Finally made some decent syrup, and people want the old stuff ...:rolleyes:

[wmick]

So finally got to do some bottling last night... and I was actually making some nice golden and amber syrup at ... and at about 67%...

Previous years I seemed to always be making it dark and on the heavy side... I was always a little jealous when I read posts and photos about nice light coloured syrup.... One of those quality control things that I would try to improve over time.... but I was quite satisfied with not burning the pans, for the time being....

Wife started contacting people that weve given syrup to before, to take some orders... and they would really prefer the dark stuff, I used to make.

[NhShaun]

I find most of my customers prefer the darker stuff as well. It never hurts to have some variety though, at least for display and photo purposes. It's also neat to line up the grade jars and show the different colors.

[littleTapper]

Dark is where the flavor tends to be While I was having my last large boil a few days ago, some neighbors stopped by and a comment was made by them that it smells even better than when they visited earlier in the season. Later sap, darker syrup, better smells and flavor They're getting bottles from every boil so they can enjoy the differences.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

The first dark syrup made each year is usually my favorite. It's still sweet like an amber but you get enough flavor to know its maple. Usually grades just beyond amber.

[ecp]

Grade and size are always a fun one to predict.

Some years everyone will want quarts of fancy and we run out of them right off. So the next year we bottle more, but everyone wants half gallons of amber haha. Almost every one of my old customers wants Fancy every year while middle aged people want amber (don't have a clue why that is). I hardly ever sell dark syrup, but have 10 gallons ordered for this year which is crazy. In the end we bottle what we can between everything else going on and I can guarantee you we will run out of something by June haha. The only reheating and bottling I do outside of the maple season is for wedding favors so we try to set aside 10 gallons for that.

[Wannabe]

Dark is where the flavor tends to be

Yep, can't blame the customer for wanting the syrup that tastes better.

Give me (and many others) dark, batch boiled syrup thats cooked in a flat pan that's boiled all day in it, over sap that spends minimal time in an evaporator, any day.

(though it's all good, and WAY better than Aunt Jemima)