Imagine a cold, late winter morning in Vermont. The sun is shining but there’s still a blanket of snow on the ground. Chilly air nips at your toes through a layer of wool socks and boots, and as the breeze picks up, you detect a distinctly sweet smell mingling with woodsmoke: It’s maple sugaring season. 

Although syrup is made from March through early April, there’s something about a cool fall day that brings maple to mind. “The second the weather starts to change, I see an uptick in sales,” says Jon Osborne, the owner of Osborne Family Maple in northern Vermont. I spoke to Osborne about maple because in addition to being my family’s “syrup guy,” he’s also our “firewood guy,” and has a wealth of knowledge about what goes into making the best maple syrup. We caught up on a phone call set to the low roar of a chainsaw in the background; as I learned, making good maple syrup is, in part, about maintaining a healthy forest. I also tasted my way through enough artisan-made syrup that my bloodstream is now primarily tree sap, and I came away with six standout recommendations.

How Is Maple Syrup Made?

“Making maple syrup comes down to the art and science of removing water from maple tree sap,” Osborne explains. But before that, the tap must be collected from mature maple trees and brought to a sugar house (colloquially known as a sugar shack). Collection methods have gotten more sophisticated as production has scaled, so these days, you won’t see too many metal buckets affixed to maple trunks. Most moderate-to-large-scale syrup producers use tap lines, running from the trees in a complex web through a maple forest, or sugarbush. The sap is deposited at collection sites or directly into the sugarhouse, where most of the water is removed.

“Most modern operations incorporate reverse osmosis, which removes the vast majority of the water before it even reaches the evaporator,” explains Osborne, who removes about three-quarters of the water from any given batch of sap. Reverse osmosis keeps fuel costs down, because less energy is required to run the evaporation process.

What Are the Maple Syrup Grades?

If the words “fancy” and “Grade B” are coming to mind, it’s time for a reeducation. While maple used to be classified as Grade A, B, or C, all commercially available syrup now proudly wears an A Grade. The difference is in the color and concentration—how much water has been removed from the sap. Although Vermont was the first state to implement the new USDA-approved grading system in 2014, it’s now widely used. The four Grade A categories of syrup are: golden color with delicate taste, amber color with rich taste, dark color with robust taste, and very dark color with strong flavor. 

In reality, determining a syrup’s grade isn’t so simple. “It’s like trying to nail jelly to a wall,” Osborne tells me. “Every batch of syrup is slightly different and even within a single boil, I’ve noticed flavor and color variances.” That said, he agrees the new naming conventions are the industry’s best attempt to standardize the tasting experience. Is there a best shade of maple syrup? Not according to Osborne. “People ask me what my favorite grade is, and I really don’t have one. It could be a light, delicate syrup or a dark and stormy one. They’re both special.”

Why Is Maple Syrup So Expensive? 

High-quality, pure maple syrup costs more than table syrup for a handful of reasons. Primarily, it’s because maple syrup is a limited resource. It takes a lot of tree sap to make maple syrup—on average, just over 40 gallons of sap for each gallon of syrup. Maple sugaring is also a high-stress, physically demanding job that requires year-round work. As I mentioned above, Osborne also sells firewood. That’s not just a side hustle: It’s the product of maintaining a thriving sugarbush. In addition to being a tree surgeon, he’s constantly fixing broken tap lines because of trees falling on them, squirrels gnawing through them, and moose walking into them (really!).

Due to climate change, the weather window for maple sugaring grows shorter and less predictable every year. Sugaring requires warm daytime temperatures and freezing nights that allow the sap to thaw and run freely through the tap lines, but stay fresh. As winter gets warmer, sugarmakers scramble to collect and process enough sap, but they don’t always end up with as robust a production as they’d planned. “It’s the plight of small-scale agriculture,” Osborne says as we wrap up our call, adding that his goal is to scale for efficiency while remaining small enough that he can still add that personal touch to every aspect of the process. “Sometimes there can be a disconnect between the sugarmaker and the customer. But then I talk to people in Texas who buy my syrup. I get to know them and their families, and I realize that connection is strong.”

Our Favorite Pure Maple Syrup

Like a fine wine, this syrup’s tasting notes vary from year to year. Osborne offers two grades: flavorful amber rich and a headier dark robust. Choose your vessel (plastic or glass) and your desired quantity (pints, quarts, half-gallons, and beyond), and get ready to be transported to the woods of northern Vermont. Osborne’s syrup is one of three foods my boyfriend’s daughter will eat consistently, and I can’t say I blame her: It’s really that good.

Key Specs

• Tasting notes: Vanilla bean and toffee with a surprisingly refreshing saline backbone
• Uses: Drizzling on pancakes and topping vanilla ice cream (add a sprinkle of sea salt, too!)
• Grade: Amber color with rich flavor. Also available: dark color with robust flavor
• Origin: Ferdinand, Vermont
• Quantity: 16 ounces
  

Located in Southern Vermont, Hidden Springs is an idyllic sugaring operation run by the Cooper-Ellis family, who have over 50 years of experience in the maple syrup industry. In addition to selling syrup online, Hidden Springs operates a farm store, open from May to December.

