High Sugar Content, and Caramel flavored syrup

[Kawierider]

Ok two questions for the masses:
1) anyone else have high sugar content this year?
2) what causes caramel or butter scotch (according to my wife) flavor in finished syrup?

I did two boils this year: the first was about 50 gallons of sap. I netted about a gallon and a half of dark but delicious maple syrup: perfect maple taste!

The second boil (this last weekend) I boiled about 85-90 gallons of sap. I yielding 4.5 gallons of finished syrup! The syrup was again very dark, but has a distinct caramel flavor to it.

So, I batch boiled both batches. The first over the course of 4-5hrs. The second, was a longer boil in total about 9 hrs. Because I batch boil on weekends the second batch of sap was cloudier, but did not taste or smell bad. I've also heard that late season sap contributes to a caramel flavor. Any input if the caramel taste is from the sap, the longer boil, or spoiled sap? What's your experience been?

I'm leaning towards the longer boil, but obviously won't be able to test that theory until next year. I think my season is pretty much over!

Thanks!

[Paint River Yooper]

Same with me. Sap ran from 2.1 to 3.0%, each collection on 30 taps was sweeter. 54 gallons of sap netted 1.5 gal. Of dark heavy maple flavor syrup. Hopefully the cool down forecast this week will get the sap flowing better.
I am in iron county by Amasa and the weather just has not been helpful ths year so far. The one night it did feeze hard this past week the sap ran great for 2 days. Good luck.

[highlandcattle]

Go on line and check out flavors of maple syrup. Our last couple of batches taste like cinnamon. Never had this happen

[Michigan Maples]

I've also noticed the flavor differences from the beginning through to the end of the season. I've thought the early syrup had a vanilla flavor to it. I suppose the later syrup could be described as caramel. I thought it was a heavy maple flavor myself, that is why this year I cooked down as I collected, but not all the way. Then when we were done collecting sap I combined all we had thus far and finished all together. The finished product was very dark, but the flavor is wonderful, very maple in my opinion. Our sugar content seemed to be about the same as last year, but I cooked the syrup longer and yielded about 38gal to 1gal finished. I just love making syrup now, there's really nothing like it. Will be doing this now until I'm no longer physically able to. Next year we'll be hunting down some more giant reds out in the swamp, and probably add another ten taps.