Oxford, you are correct. Only concentrate when you are ready to boil - or will be ready within a short period of time. It does concentrate both sugar and bacteria. The RO Bucket is about $300 as well. For those of us that work, but want to make syrup, sometimes the tradeoff for flipping a switch and being able to have fun vs. either not producing at all, or not getting any sleep, is well worth it. It is a personal choice.