Published Thursday, January 01, 2009. From Cook's Illustrated.
Does it pay to buy the priciest syrup in the aisle—and does it even need to be real maple?
PRODUCT NAME | DESCRIPTION | GRADE | SUGAR CONTENT | PRICE |
Recommended | ||||
Maple Grove Farms Pure Maple Syrup
“A good balance of maple and sweetness,” “potent,” “clean,” and “intense,” with “good earthy, mapley notes.” “Lovely,” “very sweet and natural,” with a “perfect consistency, not too thick or thin” and “a rich, mapley aftertaste.” In pie, it was “very mild, but tasted real and satisfying.” |
Grade A Dark Amber (Product of U.S. and Canada) | 62.9g/100g | $5.29 for 8.5 ounces (62 cents per ounce) | |
Recommended | ||||
Highland Sugarworks
While tasters agreed on our favorite mail-order syrup’s “excellent maple flavor,” described as “intense and complex, well-balanced,” with notes of “whiskey” or “molasses,” a few found it “a bit much” when tasted plain. But this dark syrup shone in pie, earning praise for “very rich, deep” maple flavor. |
Grade B Cooking Maple (Product of Vermont) | 63.3g/100g | $16.95 per pint ($1.06 per ounce) | |
Recommended | ||||
Camp Maple Syrup
Tasters found this syrup “clean” and “mild,” with “light maple flavor” that was “pleasantly thin and sweet.” Some described notes of “wood and coffee”; one said it “tastes like trees and mountains.” In pie, it was “mild” and “barely there.” |
Grade A Dark Amber (Product of Canada) | 61.8g/100g | $12.49 for 12.5 ounces ($1 per ounce) | |
Recommended with Reservations | ||||
Spring Tree Pure Maple Syrup
“A good maple flavor, with thin consistency,” almost “like it wasn’t reduced,” this syrup had a “light body and a slight burned taste,” though it was also deemed “sweet, natural,” and “clearly maple.” A few tasters detected a “slightly acidic” off-note. |
Grade A Dark Amber (Product of Canada) | 65.4g/100g | $9.49 for 12.5 ounces (76 cents per ounce) | |
Recommended with Reservations | ||||
Maple Gold Syrup
Tasters enjoyed the “solid maple flavor” of this contender, but also noted that it was “thin,” “achingly sweet,” and “slightly off-tasting,” with an “astringent” initial flavor and “citrusy” aftertaste. |
Grade A Dark Amber (Product of Canada) | 64.9g/100g | $5.29 for 8.5 ounces (62 cents per ounce) | |
Not Recommended | ||||
Kellogg's Eggo Original Syrup
“Very sugary. Slightly plastic. Maple aftertaste, but weak.” In pie, while a minority of tasters liked its “nice, toasted sweetness,” many complained: “Where’s the maple?” and “Yuck. I can taste the chemicals.” In sum: “What’s the point of being the best of the worst?” |
$3.49 for 23 ounces (15 cents per ounce) | |||
Not Recommended | ||||
Aunt Jemima Original Syrup
A few tasters liked this syrup’s “honey and vanilla” notes; one fondly quipped: “The taste I grew up with. Straightforward corn syrup laced with maple.” But most comments were less forgiving: “Fake, viscous corn syrup,” with a “fake maple smell” and “fake butter flavor.” |
$3.59 for 24 ounces (15 cents per ounce) | |||
Not Recommended | ||||
Mrs. Butterworth's Original Syrup
Tasters likened this syrup to “melted candy,” “cheap butterscotch,” and “what a maple-flavored Life Saver would taste like.” One summed it up: “Sweet, thick, vile.” In pie, it was “saccharine sweet,” with “no off-flavors, but not very mapley either.” |
$3.49 for 24 ounces (15 cents per ounce) | |||
Not Recommended | ||||
Log Cabin Pancake Syrup
The “smooth,” “melted caramel” sweetness of this syrup was inoffensive, but tasters found its “salty, strong artificial butter flavor—like movie-theater popcorn” thoroughly off-putting. In pie, it fared better, but most agreed it was “cloyingly sweet.” |
$3.59 for 24 ounces (15 cents per ounce) | |||
Not Recommended | ||||
Hungry Jack Original Syrup
Tasters described this syrup as “super sweet and sloppy, with a vanilla flavor.” They also said it was “thick and buttery, but tastes like corn syrup” and “more sweet than maple.” Its texture was decried as “so thick you could stand a spoon in it,” “like tar,” and “gloppy.” |
$3.99 for 27.6 ounces (14 cents per ounce) |