Finishing inside - when do I filter?

[eastcoasttapper]

This is the first year using wool filter and the liner. Also first year for a real evaporator :) I brought my almost done sap in last night to let the sand settle to the bottom. I am getting ready to finish on the stove. So, do I use the wool cone now, as the sap is cool and not yet finished syrup, or do I have to bring it up to final temperature and then filter it. That is the way I did it in the past, but this cone is so huge. I'm thinking I'm going to have to filter it into a big pot and then dole it out into my jars. And it will be cooling by that time..... ??

[waysidemaple]

I finished the syrup and as soon as it was at the hot test line I poured it into the cone filter, after it got through the cone I used a paper filter in a colander to filter it again. I then put it on very low heat and brought it up to 180-185 and began bottling. It worked really good, first time using a cone filter and it was the clearest syrup yet.

[KenWP]

You try and filter cold syrup and your going to swear so hard I will hear you. It has to be hot to go thru those thick filters let alone the thing prefilters. Bring it up to the right density and filter and then bottle at 180-190 and your good to go.

[Dennis H.]

Here is what I do, it works for me.

When I take off the almost done syrup it made be somewhere between 40-50% sugar I will put it thru a bunch of large coffee filters to get all/most of the sugarsand out of the syrup. Putting thru the filters hot helps. I keep removing a coffee filter as they clog.

I then take the almost done syrup and finish it on a propane burner. A stove would work also. Once I got the syrup where I want it I will then put it thru a regular syrup filter with prefilters. One thin I also do is I will take a few tablespoons of filter aid and mix into the syrup right before putting into the filter, I feel it cleans it up real nice.

Every time you raise the temp of the syrup above 190 or so you will start to get more sugarsand and will have to refilter.

[eastcoasttapper]

You try and filter cold syrup and your going to swear so hard I will hear you.

:lol:

thanks for the tips!

Using the cone was definitely a two person job. I am thinking it might be easier to do this right off the spigot in the sugar shack as I draw it off.
The syrup looks pretty good - tasted fabulous! One bottle had a bit of sugar sand settled on the bottom, but most are minimal.

[Ausable]

When You make maple syrup for your own use and you have some sugar sand in the bottom of the container - just decant it off into another container and leave the sugar sand behind. We used to make wine and did the same thing with sediment in the bottom of the wine bottle.
If You are making syrup for customers - It probably has to be dark and thick with no sugar sand - as thats how they think maple syrup is supposed to be and thats what they want - then - you can keep the good stuff for yourself ---- Mike