Key Specs

• Tasting notes: Barrel-aged whiskey, date-studded fruitcake, espresso and dark chocolate
• Uses: Fantastic in savory recipes, like marinades, salmon, and roasted vegetables. A standout in lattes and espresso drinks
• Grade: Very dark color with strong flavor. Also available: amber color with rich flavor, dark color with robust flavor
• Origin: Putney, Vermont
• Quantity: 32 ounces

Barred Woods—named for the owl—is located deep in Northern Vermont. This family-run operation takes its land stewardship seriously, maintaining 1,500 acres of woods that’s open to the public for hiking, skiing, and fishing. Barred Woods partners with Vermont Audubon to maximize a friendly-to-songbirds habitat, and it works with the American Carbon Registry to capture and sequester carbon.  

Key Specs

• Tasting notes: Butterscotch pudding, shortbread, and candy; a very round, rich example in the amber-rich category
• Uses: A great option for baking, especially breakfast recipes like this baked oatmeal
• Grade: Amber color with rich flavor. Also available: dark color with robust flavor
• Origin: Underhill, Vermont
• Quantity: 16 ounces

Butternut Mountain has a wider reach than some of the other producers on this list, but it still produces syrup with heart and integrity. (Side note: Its maple leaf cookies are really good.) This wax-sealed bottle of syrup has a good story to tell: It’s produced during the first run of sugaring season. It’s a special bottle to give to friends and family—or anyone not lucky enough to live in Vermont.

Key Specs

• Tasting notes: Almost impossibly light, save for the whisper of a tannic backbone; reminiscent of black tea with an irresponsible amount of sugar
• Uses: Sugar on snow and in cocktails like this twist on a Daiquiri
• Grade: Amber color with rich flavor
• Origin: Vermont
• Quantity: 8.5 ounces

Escuminac is a Canadian maple syrup producer, but we won’t hold it against them. The sugarbush and operation have been certified organic since 2006, and is run by third-generation sugarmaker Martin Malefant, who has been making syrup since the purchase of his first sugarhouse in 1987.

Key Specs

• Tasting notes: Boozy eggnog, figs and crème brûlée
• Uses: Adding sweetness to a bowl of spiked punch
• Grade: Dark color with robust flavor. Also available: Extra Rare (amber color with rich flavor) and Great Harvest (dark amber color with rich flavor)
• Origin: Quebec, Canada
• Quantity: 6.75 ounces

Runamok is another Vermont-based syrup producer on a slightly larger scale. It operates a few sugarbushes around the state, and although it produces more “serious” syrups, like its peak-season amber Sugarmaker’s cut, the company is beloved for its whimsical, nontraditional syrups, like this one aged in a bourbon barrel, and a sparkle syrup. I especially like the Pumpkin Spice Infused syrup, which may sound silly, but it’s all business—and no suspicious “natural flavors.” It’s pure maple syrup combined with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, and clove. 

The Sugarmaker’s cut is about as Vermonty as it gets: buttery-sweet, with a fudge-like flavor that truly melts on the tongue. It’s a fantastic bottle at a reasonable price.

Key Specs

• Pumpkin Spice Infused tasting notes: Mulled cider with a hint of rum; an especially strong showing by the clove and ginger
• Sugarmaker’s Cut tasting notes: Sweet cream and vanilla bean; buttery fudge
• Uses: In a yogurt bowl or baked into granola
• Grade: None stated
• Origin: Fairfax, Vermont
• Quantity: 12.7 or 25.36 ounces

FAQs

How do you tell the difference between pure maple syrup and fake maple syrup?

Syrup made from 100% maple tree sap with no additional ingredients is labeled as pure—and that term is regulated by the USDA. “Fake” maple syrup is just syrup made with sucrose and maple flavoring (or sometimes, a mix of sugar syrup and pure maple syrup). It’s often called table syrup.

What is wood-fired maple syrup?

To remove much of the water in sap, it has to be heated. Many sugarmakers today use propane to heat the vats of sap, although Osborne notes that environmentally conscious electrical evaporators are increasingly common. I asked him if using wood to heat the syrup imparted any unique tasting notes, and he hedged for a moment before answering. “There have been some studies on whether wood affects the flavor of maple syrup. I don’t think it does. But wood-fired maple syrup is aligned with small-batch sugarmakers who have a more personal touch. So maybe there is something there.”

What is organic maple syrup?

Unlike organic vegetables, which are grown without the use of pesticides, organic maple syrup earns its certification largely by responsible forest management. The guidelines for an organic product vary from region to region, but they’re similar. The Vermont Organic Farmers association, for example, prohibits the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, to obtain and maintain a certification. Earning an organic certification as a sugarmaker means proving you grow, harvest, and produce syrup with sustainable practices.

What are the best maple syrup brands?

Most supermarket maple syrup brands are made with a blend of syrups from different sugarmakers. The reason is economies of scale: To produce enough syrup to line grocery store shelves, you need a lot of sap. “Those can be fine syrups,” Osborne says, although he admits he prefers syrups made by one producer in a single “tree-to-table” line of production. If that sounds like something you’re interested in, search for the term “single source” on your syrup bottle. That typically indicates a sign of thoughtful craftspersonship. These syrups are more difficult to find on online retailers, but some producers offer shipping through their own websites.

Why We’re the Experts

• Rochelle Bilow is a commerce editor at Serious Eats, and has been writing about food professionally for 15 years. 
• She lives in Vermont, where the most delicious syrup is made, and will not be hearing opinions to the contrary. 
• For this story, Rochelle spoke with a sugarmaker based in northern Vermont and tasted different grades of maple syrup from artisan sugarmakers.