Light Syrup

[argohauler]

My neighbour who sells Mennonite syrup and I are having a "friendly" discussion over the taste of light syrup. He says it has maple flavour, I say the light I've tasted doesn't.

I was surprised when all of Brent's 2010 crop was Extra light and Light and he said it all had a mild flavour. Can you guys tell me what yours tastes like? Is it just sweet or does it have a maple flavour?

He's going to give me a sample of his syrup tomorrow at market. He also said all the Mennonite's are laughing at us down here in the banana belt who think medium and amber have the best maple flavour.

[PerryW]

It's hard to describe syrup flavor, but the Light Amber I made this year (and last year) has excellent flavor. As opposed to the blandness that is sometimes associated w/ Fancy syrup, it has a slight vannila flavor that give a little bit of a bite.

I have given samples to several people who said they preferred dark syrup and they are converts now.

Personally, I prefer the light and medium grades for pancakes, and generally use the darker stuff for cooking. We have many customers that come back each year specifically to buy our Light Amber Syrup.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

It is all in the taste of the beholder. Whatever the customer prefers is the "best" flavor syrup. My family has been known for generations for its light amber syrup and have customers that return year after year for it. I prefer the light particularly when it is fresh. There is a very delicate background taste that I always felt was true maple. I find darker syrups to be more carmelly or brown sugar tasting. But that is me and my preference. I personally use all colors as long as there is no bad flavor. I think we all have unique taste buds and certain tastes are more evident to some than others. I believe there are more than 300 different things that make up the flavor of different syrups so there is an almost unlimited variety of flavor.

[DrTimPerkins]

My neighbour who sells Mennonite syrup and I are having a "friendly" discussion over the taste of light syrup. He says it has maple flavour, I say the light I've tasted doesn't.

Technically, the lightest of the light syrups have little flavor and are primarily just sweet. With a little color (a darker Fancy or very light Medium Amber) you have what is considered the true "maple" flavor. It is very delicate at this stage, and has little other competing flavors. Darker syrups have a combination of many flavors, including maple, caramel, vanilla, confectionary, etc. With very dark syrups you sometimes also have off-flavors that start to creep in, but frequently they aren't detected due to the strong flavor intensity of darker syrups.

Some off-flavors have very low odor/taste thresholds though....scorch (burnt sugar), metabolism, and buddy. The last two are very different off-flavors, although many people mix them when talking about them. Metabolism can occur anytime in the season, and is frequently found in early-season syrup (because there are no strong flavors to mask it). Buddy almost always occurs at the end of the season. Both are the result of amino acids in the sap from the tree, but they are different mixes of amino acids. Some people don't mind the flavor of metabolism at all.....frequently people from the south actually like a little of that flavor (reminds them of molasses or sorgham I guess). Often sugar makers don't even realize they had a metabolism off-flavor until they go to open a real nice barrel of syrup they made in the early season and find it has a horrible smell and flavor.

In common use, what most people consider to be good-robust maple flavor is actually the composite of multiple flavors that they collectively think of, and refer to as, "maple".

The thing I find so amazing is that for what really seems to be a fairly simple solution of predominantly water and sucrose (sugar), when you look at the full chemical spectrum, there are well over 100 different flavor molecules that are commonly found in maple syrup.

[RileySugarbush]

Dr. Tim,

A few years ago i had some otherwise nice syrup that had what can be best described as an earthy or woodsy flavor. I was assuming that the metabolism you are describing. Am I right?

Also, last year we made some early light syrup that had a fantastic maple flavor ( won the blue ribbon at the MN state fair, so it wasn't just our opinion!) Light syrup can taste like maple but sometimes just sweet.

[DrTimPerkins]

A few years ago i had some otherwise nice syrup that had what can be best described as an earthy or woodsy flavor. I was assuming that the metabolism you are describing. Am I right?

Yes, another term for "metabolism" off-flavor is woody. The cause is a compound called 2,4-dimethylpyrazine, a naturally-occuring flavor molecule that results from nitrogenous amino acids as part of the Maillaird reactions. Unfortunately it has an extremely low odor/flavor threshold, so blending it out is very problematic.


