Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. What are the different grades of Maple Syrup?
A. Maple Syrup grades correspond to how light or dark the color of Maple Syrup is. In Vermont there are four table grades of Maple Syrup from lightest to darkest: Grade Fancy, Grade A Medium Amber, Grade A Dark Amber, and Grade B. Generally, the darker the Maple Syrup, the heartier the Maple Flavor. Keep in mind that grade alone does not determine flavor. You may have two samples side by side that appear to be identical while the flavor differs dramatically. This is part of the charm with Maple Syrup! Each bottle you open can be a new treat. Click here for detailed descriptions of each of the four Vermont Maple Syrup table grades.

Q. Are there any additives or preservatives in Maple Syrup?
A. Nope!!! Pure Vermont Maple Syrup does not contain additives, artificial flavors, or preservatives of any kind. In this regard it is the world's best all natural sweetener. Maple Syrup is all natural and 100% pure.

Q. Is Mount Mansfield Maple Products Maple Syrup organic?
A. All Pure Vermont Maple Syrup is essentially organic. It is produced by simply boiling the sap from sugar maple trees and nothing is added. The certification process to legally label Maple Syrup as organic is expensive, and as part of our business plan, we have elected not to pay the fees and submit the verified forest management plan and other documentation required for organic certification. Our Maple Syrup is just not certified organic.

Q. Why are Mount Mansfield Maple Products prices lower then others?
A. Why are other producer's prices so high? In 2008 there was a major shortage in Maple Syrup Production. This caused a rapid increase in the price of Maple Syrup. We do not feel that the current market price is sustainable and we do not want to alienate 30 years of customers through sticker shock. You will not see us raise and lower our prices dramatically to reflect market mood. Rather then confuse and upset our customers, we consistantly set our prices at what we feel is a fair and sustainable level.

Q. What is the best way to store Maple Syrup?
A. Maple Syrup should be stored in a cool place before opening and refrigerated after opening. If you need to store it for a very long time you can place it in the freezer, it will not freeze solid and will keep indefinitely!

Q. How much maple sap does it take to make a gallon of Maple Syrup?
A. The amount of sap required to make a gallon of Maple Syrup depends on the sap's sugar content. If sap is 1% sugar it will take 86 gallons to make one gallon of Maple Syrup. At 2% sugar it will take 43 gallons to make one gallon of Maple Syrup. At Cloverdale Sugarhouse our Sugarbush tends to yield sap that is somewhere between 1% and 2% sugar. So we must process about 50 gallons of maple sap to produce one gallon of Maple Syrup. In a single day we can collect up to 12,000 gallons of maple sap!

Q. How long do you boil Maple Sap to make Maple Syrup?
A. As long as it takes. maple sap officially becomes Maple Syrup when it reaches 66.9% sugar. The magic moment when maple sap turns into Maple Syrup is measured with a hydrometer. A density reading of 32 brix at 209+ degrees F means we have Maple Syrup! Another indicator is boiling temperature. The boiling point of Maple Syrup is seven degrees above the boiling point of water. When boiling maple sap reaches 219 degrees F, enough water has been removed to officially become Maple Syrup.

Q. What is a Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) Machine?
A. Osmosis is the movement of water from a high concentration to a low concentration through a semi-permeable membrane. A Reverse Osmosis Machine essentially performs this process in reverse. Maple Sap is cycled through a series of membranes at very high pressure (200-500psi). Water in the sap passes through the membrane and is discarded, while the sugars in the sap are collected as a concentrate that is to be boiled on the evaporator. At Cloverdale Sugarhouse sap enters the R.O. Machine at 1% to 2% sugar and exits at 12% to 15%! This dramatically shortens the time required to boil the sap into Syrup and thus dramatically reduces the volume of fuel oil burned in the evaporator.

Q. Why is Maple Syrup produced only in the spring?
A. Maple Syrup is produced by boiling down maple sap collected from Sugar Maple Trees. There are two main reasons why we only do this in the spring season. The first is that maple trees actively run sap the best if the tree goes through a freeze-thaw cycle. During the months of March and April we regularly have weather patterns that cause freezing at night and warm thaws during the day. The second reason is that maple trees produce sap best when it is just before the active growing season. Once the trees leaf out and begin to actively grow they heal very quickly and the holes we drilled in February dry up and heal over.