filtering hot syrup gets stuck in coffee filters - happen to anyone else?

[emu742]

Last year, I had trouble getting the syrup through my coffee filters.

The syrup would be poured from the pan immediately into a funnel lined with 1 pre-wet coffee filter (hot water). I did only 1/2 cup batches (into the little 1/2 cup ball jars). Even at this immediate pouring and small amount - it'd take ages to strain through -I'd get about 1/4 cup in 1/2 hour and then the last half would take 12 hours. I had to cover and leave it overnight and check in the morning.

Is there a better way to be doing this? I know technically I don't need to filter, but for the heck of it I'd sure like to know how to do it right, if I want to strain. I don't really know how I could keep it hot without scorching/making it too thick, or keep shifting to new filters...?

[Dennis H.]

I only would use coffee filters, the large comercial type, for syrup that I pulled off the pan light.
I was using them as a prefilter only. Any thicker syrup and it would not go thru the coffee filters.
I would also put about 5-6 filters stacked in the strainer, and once it started to slow down I would carefully lift the top one out and pour the remaining syrup into the next one.

If you want to use filters I would go the next step and use either cone filters or flat filters along with prefilters.
I didn't have much luck with them either but they went better than coffee filters.

[SeanD]

I think for those small amounts funneling right into your ball jars, you'd be better off with cheese cloth if you have to filter. It will go through faster but like any filter, it will absorb your hard work. If it soaks up even a couple of ounces - which it will, that's HALF of your product gone. If I were you, I'd skip the filter and pour right into the jar and let the niter sink to the bottom. Then just pour off the top onto your pancakes.

Sean

[buckeye gold]

I'd say throw away the coffee filters and either let niter settle or use synthetic flat filters. My experience with cheese clothe is, it is a waste of syrup for the small amount of niter it catches. I use a synthetic flat final with two prefilters above it. I pull the first prefilter as soon as syrup slows, which is about 30 seconds. I do it in a covered strainer pan or wire fryer basket works and we sew up the final filters to fit without any bunching in the strainer pan. I draw off when my syrup is around 216 and run it through a prefilter cone, then finish on a gas burner and have my filter system ready for the hot syrup as soon as it finished. I will dampen my final filter with hot sap before hand, too. It will pass through the filters in 5-15 minutes. I will have a little left in the filter that has cooled, but I dump it into my pan to sweeten the next batch.

[Ecnerwal]

Doing a half-cup batch, filtering is crazy - as mentioned, you lose a huge percentage. Save up all your half-cups and process at one go, or when they reach the capacity of whatever pots you have handy.

Doing a couple of gallons at a whack, we used a jelly filter, which is essentially the same as the cone filters. In season we'd rinse it out and put the rinsewater back in the sap pan to reclaim most of the lost sugar. The last batch of the year rinse it out not too thin and drink the "maple tea".