Spring time means maple syrup. The prime time to attach the buckets to the taps of maple trees in Quebec and Vermont.
Buying maple syrup used to be simple, especially if you loved the dark stuff. You didn't have to look for fancy or vague adjectives. All you needed to see was Grade B. There were several Grade As with different descriptions but if the label said Grade A, you could ignore the bottle.
The powers that be changed all of them to be Grade A variations. Ugh. Now you had to read the various descriptions. Unlike the above photo, you didn't have the comparison as you stared at maple syrup containers in the grocery store.
If your palate debates between the subtle nuances of Golden Delicate Taste and Amber Rich Taste, you might not appreciate where some of us are in the maple syrup world. Dark is better and not as easy to find.
Every grocery store, conventional or upscale, had Golden Delicate Taste and Amber Rich Taste. As easy to find as Log Cabin syrup (buy real maple syrup instead).
Finding Dark Robust Taste was also relatively easy to find. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods had Dark Robust Taste along with some conventional grocery stores.
All of these new descriptions were Grade A maple syrups under the old and new classifications. So what about the old Grade B?
Grade A Very Dark Strong Taste was impossible to find at conventional grocery stores. No tag, no product. Trader Joe's does not carry this category either. Whole Foods doesn't carry this category in its house brand. We did find a bottle of Grade A Very Dark Strong Taste maple syrup at Whole Foods.
So good news. We found one bottle at one store. Wow. Except. The cost differential between the old Grade A and the Grade B was visible but not significant.
When we shopped for this Grade A Very Dark Strong Taste at the Whole Foods store, the Grade A Very Dark Strong Taste maple syrup was $19.49 for a 16 oz. container. The Whole Foods version of Dark Robust Taste (next best) was $18.29 for a 32 oz. container.
More than twice as expensive as the next level. No Whole Foods discount for the good stuff. The old Grade B should be more expensive but not by this much.
The old Grade B was typically produced later in the season. Dark, thicker, more minerals, more maple flavor.
You could make a Golden Delicate Taste level argument that conventional stores shouldn't have to carry the old Grade B maple syrup aka Very Dark Strong Taste. They did before the reconfiguration.
Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. Carrying the Very Dark Strong Taste category is in their wheelhouse. They don't.
We don't think there is a maple syrup conspiracy to hide the good stuff from us. We also don't believe in coincidences.
What was Grade B was easier to find under the old system.
The maple syrup story as told in a new documentary
If you don't have a maple syrup preference — if you have childhood memories of the Log Cabin bottle — you might not even know that the old Grade B is so hard to find. Most shoppers stare at 3 choices: Golden Delicate Taste; Amber Rich Taste; and Dark Robust Taste. How can consumers choose when Very Dark Strong Taste is invisible on shelves?
Imagine if all you saw on Sex in the City was Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda without Samantha. Let's be honest: Samantha is the equivalent of Very Dark Strong Taste. Why Sex in the City was better than And Just Like That.
I won't judge you if your ideal maple syrup is either Carrie, Charlotte, or Miranda. I may not eat pancakes at your house. I want you to have those options. I just want my Samantha on pancakes, waffles, French toast, and as a sweetener in avocado chocolate pudding.
Dark maple syrup lovers want to find what they want. You shouldn't need a fine print reader in a grocery aisle to figure out what is out there and all options on the table should be on grocery store shelves.
Daily Show has fun with Quebec maple syrup heist
We can't mention maple syrup and not refer back to the Daily Show coverage of the maple syrup heist in Quebec. You might know the Vermont version more than the Quebec version. Maple syrup is valuable in Quebec.
Cabanes à sucre aka sugar shacks is a part of the Quebec culture tied to maple syrup.
How the climate crisis is affecting maple syrup (Ici/Radio-Canada)
Why we should appreciate maple syrup, especially good quality maple syrup.
photo credits: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada/Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers; me; The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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