Understanding Maple Syrup Grades | Coombs Family Farms (2024)

FAQs

Understanding Maple Syrup Grades | Coombs Family Farms? ›

Real maple syrup is Grade A (with four classifications):

Another reason maple grading was changed was that consumers perceived or assumed that grade B was an inferior quality syrup. In turn, many would seek out grade A dark when there was no such thing. Or they would expect a lower price point for grade B dark. In actuality, grade B is equal in quality to grade A.

Formally known as Grade C, Grade A: Very Dark and Strong Flavor has the boldest, strongest maple taste. This grade of syrup is tapped at the very end of maple season and is often not available for purchase in retail maple products.

One study found 24 different antioxidants in maple syrup (7). Darker syrups like Grade B supply more of these beneficial antioxidants than lighter ones ( 8 ). However, the total antioxidant content is still low compared to the large amounts of sugar.

Previously known as grade B maple syrup, grade A very dark syrup has a very strong maple flavor. Very dark maple syrup has an intense maple flavor that is desirable for cooking in recipes. Very dark and dark varieties are most commonly available because of the classic desired taste sought after by consumers.

Previously Called: Medium Amber or Grade A: Dark Amber

This is usually the most appreciated grade for those seeking a traditional maple syrup flavour. We recommend this maple syrup on anything sweet. From pancakes to sweet desserts, you will find that Grade A amber maple syrup is just the right intensity.

You may also know that the syrup color changes as the sugaring season progresses: Lighter syrup is usually made when the sap first begins to flow; darker syrup shows up later. Darker syrup has a stronger flavor than the lighter syrup, but the quality and sugar content is the same.

Description. Once pierced, century-old maple trees drip sap referred to as liquid gold. It will take roughly 50 gallons of these drops to make one 1 gallon of 100% pure Grade A maple syrup. Farms in the Hudson Valley, New York State, can sell that gallon for over $200, almost 29 times more than popular imitation syrup.

It did away with Grade B and Fancy, instead making all syrups grade A, adding flavor and color descriptors like delicate, rich and robust. While the system was intended to put all producers on the same system, Vermont was still alone, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture had not adopted the system.

Maple syrup can go bad, though this only tends to occur after the bottle has been opened. A sealed bottle of pure maple syrup, stored properly in an airtight glass container, will last several years, while an opened bottle can stay in the fridge for between six months and a year.

Does maple syrup need to be refrigerated? ›

Maple syrup should be kept in the refrigerator once it's opened so as to discourage mold from growing on the syrup. Should mold grow on maple syrup, it's safe and easy to remove. Just scoop the mold off the top of the syrup with a spoon and discard the mold.

Pure Vermont Maple Syrup must meet strict quality standards and is graded on four characteristics: color, clarity, density, and flavor. Maple syrup is measured by hydrometer or refractometer to ensure that the density, or measure of sugar content, is within a narrow band of 66.9° and 68.9° Brix.

For example, maple syrup is lower in calories than honey, and therefore may be the better choice for someone looking to lose weight. Pure maple syrup also has fewer carbohydrates and is lower on the glycaemic index than honey, which may make it healthier for certain diets.

Brown sugar is known to have more vitamins and minerals than white sugar, however it still offers slightly less nutritional value than pure maple syrup. Maple syrup has fewer calories and also offers more calcium, riboflavin and manganese than brown sugar.

The study looked at how the molecule in maple syrup, quebecol, affected known substances in the human body that relate to inflammation. The experiments showed that quebecol was effective in preventing many of these substances from causing inflammation, further concluding that it is a great anti-inflammatory agent.

Driven by a passion for purity and vision to showcase the premium, Grade A qualities of maple, Crown Maple pioneered advanced maple sap processing technologies that purify and preserve the maple sap in its most natural form to deliver a premium, artisan quality in the final product.

GOLDEN | DELICATE

'Light' or less maple flavor than other classes, often perceived as sweeter than the other grades because it lacks the strong flavor profile.

If you are making this for a cleanse, the recommended maple syrup is Maple Valley's Dark & Robust syrup. This was previously called “grade B” syrup. In The Master Cleanser, Stanley Burroughs states “All grades can be used in the diet but the darker grades are more desirable.