Also, last year we made some early light syrup that had a fantastic maple flavor ( won the blue ribbon at the MN state fair, so it wasn't just our opinion!) Light syrup can taste like maple but sometimes just sweet.

Absolutely. There is a great deal of variation in the relationship between color and flavor....and even more when you throw air-injection into the mix.

[ennismaple]

To each his own I always say. Some people like rich foods and oakey red wines, some prefer more delicate food and drink. Same goes for maple syrup.

What I do know is I have 10 people want dark syrup for every one that wants extra light.

[DrTimPerkins]

To each his own I always say. Some people like rich foods and oakey red wines, some prefer more delicate food and drink. Same goes for maple syrup.

Exactly. Sell them what they want.


What I do know is I have 10 people want dark syrup for every one that wants extra light.

That has certainly been the trend. For many years the consumer was told that the light stuff was "the best" and steered towards lighter syrups. In the past decade, the consumer has been telling the market what they like, and it is trending more towards darker syrup.

[red maples]

when I had my open house this year I had med-grade B for tasting(being that I didn't make any light this year) and I always told guests to start with the lightest and work your way darker because the flavors are so different and complex if you start dark and work backwards the lighter syrups taste like nothing.

you would be suprised how many people never had the chance to compare the different flavors. and for that matter didn't even know there was difference.

and ennis your right to each his own.

One thing and this is my own opinion, when I am tasting syrup my favorite is the medium because of that sweet but nice true maple flavor and it is just a wonderful flavor. Now when I am having breakfast I am drinking coffee and eating bacon and sausage pancakes, french toast eggs what ever and my palette is so overloaded from the stronger flavor rich foods in order to actually get flavor from the syrup I perfer dark or grade B or even a little stronger to get flavor out of it. But that is just me, but I think alot of folks are like that unless you have a very delicate palette.

and most folks aren't tasting it "ALL THE TIME" like me and I am sure a few of you maple nuts do too.

[802maple]

It is all in the taste of the beholder. Whatever the customer prefers is the "best" flavor syrup. My family has been known for generations for its light amber syrup and have customers that return year after year for it. I prefer the light particularly when it is fresh. There is a very delicate background taste that I always felt was true maple. I find darker syrups to be more carmelly or brown sugar tasting. But that is me and my preference. I personally use all colors as long as there is no bad flavor. I think we all have unique taste buds and certain tastes are more evident to some than others. I believe there are more than 300 different things that make up the flavor of different syrups so there is an almost unlimited variety of flavor.


Doug you must have copied that out of my book, I am going to check out the copyright laws on this one. HAHA

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Jerry,
You will have to send me an autographed copy so I can see/read what I am copying out of your book:)

[802maple]

I will have to look it up. Then see if I can sign my name

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I have to say all of the light I have made the past few years has a great flavor. Yes, it is a delicate flavour, but it also has plenty of maple flavor. I don't see a lot of difference between light and dark most of the time. Yes, dark is somewhat stronger, but it doesn't normally have any "bite" until you get into a "B" grade.

[BoarsNest]

I have received many comments that my syrup has a slight initial smokey flavor at the first taste and then has a light maple taste and plenty of sweetness. What would give it the slight smokey taste? Or is that the same as the earthy taste others have mentioned?

[DrTimPerkins]

I have received many comments that my syrup has a slight initial smokey flavor at the first taste and then has a light maple taste and plenty of sweetness. What would give it the slight smokey taste?

What do you use for fuel in your evaporator?

[Haynes Forest Products]

A fellow producer tells me that his syrup has a smokey flavor from the wood fired evap and he insists that he wouldn't have it any other way. Then he buys my oil fired syrup:rolleyes:

[3rdgen.maple]

Just curious but if you have an arch that is atleast semi tight how does a wood fired rig give you a smoke flavor to begin with. I would think you would be smoked out of the sugarhouse before you ever made syrup. But then again what the heck do I know.

