Quebec’s Great Maple Syrup Heist (2016)

That's a tough question; I'm right in the middle of syrup country and the syrup snobs will all buy direct from the farm.

When buying retail we have the same problem you do; the grocery stores typically only have one brand or two, and there isn't much correlation between the brand and the product.

There are different grades of maple syrup... golden, amber, dark and very dark. The darker, the stronger the flavor. For me, the classic is the snow scene can.

I would trust any bottle in the world if it has either "Quebec" or "Maine" provenance and "100% pure maple syrup" inscription.. it's only maple sap boiled for hours and hours but Acer Saccharum (sugar maple) is only indigenous to the North Eastern American continent.. (other maple-like trees produce sugary sap but not like the real deal).

Given there is a "strategic maple syrup reserve" you can extrapolate what happens at the retail level.

In Quebec, all producers are required to sell to the "cartel"

http://www.davidmckie.com/legal-battle-boils-in-quebec-over-...

Once the cartel has your product, they blend it together in large containers and package this up for sale.

So whatever "brand" is on the container, the product has probably been blended with many producers product.

I'm a fan of this shop https://www.facebook.com/kiosquemontroyal/. Not sure what they do for international shipping as I usually go in-person since I live pretty close by, but feel free to contact them.

They offer different grades of maple syrup, from Light, to Medium (Amber) to Heavy and Very Heavy. I like the very heavy syrup, it's made later in the season and has way more flavour. Most people tend to prefer the Amber as it's the most common and they're more used to it. I recommend trying them all and seeing for yourself!

In terms of specific brands, it can be difficult as most syrup is produced on smaller, family-owned farms, and then relabelled by exporters.

There are some award winning syrups which could be worth trying if you really want to aim for consistency, something like Saint-Paulin https://souvenirdefamille.com/en/products/sirop-derable-2021... or Escuminac https://escuminac.com/ (I don't know why but their site is broken for me and keeps reloading.)

Its oddly difficult to get Canadian maple syrup in America. The Vermont kind keeps getting in the way.

I'm not sure I can tell the difference, but I like to think I can.

Aunt Jemima's.

Just kidding ;-)

As others have mentioned, Quebec's quality control tends to be pretty good, so looking for that branding and other wording to ensure that it's pure maple syrup should be sufficient to ensure a certain quality floor.

The sad reality is that getting good maple syrup outside of the areas that produce them is difficult.

I personally like the syrup produced by Madawaska Maple Products, a small-batch co-op in Ontario. But even finding those in retail _within_ ontario is a bit of a crap shoot. Some speciality "hipster" stores carry it.

I was born and live in Quebec…

Indeed, maple syrup is like wine. No two years are exactly the same, some taste better and of course price is not always a good indication.

Exactly like wine…

The highest quality of maple syrup you can get is the ‘extra-light’ type, very pale and liquid… It is quite rare because it can usually only be obtained in the first few weeks of the season, directly from the producers.

The darker syrups are more tasteful and heavy, but considered lesser quality. They are much easier to procure, year long, in supermarkets.

Whether you want a dark or a light syrup is basically a matter of taste, of course.

Ah… one more thing: never, ever buy bottled maple syrup. Light affects the product. You should always buy it canned. Normally you should have identification of the producing farm on the can. Like wine…

There is a larger difference between light, medium, and dark syrup than there will be between two Québécois syrups (especially two that you are getting in Europe, since you will be buying blends), the light is generally considered more premium, but some people prefer the dark, so that might be what you are tasting.

I live in Vermont which has many maple syrup producers ranging from large scale operations that buy sap from multiple farms to small producers that make just enough for themselves, friends and family. I usually get mine by spending a couple weekends helping my cousins out during sugaring season and getting a few gallons in return.

I prefer the darker varieties. They are thicker, don't run around as much on pancakes or ice cream, have a richer and more complex taste and are cheaper as well.