Cannabis infused syrup

[argohauler]

A woman asked me today if I was going to try infused syrup. I wasn't sure what kind of infusion she was talking about, so I asked. She said cannabis. She has 2 sons that make syrup around Cambridge. They are trying to get into it, but of course there is a lot of government rules and red tape. With all the other edibles, why not I guess. Not for me though.

[DrTimPerkins]

I have seen it (CBD-infused maple syrup) on the shelves, and received a small bottle as a gift, but I've not tried it. Since CBD is an oil, it is quite difficult to infuse into maple syrup (oil has a very low solubility in a sugar solution). I didn't ask how they did it (or how well it worked...seemed to separate after a short time), but have received a few questions about it.

[fred]

we've looked into it already. In Ohio not an option cue to regulations. we could do cbd in syrup but not crystals. the amount that can be in doesnt affect those that use it for pain management. so we passed.

[Maple River Sugar]

A little off the topic but how is the best technique to infuse coffee into maple syrup?

Thanks

[johnallin]

Cannabis infused syrup?
Call me old school if you like, but I don't get it....we're talking Maple Syrup, what's next-milk?

[DrTimPerkins]

A little off the topic but how is the best technique to infuse coffee into maple syrup?


We've been doing some testing of this. What seems to work (at least for us) is to heat up the syrup, put the material to be infused into the syrup (fresh ground coffee in your case) into a SS sieve or filter bag over the canning unit, then pump syrup (slowly) from the canner into the sieve where it mixes with the material. Keep recirculating (using a lead-free pump) until the taste is at (OR ABOVE) that desired. If not strong enough...keep recirculating. If too strong, add in more syrup to dilute the flavor. Typically we find that our taste-buds get overwhelmed with the infusion before too long and we often end up making the infusions too mild, so I'd recommend going stronger than you think (you can always add more regular syrup to cut it back). Once you get to desired intensity of flavor, filter, heat to canning temp, and put it in a container.

So far we've done coffee, mocha coffee, cinnamon, vanilla, elderberry and bourbon-barrel (aged) syrups. Did a special batch for my daughter's wedding a month ago - came out great. Still have ginger to try.

20179

[Maple River Sugar]

Thanks, Dr. Tim. I had thought about adding coffee beans to the bottle when finishing. Do you know if this will add to the flavoring or will this eventually degrade and make a non-desirable bottle of syrup?

[DrTimPerkins]

I've seen that done, also with vanilla beans and other things. They seem to hold up fine from what I've observed. It'll add to the flavoring slowly for a while at least.

[Galena]

Sorry but wtf is wrong with people....maple syrup on its own is awesome enough. Why on earth do you want to destroy it by adding other stuff to it?! If it's just for the novelty factor, then go for it. Otherwise why not just let the syrup present you with its own array of flavours and quit buggering with it.

[DrTimPerkins]

Why on earth do you want to destroy it by adding other stuff to it?! If it's just for the novelty factor, then go for it.

Infusing and barrel-aging is a relatively recent trend. It is a way to add value to syrup, and to increase sales and revenue. If the customer wants it...do it.

[Galena]

Infusing and barrel-aging is a relatively recent trend. It is a way to add value to syrup, and to increase sales and revenue. If the customer wants it...do it.

Yeah, I know all too well how to add value and sell etc thanks to a background in Advertising...but I still think infused syrup is frickin ridiculous. Hopefully the novelty will soon wear off.

If you're going to ruin some syrup, get that horrible *pole syrup* and use that instead.

And fwiw the people who get my syrup frickin rave about the flavours, from my still marshmallowy early season batches to the brown sugary overtones of the final batches. They're tickled pink by the fact that it's all natural, not with crap thrown in.

Getting off my soapbox....for now. More time for this in the spring.

[TonyL]

Last season we did a vanilla syrup with a whole bean in each bottle. It tasted fantastic, and our customers agreed. We sold all we had in 12oz glass for $17 a bottle, and could’ve sold much more. We intend to increase production this upcoming season, and will hopefully add coffee bean and chili pepper also. We do still have a strong market for straight syrup too, it’s all a matter of customer preference.

[Galena]

Last season we did a vanilla syrup with a whole bean in each bottle. It tasted fantastic, and our customers agreed. We sold all we had in 12oz glass for $17 a bottle, and could’ve sold much more. We intend to increase production this upcoming season, and will hopefully add coffee bean and chili pepper also. We do still have a strong market for straight syrup too, it’s all a matter of customer preference.

Well have at it then....but my syrup is consistent enough that I know no matter what batches 1-3 will have a strong hit of vanilla, and some marshmallow...batches 4-5 more regular pronounced maple...6 and any subsequent batches get brown sugar maybe toffee too.

And nope I add NOTHING to my syrup with the possible exception of distilled water in case I've gone too high and it'll sugar unless I fix it.

[TonyL]

Well have at it then....but my syrup is consistent enough that I know no matter what batches 1-3 will have a strong hit of vanilla, and some marshmallow...batches 4-5 more regular pronounced maple...6 and any subsequent batches get brown sugar maybe toffee too.

