WORTHINGTON –Maple syrup lovers be advised: The grading system for spring's "liquid gold" has been changed.
J.P. Welch, co-owner of Justamere Tree Farm in Worthington, said he thinks the new system will "take a little getting used to, but in the end everybody will be happier."
Many people are accustomed to the old grading system and know what grade they like. "The new system will have to be explained to them," he said, and he will be explaining the new grades to his customers.
The revision of the United States Standards for Grades of Maple Syrup became effective March 2.
The change is a response to a 2010 petition from the International Maple Syrup Institute, which represents maple producers in the U.S. and Canada, saying the different grading systems in different states made it confusing to consumers.
Now, all of the maple producing states and provinces will use the same system to make it easier for consumers to find the kinds of syrup they like, explained Winton Pitcoff, coordinator of the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association.
"This revised standard will harmonize the voluntary federal standards with those of the five states that have their own standards as well as those in Canada," explained Richard Peterson, agricultural marketing specialist in the Specialty Crops Inspection Division of the United States Department of Agriculture. "These standards will provide better information to the consumers for purchasing maple syrup and expand the marketing of maple syrup in North America and internationally."
The revision defined quality factors and established new color determinations for Grade A and a new classification for Processing Grade. The grade of a sample unit of maple syrup considers color, flavor, odor, damage and turbidity or cloudiness.
Pure maple syrup is graded according to USDA regulations and is based on both color and flavor. All syrup available to the public is Grade A.
The grades are:
Golden Color, Delicate Taste: This light syrup has the mildest maple flavor and is usually made early in the season.
Amber Color, Rich Taste: Light in color, this syrup has a more full-bodied maple flavor.
Dark, Robust Taste: This syrup has a substantially stronger maple flavor.
Very Dark, Strong Taste: This bold-flavored syrup is ideal for cooking and baking and is made late in the season.
The standards replace the "U.S. Grade B for Reprocessing" classification with the new "Processing Grade" that is not intended to be sold in retail markets and may be used to make other products.
Joyce M. Ripley, a co-owner of Maple Corner Farm in Granville, said the new system "gets rid of the concept of Grade B as a lesser syrup; it is not."
The old Grade B is now Grade A "very dark, strong taste" and goes through "the exact same process" as other grades, she said: But because it is made later in the season when the weather is warmer, it is a darker, stronger-tasting syrup.
"This is a simpler, clearer (grading) system that reduces confusion when consumers are looking for a grade of syrup that they know they've enjoyed before and a set of grade descriptions that explain taste as well as color," Pitcoff said.