First year help

[Jaredd91]

19873First year tapping trees i did my first batch which was about 5 -7 gallons of sap. I boiled it down in a turkey cooker which took about 6 hours then once it got to the bottom and starting foaming alot i check the temp which was about 215 so i shut it off brought it on the stove top till it was about 220 then shut it off. Let it cool till about 200 and ran it thru some folded cheesecloth and it tastes great but its watery and looks exactly like honey a cloudy golden color not amber not clear what did i do wrong im about to run a second batch need some opinions

[wobbletop]

Cheesecloth isn't fine enough for filtering. Maybe try coffee filters?

[BCPP]

I've never been able to get coffee filters to work, they clog up and dont let syrop through. Cheesecloth is too coarse. Order some orlon and/or felt filters. Both work well. I usually use the orlon as a prefilter as the felt ones clog easier and ta look e more time to wash. The orlon ones are cheap enough that they are sold as disposable, but I'm cheap enough that I wash and reuse them several times! The filtering (or lack thereof) is the cause of the cloud. If it's too thin then you may not have reached 67brix

[DRoseum]

Agreed coffee filters are tough but if you pre-wet them with boiling water or steam they work better. A big stack works well too so you can lift up the top one and dump the syrup down to the next one. Just don't squeeze it, you will push niter thru and make the syrup cloudy.

[Daveg]

Don't let it cool. Filter it at the highest temperature possible for the best results.

[Trapper2]

If you are only doing 5-7 gallons of sap at a time, you will only be getting about a pint of finished syrup at a time. I would not use the Orlon bag for your production as 1/4 of your syrup will remain in the bag. I would just use the prefilter and as others said filter at 219-220 depending on Maple sap app.for your area. Yes you will get some niter, just let it settle out and you will be fine.
https://www.saptapapps.com/boiltemp/

[Sugarmaker]

Ok I have opinions on about every thing maple related. First issue is the watery comment. You need to get your head and equipment around this very important issue as you get in to making more syrup. The temperatures you mentioned are generally above where you would need to go to make syrup. Two things; Do you have great temp measuring equipment? Thermometer on tenths? and or a hydrometer yet? I know your just getting started. Also are you a good judge of syrup density? Its not at all like Lumber Cabin or Mrs Worthless Butter!:)
Next the cheese cloth is not going to cut it for your small batches. You may want to delay your pancake waffle breakfast for days to weeks and just let the niter settle out and take off the clear syrup, discard the niter.
Next is the color: You say its golden not Amber. Stop! You are on the verge of making Golden Delicate syrup! Anyone can make dark syrup! You have to do a bunch of things right to make light syrup! You may want to invest in a grading kit or a Hanna Checker later in your syrup career. Again this is not the dark corn syrup on the shelves at Walmart!
Your doing good, keep boiling!
Regards,
Chris

[tgormley358]

As a recent newbie, I’ll add to what others have said already. To get the right density (not too thin) you need to use a hydrometer. $20 at the hardware store. I wholeheartedly agree with the poster above that Golden is great and hard to make. If you’re set in only making amber or dark you’d have to adjust you’re boiling methods and timing (other posts here on color go into that). For cloudiness I haven’t Tried the let it sit for a day for the niter to go to the bottom and then just pour off the syrup, but it might make the most sense for you to try that.

[Sugarmaker]

On the settling method, which I have never really tried I would recommend using a glass container so that you can watch the niter settle out and the upper syrup to become clear. In the old days thats how syrup was made clear. Settling tanks with the draw off port several inches above where the niter was laying, allowed you to draw off clear syrup. Of course this was done at cool or room temps. I assume lots of syrup was canned cold too.
Regards,
Chris