[Ausable]

I have received many comments that my syrup has a slight initial smokey flavor at the first taste and then has a light maple taste and plenty of sweetness. What would give it the slight smokey taste? Or is that the same as the earthy taste others have mentioned?

Is that a taste You want in your syrup now or is it a problem? Usually - You have to work at getting the smokey flavor. Years ago, when I still made wine, I liked a slight smokey flavor and would age some of it in a small white oak keg (charred on the inside) and after a few months it had the flavor I was after. This is a real puzzle - even if you had your sugar shack full of wood smoke (a lot) it would still be hard to do. Now this is way out there - but - even if you dumped lots of wood ash by your maple trees and it leeched into the ground and absorbed by the tree roots and into the sap - I still don't think you would pickup the smoke taste -- Guess I'm not much help - but this is a real unsolved mystery...... Mike

[Brent]

I agree that there is no way you could breath in sugar shack with enough smoke to transfer flavour. That guy knows the flavour he wants. He just attributing it to the wrong source.

Dr. Tim
The maple syrup producers bible says we should separate newly packed bottles from each other so they cool fast and avoid "stack burn". Is stack burn an off the evaporator way that some more sugars are carmelized ?? Would creating it be a way for me to darken my like stuff. I could put a bunch of bottles on a table and cover them with a quilt to keep the heat in for hours. Would that defeat the filtering and initiate more nitre percipitation ??

[Haynes Forest Products]

I was told that stack burn is only in metal containers. We had about 50 cases stacked up in glass and the inner bottles were hot after 3 days.

[Brent]

I was told that stack burn is only in metal containers. We had about 50 cases stacked up in glass and the inner bottles were hot after 3 days.

Metal cans are plastic lined so if that was accurate, we should get stack burn in plastic as well as plastic lined metal.

[BoarsNest]

What do you use for fuel in your evaporator?

I am using a wood fired evaporator and although its not super tight I didn't notice any smoke at all. The way my sugar "lean-to" is I don't think that smoke would be a problem. The taste is lick your plate good so I am not worried. Since this is my first year I am not sure what to expect. It seems to have more flavor than the Costco real maple syrup I bought in the past.

Thanks,

[802maple]

That is why most packers have a cooling system immediately after the canning process to help prevent the stack burn or darkening of syrup

[PerryW]

I'm guessing a smokey taste could come from using a pan that had been burned and not cleaned completely.

[Brent]

I'm guessing a smokey taste could come from using a pan that had been burned and not cleaned completely.

I think that is part of it for sure. If I go to long on a boil and the nitre does not flake off, it scorches and I can smell it before I draw it off. That flavour is also in the syrup. If its a big batch, the flavour is mild and I like it. Would I call it "woody" .... I don't think so.

The question I am really interested in: does stack burn darkening also enhance the flavour ?

[BoarsNest]

I'm guessing a smokey taste could come from using a pan that had been burned and not cleaned completely.

That could easily be what it is. At the end of my pan I have a box to my stack that my preheater sits on top of. The middle channel on my pan slightly burned the foam from the heat off that box. Next year I am going to insulate between the pan and the box to keep that from happening.

[DrTimPerkins]

I agree that there is no way you could breath in sugar shack with enough smoke to transfer flavour.

With light syrup it takes surprisingly little of anything to alter the flavor. Keep in mind that a very small amount of ash, soot, smoke in the boiling sap is concentrated to a very large degree.


Is stack burn an off the evaporator way that some more sugars are carmelized ?? Would creating it be a way for me to darken my like stuff. I could put a bunch of bottles on a table and cover them with a quilt to keep the heat in for hours. Would that defeat the filtering and initiate more nitre percipitation ??

You'll end up with darker-colored syrup without much change in the flavor.

[red maples]

with wood as a fuel I think it develops the flavor more than oil due to just enough inconsistencies in temperature and heat transfers. but Mine doesn't have a smokey flavor but I have had some that do.

[DrTimPerkins]

with wood as a fuel I think it develops the flavor more than oil...

I've heard that said many times, and have no reason to discount it. I don't think anyone has scientifically determined if it is true, and if so, the reasons behind it. Therefore anything said would be primarily speculation.