Maple syrup question

I bought a big jar of "homemade maple syrup" over the weekend at a craft show.

I tasted it when I got home and it doesn't taste anything like any other maple syrup I have ever had. It has very little maple flavor and also has a flavor that tastes as if it was boiled over a wood fire that was, well, piney I guess.

What could cause this? Is the stuff any good, or should I just dump it?

I saw something on discovery a week or so ago about "home made" syrup. I can't remember exactly what cause's it, but they did screw up the process. I'd vote to dump it, it doesn't get better with age

If you like the taste then eat it. If not dump it.

most maple sap is reduced to syrup by boiling over direct heat, especially a wood fire.
regardless it should taste like real maple syrup, and not such imposters like mrs butterworht ad log cabin, which BTW are not REAL maple syrup.

Glibbidy said:

most maple sap is reduced to syrup by boiling over direct heat, especially a wood fire.
regardless it should taste like real maple syrup, and not such imposters like mrs butterworht ad log cabin, which BTW are not REAL maple syrup.

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Incidentally, I had a Maple Porter over at Madison's Tavern in Bennington this past weekend that tasted exactly like pancake syrup...

Two things could be going on here. One is that it might just suck, the other could be if you are not used to eating real Maple Syrup (i.e. 100% reduced Maple Sap) the difference is stark. It is not super-duper sweet and the Maple is certainly identifiable but should not overwhelm your senses. It should be pleasant, definitive and fairly sweet but not overly so. We went to a Maple festival back in the early part of this year and they had a blind taste testing of four syrups in bowls. I was able to call out the real Maple Syrup on sight alone. It shouldn't be dark or viscous. It is rather thin and has a nice golden brown hue. They may have used pine to reduce the sap, which is highly likely, and if so it will indeed pick up those flavors.

I'm not sure that I would ever use "piney" as a descriptor for real maple syrup, though. Sure sounds like something is amiss..

the_bird said:

I'm not sure that I would ever use "piney" as a descriptor for real maple syrup, though. Sure sounds like something is amiss..

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Even in the shed where they were reducing the sap at the festival I went to, you couldn't stay in there very long because of the Pine fire...but the syrup didn't really come out tasting like Pine. But...they had a nice stainless steel contraption that was specifically designed for the job. I imagine if it was done in a kettle over a Pine fire, it might pick up that flavor. I don't think I'd care for Pine flavored Pancakes

I generally buy 100% maple syrup in the supermarket. This is the first time I've tried "homemade" and this doesn't taste anything like the maple syrup I'm used to.

I think the guy must have screwed up somehow.

Anything is possible. Sounds like you know what real maple syrup tastes like, so I'm betting the fellow that sold you his homemade stuff may not have it dialed in.

As the bird point out, I wouldn't consider piney a taste in any maple syrup either.
Maybe he has his conifers and deciduous trees mixed up.

So how big was the jar, and how much did you pay? Here in Vermont this years run is going for around 32.00-40.00 a gallon. Good thing we don't run our cars on maple syrup eh?

It was $8 for a quart.

McCall St. Brewer said:

It was $8 for a quart.

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That sounds way too cheap, but I suppose where you live it may be less. Here we pay around $13 to $14 per qt. Since you do know Maple Syrup (sorry had to be a stickler and ask...many people do not really know as they have been brainwashed into thinking corn syrup and flavoring is Maple Syrup) then I think that it sounds like the guy messed up. Like Glibbidy suggests, maybe he tapped a Pine

8.00 per quart would be a steal. Here in VT the quart vessels run 12.00-16.00 depending on the grade. I'm teribly sorry to hear that you got some crappy tasting syrup.