Sweet, rich, and full of character — maple syrup offers a range of flavors as varied as its golden hues. Understanding maple syrup grades can help you discover the perfect taste for every occasion.
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Most people don’t realize there are different grades of maple syrup. Rather than assessing quality, the classifications reflect the syrup’s color and flavor, which change naturally throughout the season. Understanding maple syrup grades helps you choose the right syrup for your taste preferences, whether you prefer something light and delicate or dark and bold.
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Different Grades Of Maple Syrup
Before 2015, syrup was labeled as Grade A, Grade B, or Commercial Grade. This older system confused shoppers. Given how grades in colleges and universities work, most consumers assumed that Grade A was the best (and that Grade B was an inferior syrup). However, maple grading had nothing to do with quality, according to Jason Lilley, a maple industry educator at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. In reality, these grades only reflected color and flavor.
To clear things up, the US and Canada — which together produce nearly all the world’s maple syrup — adopted a unified grading system. All pure maple syrup is now classified as Grade A, but that doesn’t mean every bottle tastes the same. Grade A maple syrup is divided into four color and flavor categories:
- Golden Color, Delicate Taste: Light in color with a subtle, sweet flavor.
- Amber Color, Rich Taste: Balanced and full-bodied, perfect for everyday use.
- Dark Color, Robust Taste: Strong flavor, ideal for baking and glazes.
- Very Dark Color, Strong Taste: The boldest flavor, often used in cooking and sauces.
These categories help consumers better understand what they’re buying — similar to choosing between light and dark roast coffee.
Creating Consistency in Maple Syrup Grading
Lilley explained another problem with this aforementioned grading system: it was never consistent across maple syrup-producing American states. The states with the biggest syrup production are Vermont, Maine, and New York.
Also, Canada had its own system of grading, which just added to the confusion. “If you had an American who visited Quebec and wanted to buy maple syrup,” Lilley added, “they wouldn’t know what they were looking at because it was a different way of describing syrup.”
Canada and the US are the primary maple syrup producers on the planet. According to the Canadian government, Canada produces 78% of the world’s maple syrup, while the rest comes from the U.S. So, it was important that the grading systems align.
Grade A Maple Syrup
In 2015, maple producers opted for a new maple syrup grading system that would transcend borders. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) put out new guidelines explaining how and why all maple syrup was to be classified as Grade A going forward.
However, there are natural differences in color and flavor. For example, when maple syrup producers first start collecting sap during maple season, that early maple tree sap is the lightest in color. Then, as the season progresses and the temperatures warm, sap turned into maple syrup naturally becomes darker.
Given these variants, the USDA created color classes. So, on a label, you might see the following with regard to those classes:
- U.S. Grade A Golden
- U.S. Grade A Amber
- U.S. Grade A Dark
- U.S. Grade A Very Dark
Not surprisingly, Very Dark is the darkest maple syrup you can buy. Also, it has a robust maple flavor. Golden is the lightest and has the most mild flavor.
Maple syrup producers add flavor descriptors to better explain how each color class might taste on your palate. Here is how the USDA describes each flavor profile:
- Delicate means mild maple taste
- Rich means a full-bodied maple taste of medium intensity
- Robust means stronger maple taste than the lighter colors
- Strong means a maple taste that is stronger than robust
The Coffee and Maple Syrup Connection
So, on a syrup bottle or jug, the label would read Golden Delicate, Amber Rich, Dark Robust, or Very Dark Strong. Lilley likens this to how you might qualify different types of coffee. “The flavor is in direct proportion to the color,” he stated.
Coincidentally, some folks prefer to sweeten their coffee with maple syrup. Take Gena Lazcano of Ginger Casa. “I love using dark maple syrup in my coffee,” Gena said. “It adds a sweetness that has a different flavor that I just love.”
Erin Dooner of Texanerin Baking likes using maple syrup in her coffee, too, as well as in other drinks. However, she chooses the light amber color.
“It’s my go-to sweetener for hot chocolate, lattes of all kinds, and cocktails,” she explained. “Using maple syrup is easier than stirring in sugar, which needs to be dissolved. Plus, the syrup flavor is light enough that it blends in perfectly with other ingredients.”
How to Use Different Maple Syrup Grades
Hopefully, you have a better understanding of the different maple syrup grades. Here are some suggested maple syrup uses that go beyond fluffy pancakes. This includes when mixing drinks, making a salad, or cooking dinner.
Grade A Golden Delicate
Golden syrup is typically produced from the first sap flow of the sugaring season. Lilley described Golden Delicate syrup this way: “It has more of a floral, honey flavor profile and hardly any maple characteristics,” he said. His favorite use for it? On vanilla ice cream. He also recommended using this lightest color maple syrup in mixed drinks, such as adding it to a vodka-based cocktail.
Grade A Amber Rich
Amber Rich is your typical syrup for pancakes, waffles, and decadent French toast. This is also the perfect flavor profile to drizzle on granola, yogurt, or oatmeal parfait instead of honey.
Grade A Dark Robust
Grade A Dark Robust maple syrup is Erin Dooner’s favorite in the fall. It is one of her must-have ingredients when making a pumpkin spice latte or fall-themed cocktail.
Lilley also likes to use Dark Robust in different types of cocktails. His favorite? “I’ll pour bourbon with a pretty good glug of dark syrup and maybe a splash of bitters and a cherry,” he explained.
Grade A Very Dark Strong
With its intense maple flavor, Lilley thinks Grade A Very Dark Strong maple syrup is one of the best to cook with. “I keep a jug of very dark syrup for making baked beans or baking where I want a lot of maple flavor to come through,” he said. In addition, he’ll use this syrup for making a salad dressing that doubles as a marinade for chicken or salmon. Here is his simple recipe:
- One part maple syrup.
- One part soy sauce.
- One part whole seed mustard.
- Splash of olive oil.
Alpha-Gal Friendly Recipes with Maple Syrup
Tapping into the Right Choice
The next time that you head to the supermarket, go to a farmers market, or visit a sugarhouse or saphouse — the places that boil maple syrup sap to make syrup — you can make an educated decision on which grade of syrup you want to bring home with you. Finally, regardless of which syrup you decide to buy, remember this: unopened maple syrup will be shelf-stable for years. However, as soon as you open that bottle or jug, you must refrigerate it. That way, you’ll be able to enjoy it for as long as possible.
Portions of this article originally appeared on Food Drink Life.