And nope I add NOTHING to my syrup with the possible exception of distilled water in case I've gone too high and it'll sugar unless I fix it.

Good for you! I hope the upcoming season is your best ever.:)

[minehart gap]

My wife and I made pancakes and bacon for dinner last evening and had some coffee infused syrup on the pancakes. My wife asked if the coffee infused syrup (we infuse by putting whole beans in with the syrup when bottling) contained caffeine. I don't think so because no coffee actually is a part of what we eat but the syrup soaked in it for months so I don't know. Has anyone actually researched this.

[Galena]

Well, if you infused the syrup with coffee beans for months then yeah, I'd say it's a very good guess that you ingested some caffeine. What else would you expect?!

[TonyL]

I’m interested in the process with the coffee beans. How many beans do you add per quantity of syrup? Any favorite kinds or types of beans? Does the coffee flavor continue to increase as time passes?

[DrTimPerkins]

Yes, coffee-infused maple syrup contains caffeine and coffee flavor compounds.

[Sugar Bear]

Is the syrup with all this foreign matter infused into it, eligible for US Certified Organic Status?

If it were .... then that would be clincher to me in the proving of the existence of Certified US BS .... considering that silver tap sap is not eligible!

[DrTimPerkins]

Interesting question. The SYRUP could certainly be organic certified, but not sure about the other ingredients. I doubt any certifying agency would certify (for example) coffee beans or vanilla beans originating in another country that they couldn't inspect. So it would depend upon how it were phrased on the label.

However, the most likely interpretation of the regulations (at least in Vermont) is that none of these infused products could be legally sold as "PURE maple syrup", but would instead have to be sold as "maple syrup", "infused maple syrup" or with some other such qualifying language on the label.

[Galena]

Interesting question. The SYRUP could certainly be organic certified, but not sure about the other ingredients. I doubt any certifying agency would certify (for example) coffee beans or vanilla beans originating in another country that they couldn't inspect. So it would depend upon how it were phrased on the label.

However, the most likely interpretation of the regulations (at least in Vermont) is that none of these infused products could be legally sold as "PURE maple syrup", but would instead have to be sold as "maple syrup", "infused maple syrup" or with some other such qualifying language on the label.

Excellent advice on both points. If producers are really going to bastardize their syrup all for the sake of a short-lived fad (hellooo...anyone remember Pet Rocks?) then you may as well do it right....though how can you prove that the coffee beans/vanilla/weed/whatever you used are indeed FDA-certified organic? And yes I would think that you would DEFINITELY have to label the syrup as *flavoured* or *infused* or risk having a visit from said acronym.

FWIW I would just label it as, 'This was pure wonderful 100% organic maple syrup until some ****nuts decided to add stoopid **** to it in the hopes of increasing sales'.....but that's just me ;-)

[DrTimPerkins]

If producers are really going to bastardize their syrup all for the sake of a short-lived fad (hellooo...anyone remember Pet Rocks?)

Sure I remember Pet Rocks. The creator of that fad made $15M at a cost of almost nothing. The lesson from that...give the customer what they want.

[Galena]

Sure I remember Pet Rocks. The creator of that fad made $15M at a cost of almost nothing. The lesson from that...give the customer what they want.

There are many cases of a producer of a product creating demand where none existed before so that they could sell more product. As a former advertising copywriter, I helped numerous clients do just that for many years.

Ahh, good ol' Pet Rocks. That is still a classic case study in Marketing 101 classes because it was brilliant. There was NO customer demand, at all, for a pet rock - until there were Pet Rocks. Pet Rocks did so well because they were the stupidest idea ever, and the marketing campaign behind them made people aware that they could buy a Pet Rock. The followup campaigns then tweaked people's psyches until having a Pet Rock was pretty much de rigeur.

Same with the Sony Walkman, CDs and countless other examples. Essentially, very little if any end-consumer demand at all for the products; most of them were simply companies' R&D departments mucking about, as they are supposed to. Only when the product was invented was a demand then invented for the product. Once the leading-edge consumers got ahold of it, so did everyone else. Even trailing-edge types like me ;-)

Same idea with this whole infused maple syrup thing. Not once have I ever heard someone say 'Jeez I wish someone would take maple syrup and infuse it with cinnamon/vanilla/coffee beans/cat piss/pot...' Nope. Infused syrups were created for the novelty value, by syrup producers, to drive up demand for their product, which is still selling maple syrup. Only now it's ****ed over maple syrup.

BTW...Pet Rocks are not a food. Food fads are the most fickle and short-lived of them all. Remember purple and green ketchups and any other numerous short-lived food fads that were hot af one week and gone by the same time the next year? That's what I sincerely hope happens with this infused syrup nonsense.

Getting off my soapbox now...

[TonyL]

Doesn’t matter to us which came first, the product or the demand. As long as our customers are raving about out infused syrup, we’ll keep right on making it.

[Galena]

Doesn’t matter to us which came first, the product or the demand. As long as our customers are raving about out infused syrup, we’ll keep right on making it.

Go for it! Enjoy riding the wave of food novelty while it lasts. Believe it or not you can still but purple and green ketchup, but only in very small, very concentrated markets.

