Bottling plastic vs glass?

[Mr. Red Maple]

Hey guys I have seen many questions about this without good answers so I was hoping you guys could help clear this up. I am trying to fogure out what bottles to buy for next year. Should I do plastic or glass. The main thing I am worried about in the glass is the sugar sands and other sentiments settling to the bottem of the container. I have bottles with glass before and followed the temp rules for bottling and rules for filtering but I always seem the end up with sugar sands in my bottles. Both glass and plastic bottles are about the same price here http://www.bascommaple.com but the glass is a bit cheaper. I also feel people will pay for the flat glass bottles than the small plastic bottles. I am mainly just worried about the sugar sands at the bottem of the bottle. So could you guys please give your opinions on this issue.

Thanks Mr. Red Maple

[GeneralStark]

My opinion is that without a filter press you will inevitably end up with some sediment in your glass bottles. Some people don't mind this, but I personally would not sell syrup in a glass container that has sediment in the bottom. It's one thing for friends and family, or for barter deals, but if you are selling a product to the general public, it should be of the best quality IMO. It likely is just an aesthetic thing, but for many the allure of a glass bottle of syrup is just how clear and pretty it is.

[Rock Bottom Maple]

Hi, out of three boils, my middle batch came out cleaner. By a noticeable difference. only thing I can think of. I did not finish right after coming off evaporator.
I had an issue (don't ask :O} ) so the pan sat until the next morning. About 8 hours. I did reheat batch and bottle the next day. Just a steam tray kinda guy. So this is how I will do it next season. My vote is for glass!

[Mr. Red Maple]

I just use 2 cone filters so I don't know if I should risk bottling in glass and might just go for plastic. I don't want any sugar sands in my bottles. Do you guys have any more recommendations?

[GeneralStark]

How much syrup are you talking about? Are you selling it? To whom?

[BreezyHill]

Mr Red Maple, Until very recently the vast majority of our product was sold in glass bottles. But in the last 2 weeks I have cleaned out my plastic stock pile and am just getting in from bottling off a drum in all plastic. Mostly half gallon at that too. This is very odd for me but customers have been asking for larger containers lately and I have two gallons going out on the feed truck tomorrow morning.

I think it is the economy. People wanting their $ to go further but they want their Pure Maple Syrup in their coffee and on pan cakes and French toast.

Glass sales will still be above plastic at the end of the year but I was thinking of phasing out half gallon plastic until this past weeks orders( 62% over last seasons usage of the 1/2 gallon plastic), in a two week time ???

If using glass, do the best filtering you can! I have seen people set down a bottle with sediment to pick up a clean one at a friends stand. I use a press and it is worth every penny invested. Well that is until you blow a paper and you get DE in a batch of bottles. That is worse than sugar sand!

[maple flats]

My sales are also running towards 1/2 gal and gal jugs. While I pack some in glass, about 95% of my sales are in plastic. However, mine is just a price issue. The glass is priced higher. I filter in a filter press and get no sugar sand but my customers are just looking for syrup except when buying gifts and then plastic still exceeds glass sales. 3-4 yrs ago I was going to quit packing gal and make 1/2 gal my largest. Now my gal sales exceed my half gal and also roughly equal my qt. sales. I've had customers buy 4, 8 and even 10 gal at a time.

[wiam]

Sediment should be eliminated! Not hidden in a plastic jug!

[maple flats]

You can make clear syrup without a filter press. Use a final filter and 4-5 pre-filters. As each pre filter plugs, carefully remove it. To enhance the filtering just get some filter aid (food grade Diatomacious Earth) and stir it into the syrup to be filtered. It will collect in the filters and will create a thick filter cake. Try using about 1 cup/gal of HOT syrup for your first pour and about 1/2 cup/gal if you pour a second or third time or batch. Do not remove the filter cake that forms, that IS your best filtering media. Doing it this way, your pre-filters will last far longer before needing cleaning.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

You can make clear syrup without a filter press. Use a final filter and 4-5 pre-filters. As each pre filter plugs, carefully remove it. To enhance the filtering just get some filter aid (food grade Diatomacious Earth) and stir it into the syrup to be filtered. It will collect in the filters and will create a thick filter cake. Try using about 1 cup/gal of HOT syrup for your first pour and about 1/2 cup/gal if you pour a second or third time or batch. Do not remove the filter cake that forms, that IS your best filtering media. Doing it this way, your pre-filters will last far longer before needing cleaning.

Dave, Thank you. Your description of gravity filtering with DE makes very good sense. I will try what you described since I do plan to bottle a small amount in glass.

[Jmsmithy]

Thx Dave...

I've been told by a dealer we both know and love :lol: that they made award winning syrup, more than once, utilizing gravity before they purchased their press....at my size this year I think we'll stay gravity but as I grow it seems inevitable that a press is in our near future...:rolleyes:

[Jmsmithy]

You can make clear syrup without a filter press. Use a final filter and 4-5 pre-filters. As each pre filter plugs, carefully remove it. To enhance the filtering just get some filter aid (food grade Diatomacious Earth) and stir it into the syrup to be filtered. It will collect in the filters and will create a thick filter cake. Try using about 1 cup/gal of HOT syrup for your first pour and about 1/2 cup/gal if you pour a second or third time or batch. Do not remove the filter cake that forms, that IS your best filtering media. Doing it this way, your pre-filters will last far longer before needing cleaning.



Dave, how do I remove the plugged pre-filter yet leave the filter cake??