Having grown up in sugar maple country and bought syrup from the farmers in unmarked gallon cans ('store syrup' never entered our house), I have plenty of experience with maple syrup. [Tip: maple trees and maple syrup are 'organic' by definition. Farmers who tap trees add nothing. Don't pay more for 'organic'.] At our house we 'sugared off' every Winter. For those who know what I'm talking about, read on. For those who don't have any idea, you may be happy with this product.
The Good: This syrup is priced right (purchased at $17.31). It is a good buy and you should not be shy at purchasing. It's really about a 3 star minus or 2.5 stars.
The Not So Good: Grade B syrup is normally 'mapley' with caramel notes. This syrup LACKS the strong maple flavors that make it suitable for cooking or a good match for those who like strong flavors, but it does NOT have the complexity or finesse of a Grade A Amber. In short it is rather bland and pedestrian for maple syrup. What we don't know is whether the trees tapped for this label vary from year to year but this batch is uninteresting. I bought it as an alternative to Whole Foods label (about $20) but quite frankly the Whole Foods Grade A Amber has a stronger maple flavor with more complexity and the Whole Foods Grade B is significantly stronger in flavor. I would rate the Whole Foods Grade A Amber as a 4 star minus, and the Grade B as 4-5 stars.
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