Little Cutie (50ml) Duo

What in the world are maple syrup grades?

So, simply put, maple syrup is graded by color, and the color corresponds to taste. The new international grading standard has four grades:

Golden Delicate Taste: This grade has a light, yet intricate maple flavor. Made with the earliest sap runs of the season, many maple producers consider this grade the toughest to make, as any extra boil time will darken the syrup. Folks sometimes call this “fancy” syrup. We love it on crepes, for subtly sweetening “sun tea” and for maple confections!

Amber Rich Taste: This grade has a great mouth feel, and is often called “table syrup”. Typically if you go to a sugar house for pancakes- this is what they serve. We love it on pancakes and waffles, to sweeten hot milk and herbal teas, in salad dressing, and for a baking substitute when you want a healthier sugar replacement that isn’t overwhelmingly “mapley”.

Dark Robust Taste: This grade has a deep maple flavor- often a customer favorite in taste tests. We love this in coffee and black tea, in anything chocolate from hot cocoa to cake. It is also our preferred sweetener for marinating tofu, tempeh, and chicken.

Very Dark Strong Taste: This grade is complex and almost smoking with maple flavor. Folks used to call the “grade B” syrup- though it’s not at all inferior- only very intense! This is the knock-your-socks off ingredient for baking with maple, marinating and glazing red meat and seitan, curing bacon, and just straight up on pancakes or in coffee when we need a little “maple boost”.