Last year was my second, and the syrup I made had an off flavor similar to "buddy" syrup. (I made a batch of that at the very end of my first season, so the taste and smell was familiar.) I attributed it to the ridiculously warm temperatures here outside of Chicago, but now my first batch this year also has a little bit of an off flavor (though not nearly as bad as last year).

I had some nice Vermont syrup that I purchased from another trader, and tasting them side-by-side, mine has a little hint of vanilla (according to my wife), and still a hint of that "buddy" flavor (IMO). It's clearly syrup, and clearly sweet, but not what I expected, and not the quality I made my first year.

Possible culprits that I have in mind:
1. I'm using some pastry buckets, some of which contained pastry fillings, to hold the sap. I hot washed them with a little soap, but they still have an odor.
2. My pan had a little rust in it, which I was able to scrub out with just a 3M pad. It was custom made by a friend who is a welder, but not a food expert. Was the steel not safe? I don't know where he got it, but it has white paint on the outside. He swears it's absolutely safe, but this was the first evaporator and pan he'd made.
3. I'm using sap from two silver maples, and another tree that we're pretty sure is a maple - it has the seeds, and had the highest sugar content last year.
4. I only had two pints worth in this first batch, so I didn't want to go through the hassle of filtering it yet. I just poured it into a couple canning jars and set them in the fridge with lids. Most of the niter had settled, but maybe this is affecting the flavor as well.

Anyone have any suggestions? It's disappointing to put in all this time and energy (and some $$$) to not have it turn out great.

Thanks,
~DK