What is exceptional maple syrup?

How is it made? How can you recognize it?

Ask a maple producer how they make their maple syrup and you'll get as many answers as there are sugar makers. And they'll all tell you they have the best syrup in the world. Quebec produces more than 70% of all the maple syrup in the world.

The influence of the terroir

In 2005, when we bought the maple grove where La Ferme du Loup is located in Saint-Paulin, Mauricie, locals told us repeatedly that the syrup produced there was the best they had ever tasted. We have had customers come to stock up every year since the mid-1980s! A woman from the village challenged me to bring her a pot of maple taffy like the one she ate in her youth. She couldn't believe it. Our little pot of taffy took her back in time. It was exactly the flavors of her memories.

There are several species of maple trees that can be tapped to harvest sap. Depending on the composition of the forest, the final result will be influenced. For example, red maple produces a caramel toffee candy flavor, which, while interesting, can mask the characteristic maple flavor if overcooked. Sugar maple, the preferred species, is slow-growing and easily overtaken by other species. The characteristic maple flavor develops during the process of evaporation under heat and is attributed to certain amino acids.

Does terroir influence the quality of maple syrup?

Sugar maple is rarely found in a homogeneous stand, but rather in competition with many other species. It is a shade-tolerant species, and young seedlings can survive under a forest canopy. Soil, region, and forest exposure to sunlight are factors that influence the taste of maple syrup.

Our maple grove is located at the beginning of Quebec's Laurentian Mountains, facing south on rocky terrain. Our climate is relatively cold and we have a significant snow cover. Sugar maple trees dominate, many of which are centuries old. All of these factors contribute to the distinctive flavor of our products.

What role do seasons play in making maple syrup?

One of our favorite maple syrups is the winter harvest. This is the first harvest, when the thermometer still reaches -20 degrees at night. The first run generally contains few microorganisms. As the season progresses, more microorganisms settle in the maple sap collection system. By the end of the season, we can reach up to 10 million microorganisms per milliliter of water. Up to a certain level, these microorganisms contribute to improving the flavor of the resulting nectar.

According to Anne-Marie Desbiens, quoted by Radio-Canada, it takes about 1 million microorganisms to achieve the characteristic flavors of maple. Some of our customers swear by dark syrup. The one we produce is selected for its balance between the distinctive taste of our terroir and roasted notes.

How does equipment contribute to the good taste of maple syrup?

When we were young, we would go to the sugar shacks of various friends or acquaintances of my parents. Every year, a car would get stuck in the mud path that connected the road to the shack. Never the same shack, never the same car. There were hundreds of boilers hanging from the trees, and all the children drank the water collected from them. Inside, there was always an old man to keep us away from this big kettle that gave off the characteristic smell of real maple syrup.

In recent years, the landscape of sugar bushes has changed significantly. Research and technology have increased forest productivity and yield. In Quebec, maple syrup harvesting remains a small-scale activity. No robot can don snowshoes and walk through the snow to tap and cut trees. Maple groves are natural ecosystems that require intervention to protect them.

However, technology today makes it possible to automate many operations that were once done manually. Sap collection networks are now connected via the internet and can identify broken and fallen trees on the network, for example. Simplified and accelerated collection allows maple sap to be processed more quickly and ensures excellent safety. The new kettles used, as well as reverse osmosis systems, reduce the time required for sap evaporation.

This also results in improved final product quality thanks to more precise and controlled production methods, better quality equipment, and training provided to maple syrup producers. For example, Quebec maple syrup producers have invested heavily to comply with California's standard for lead in food. It is considered one of the strictest in the world and aims to protect consumer health by reducing their exposure to lead. Older equipment used to make maple syrup contained lead. Lead or not, the high acquisition and maintenance costs of these new technologies cannot be ignored. Increased reliance on technology can also make maple syrup producers vulnerable to breakdowns or their suppliers.

Small batches and the artisanal method of making exceptional maple syrup

One of the main criticisms we are sensitive to is the loss of human experience, terroir, and artisanal know-how in relation to these new technologies in maple syrup production. To produce exceptional syrup, we believe it is important to evaporate the sap every day and as quickly as possible. This results in a better typicity of each batch, allowing them to be distinguished later.

This production method allows us to better showcase the specific characteristics of the region and the seasons, and to make our product recognizable according to the different tastes of our customers. Small-batch production brings us closer to traditional methods while benefiting from up-to-date knowledge and expertise. It's important to note that small-batch production is linked to higher production costs, which requires a larger and more skilled workforce. Which brings us to the next point.

Motivation

Want to make exceptional maple syrup? Rigor, process, and control are the three pillars that complement the other elements. We followed these three elements to the letter when we received a Gold Medal from the Commanderie de l'érable in 2021.

Without motivation, it's impossible to succeed. It's easy to cut corners and tell yourself that the land will do everything or to rely on the latest equipment, to put off cleaning the vats until tomorrow, even if it's 2 a.m., you've been there since 6 a.m. the other morning and you'll only have a few hours of sleep before the next tap. The maple syrup industry is difficult; preparation takes a full year and the harvest only lasts a few weeks. Maple syrup is a unique product in the world, good and natural. For it to be exceptional, there's no doubt that passion is required.