What's Your Grade?

[SSFLLC]

Hello: Wifey here. I'm a little disappointed that after the third boil we started getting Grade B and we've only just started. Tastes really good though. In the past our production was half Grade B and half Grade A. What's everybody else experiencing out there?

[Dill]

I dropped to B on sunday night. I cleaned the pan before Mondays boil and haven't canned or graded that batch of syrup yet. I was at a medium for most of it, maybe a gallon of dark so far before the B.

[PerryW]

I'll let you know. Just got the pans sweetened yesterday with 300 gals and just picked up another 250 gals.

[Amber Gold]

It's been all medium, but dipped to a dark last night. Cleaning pan today so maybe it'll lighten up. There's a fairly big dark, not quite burnt spot near the drawoff from some pretty have draws I had.

[Russell Lampron]

It's all been B so far here. The flavor is more like dark amber though and the color is getting a little lighter with each boil. The syrup from the last boil was borderline dark amber. 4 people thought it was lighter than the grading sample and 2 people thought it was darker so I decided to call it B to be on the safe side. It is hard to judge a reddish sample against an amber one to figure out darkness.

[red maples]

my first 5 gallons was dark...then moved on to grade B. But its the same here even though its B it still has a lighter flavor. I cleaned the pans today to see if it gets any better. the niter this year seems to be black so hopefully with that all cleaned out it will get a bit lighter!!! we'll see...but most of my customers perfer the dark and B anyway!!!

[PerryW]

Pulled off my first 3 gallons today and the grade was Medium.

[Dill]

I'm at B tonight. A really reddish and light tasting B, but I'm in the same boat as Russ, better to downgrade the sticker.

[Russell Lampron]

I finally made dark amber last night. Hopefully I can keep my grade there for a while and even get lighter.

[onthehill]

from PA: All been Light Amber except for one day of high grade Medium

[red maples]

Have to finish out whats in the pans but it looks like am getting lighter. should go back to dark or lighter soon I cleaned everything back to new again!!!

[Russell Lampron]

Kissing the bottom end of medium now. The flavor has gotten lighter too.

[SSFLLC]

Marathon boil last 22hrs triing to catch up. almost made it only 225 gallons left in tank. Changed grade three times. Started dark amber went to medium and back to dark. Boiled off 750 gallons syrup in every container in the house. Michelle will finish tonight. Main tank empty going down to clean it for the weekend run. Then some sleep. Keith

[PerryW]

up to 13 gallons, started out at the upper end of medium and last few gallons are fancy.

[Haynes Forest Products]

3rd was best for me I spent 2 years there.................:emb:

[3rdgen.maple]

Started at medium for a few days went to dark then B (ny xtra dark) then back to medium for a few gallons and now at dark again. I wont tell you how upset I was when I asked my dad to do a cleanup and filter the sweet back in the pans and when I got home the pans were all cleaned and clear sap in it. I looked at him and he said " Im cant stand dark so I dumped everything in the pans out" WTF its everyones favorite and what I get asked the most for. It did make me a little happier knowing he had to suffer through boiling B grade for me when I went back to work after I through my fit. Sure is nice to know how much money and time I invest and find out he did that.