I'm sure all of the non-native Vermonters like myself want to know the answer to this question - what exactly is the difference between Grade A and Grade B maple syrup?
The difference is color and flavor, Grade B being darker and more robust. Frank from KAF.Halley, Grade A is lighter, more subtle, and is boiled from sap collected early in the season. Grade B, made from sap collected at the end of the season—when days are usually warmer—is darker, and more assertively flavored. So it's not a difference in how the syrup is prepared - it's actually a difference in the sap itself. Think of the dregs of a bottle of wine, where lots of sediment collects; the wine at the bottom is usually more strongly flavored than the wine at the top. Same with sap. PJH
March 10, 2009 at 8:57am