Maple syrup grades are changing. Nowadays, all maple syrup, other than the "Processing Grade," which is very dark and which may contain odd tastes, smells or other impurities and not fit for pancakes, are all graded Grade A with one of four attributes from Golden to Very Dark. This was done primarily to recognize that many people preferred the very dark, previously graded Grade B syrup over the lighter grades. Grade B implied a poorer grade syrup when that really was not the case. Hence all Grade As.

In general the lighter grades are made early in the season, and as the season progresses, the syrup gets darker and generally a bit stronger in taste. Grade A Golden is considered to have a delicate taste; Grade A Amber is considered rich to taste; Grade A Dark is considered robust in taste; and Grade a Very Dark is considered strong to taste.

The State of Ohio does not require us to grade our syrup so we make no real effort to do so. It is all Grade A and it all tastes spectacular as far as we are concerned, and we leave it up to our customers to determine their best guess of the grade if they choose.

Maple Syrup Grading