Just don't come crying to me in a year or two that you have x amount of gallons of infused syrup sitting in storage cause suddenly nobody's buying it any more ;-)

Meanwhile I am toying with the idea of entering the Royal...whose rules very clearly specify that there be no foreign bodies *cough cough INFUSIONS* in your entry....

[TonyL]

No worries, we only make 30-40 gallons a year and sell out every time. We do have a waiting list for the following season also, so we have a rough idea of how much to make.

[windyacres]

WINDY ACRES MAPLE Farm

We have been producing maple fruit syrup since 2011 or earlier . We have sold domestic red raspberry, wild blackberry strawberry, wild black elderberry, cranberry from pure juice . It consists of 30 % 0f our sales, at Christmas markets as high as 60 % sales. This year we will sell approx 1000 250 mil bottles. This is a great way for a small producer to enhance sales ,despite the fact it is labour intensive.

.

[TonyL]

Quick update, we bottled a small run of coffee infused syrup, and the response was fantastic. The two flavors play together very well. At $18 per 12 oz bottle, we will definitely be bottling more of it.

[DrTimPerkins]

...we bottled a small run of coffee infused syrup, and the response was fantastic. The two flavors play together very well.

We've experimented with a lot of different infusions at UVM PMRC this past year -- the coffee-infused syrup is very good (especially in coffee). My daughter used it as table favors at her wedding this past June...her husband's family is from Columbia, so it was a nice blending.

[nam elpam]

Im not understanding how we are termed as "dumb" for taking bulk syrup bound for $2 lb bulk market adding something to it and creating another product for our shelfs that we will make considerably more than the original product and even if the fad does die make money while its hot than not make it at all?

[johnallin]

Im not understanding how we are termed as "dumb" for taking bulk syrup bound for $2 lb bulk market adding something to it and creating another product for our shelfs that we will make considerably more than the original product and even if the fad does die make money while its hot than not make it at all?

There is nothing “dumb” about that at all. It’s just good business.

And speaking of coffee, look how many iterations Starbucks has come up with...I sure wouldn’t call that group too dumb.

[nam elpam]

yeah I know its great business because in an area saturated with producers and product infusing syrup opens up so many more possibilities of products and when you set up at a show a full table draws attention so im glad some don't want to do it more market for those who do! yet you still get people who feel the need to criticize us for ruining good syrup if it was ruined people would buy it love it and come back for more?

[nam elpam]

oh and yes I would say Starbucks would be a great example of great marketing and business though I could be the one that could say they ruined good coffee because I like good old cheap local gas station black coffee that sometimes you wonder how long its been sitting on the warmer? but I don't because their creativity has built quite an empire that Im relatively sure my gas station will never reach selling black coffee

[DrTimPerkins]

...though I could be the one that could say they ruined good coffee...

You are not the only one who thinks that. I like coffee, but can't drink Starbucks. :D

[johnallin]

You are not the only one who thinks that. I like coffee, but can't drink Starbucks. :D

Not inferring that I like Starbucks coffee, but they are genius with what they've achieved with a simple cup of java.
Give me a plain Maxwell House coffee and I'm a happy Canadian...no french vanilla, just real cream please.

[DrTimPerkins]

Not inferring that I like Starbucks coffee, but they are genius with what they've achieved with a simple cup of java.

No question about that...getting people to line up to pay $5 for a $1 cup of coffee is pretty amazing.

[syrup2nv]

Seems as we have gotten off topic. Anyone with experience infusing CBD in their syrup? Anyway to get “our” syrup into new consumers is far from “stupid” as others have said. However when it’s only your hobby instead of your livelihood it may seem foolish. The CBD market is one of the fastest growing markets out there, I’ll gladly take my slice of the pie.

[mapleguy]

Im with you what happened to PURE MAPLE syrup! Seems like in the future this country will be a bunch of pot heads

[Michael Greer]

After we've added CBD to everything, what will we blame our aches and pains on? I mean, isn't maple syrup special enough? Next folks will want to add CBD to condoms!!

[TonyL]

In my opinion, infusing syrup is just one more source of revenue. Doesn't have to mean that you quit bottling pure maple syrup also, just that you've recognized a demand for product and you've taken steps to meet that demand. We're still selling more pure syrup than we do infused products, at least for now. And even if that changes, we will always bottle some amount of "pure" also.

[douglastmunn]

So far we've done coffee, mocha coffee, cinnamon, vanilla, elderberry and bourbon-barrel (aged) syrups. Did a special batch for my daughter's wedding a month ago - came out great. Still have ginger to try.

20179

Hey Dr Perkins, have you published anything on this yet? I’m curious about caffeine content when infusing with the coffees.

[DrTimPerkins]

Nothing has been published as yet. Too many other things going on. We did not do a chemical test for caffeine.

[NhShaun]

Wondering if anyone has experimented with any more maple syrup infusions since this post? Has the fad completely died off like some suggested or is it still growing and bringing you happy customers? The idea of adding value and variety to a product in an already flooded market sounds like it is worth the effort. Especially for small producers like myself who at the time only sell syrup and no other value added products like maple cream and candies etc.