I once had the opinion that unfiltered (or less filtered) meant more robust maple flavor. That changed when I got my first filter press and realized the huge boost in quality. The filter press is the single most important piece of equipment for creating a quality product in my sugar house. A filter press is also used to filter the sweet during mid season pan cleaning and makes an even better and more consistent finished product. There are some small moderate priced filter presses for hobby operations and I recommend one.
Ken