looks black! And indeed the standards are changing soon as to how syrup is labeled, but the problem there is, everyone searching for Grade B isn’t searching with keywords such as “robust maple flavor” or “dark amber color syrup”. They’re searching for “grade b maple syrup”. My point being, it will impact the “little guy” who relies on organic search engine traffic if suddenly the use of the phrase “grade b maple syrup” in product copy is phased out.
If you prefer grade B maple syrup that’s great. Your opinion about why people may prefer lighter grades is way off base, however. If you need the maple flavor to survive baking or in candies then grade B is what you need. It has a very overpowering ‘mapley’ taste. If your palette is not suited to the subtle, light taste of the higher grades then you should definitely stick with the cheaper grade B. Why would you pay more for a taste that you cannot appreciate. While you may think that the grade A varieties are just a scam to get you to part with more money the people that make maple syrup have been doing it since colonial times. Apparently it is there opinion that the lighter grades are more valuable and in higher demand than the late season grades. I always buy mine from Vermont simply because I have a thing for Vermont where I grew up. I always buy the lightest grade A because it is what I like. The flavor is light and not overpowering but you definitely know that you are eating maple syrup. I am sure the Vermont producers will not be taking up any international standard as their very strict grading rules is one of the things that sets Vermont maple syrup apart from others and as you can see the Canadians are not that fussy.
I work in the industry and have sold maple syrup commercially. So important notes.
1. Grades are all about colors are all about flavor intensity. Grade “C” is generally referred to as Commercial Syrup for cooking. It and is usually off flavor and extra dark.
2. Yes the grades will change between 2114 and 2115.
http://www.ldmspa.com/images/grading-standards-comparison.jpg
3. There is no known scientific research to support that Grade “B” is more health then Grade “A” . I can offer a full discussion on why the lighter grades exist vs darker. Even with in the industry there are some new theories are be discussed why the 2013 production year produced so much light syrup.
http://www.nnyagdev.org/maplefactsheets/CMB%20300%20Health%20Advantages%20of%20Grade%20B%20Syrup.pdf
4. If you really want to judge grades you need a set of color bottles used for grading. That will cost you about $30.
https://www.leaderevaporator.com/p-189-vermont-temporary-maple-syrup-grading-kit.aspx
5. All syrup should be graded properly and in many states if the grade is not proper the product can be removed from the shelf by various state agencies.
I hope I have taken some of the myths out of maple syrup for the readers.
Hello!
I had thought that Grade C was the best maple syrup to purchase? Are you saying Grade B is just as good? I found a good source for Grade C, which they call “end of season syrup.”
There is NO difference in nutrients between the different grades. The only difference is color.
Sorry, there may be other differences, e.g., flavor, odor, etc. I meant that one is not better than another when it comes to being “healthy”.
THE difference is, that grade A is from earlier in the maple tapping season (colder) when the sap is thinner, higher in sugar and lower in minerals, while sap collected later in the tapping season has higher mineral content and lower sugar content and the syrup is darker.
People who prefer nutrition over sweetness -are- aware of the difference … particularly those who use the “Master Cleanser” (also known as the “lemonade diet”) technique for fasting/cleansing … which is specifically (intentionally) “healthy”.
Go to a maple syrup & sugar farm, view and taste the samples. There are very distinct differences.