Maple Syrup Facts

The Jakeman's and their staff take pride in offering this delicacy (maple syrup) for your culinary pleasure. Unique to the Great Lakes region of North America and made from the tree whose leaf adorns the Canadian flag, pure Maple Syrup is truly Nature's sweetener.

Maple Syrup is graded by colour. The lighter the syrup the higher the grade, and the more subtle in flavour.

Delight your palate with maple syrup as a topping on pancakes, waffles, french toast, ice cream, fresh fruit or yogurt. Send your taste buds soaring with Maple Butter on muffins, bagels or toast.

Like fine wines, there are vast differences in the tastes and quality of maple syrup. A golden opportunity. People discover it, develop a taste for it and ask for more. That is why maple syrup sales grow and grow from year to year. Pure Maple Syrup Products charm all palates. From clear maple sap through the evaporation of its water content, we get an entirely natural syrup with its unique taste, rich colour, unctuous texture and elaborate aromas.

Maple syrup is a distinctly North American Product. The sugar Maple ranges from Ontario to the Maritimes in Canada and throughout the North Eastern United States. Maple trees are a renewable resource and will produce maple syrup for 70 to 100 years. Canada Produces about 85% with the balance of the world's maple syrup produced in the US.

Maple syrup is made by concentrating the sap or the life blood of the maple tree into a concentrated naturally nutritious maple syrup from about 2.5° brix to 66° brix or maple syrup. Maple syrup must be 66° brix to be legally called pure maple syrup. Any thing less than 66° brix is not. The productive life of a maple tree is 70 to 100 years, a lifetime in human terms.

Maple syrup is naturally nutritious, a natural food processed by heat with no added ingredients, that is 100% pure and natural. It is primarily a simple form of sugar or 95% sucrose, but with the lowest caloric value of any of the natural sweeteners, @ 40, versus honey @ 64, corn syrup @ 60, etc calories per table spoon or 15ml. Maple syrup contains calcium (more than milk), potassium (more than bananas), manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, and iron.

It contains trace amounts of vitamins B2, B5, B6, riboflavin, biotin and folic acid along with many amino acids and phenolic compounds that give its unique colour and flavour. Maple syrup is not just empty calories.

50 ml of MAPLE SYRUP, the recommended daily intake contains the following:

• Calcium 6%

• Iron 5%

• Manganese

• 2% Thiamin

• 6% Riboflavin 2%

There are 5 different grades of maple syrup.

• Canada # 1 Extra Light maple syrup (sometimes known as AA)

• Canada # 1 Light maple syrup (A)

• Canada # 1 Medium maple syrup (B)

• Canada # 2 Amber maple syrup (C)

• Canada # 3 Dark maple syrup ( D)

The very finest of maple syrup, # 1 Extra light, is very light in colour subtle in flavour and delicate in taste and most often used to make maple syrup sugar candy as it can be concentrated and still maintain the light taste and colour. The # 1 Light is most often used in our Italian glass bottles to capture the rich gold colour while remaining translucent on the shelf. # 1 Medium is the most preferred table grade, with a distinct maple taste, great with your morning cereal, baste pork or poultry, ice cream, pancakes, fruit, yogurt, toast, waffles, tea, coffee or your favorite liquor. # 2 Amber is preferred for cooking, food flavouring and places you wish to impart lots of maple taste. # 3 Dark is restricted for use in commercial flavourings where the heavy bitter taste goes a long way.

The storage characteristics of maple syrup are unique.

Maple syrup darkens with time especially under intense light. It is also susceptible to mold when improperly sealed or the seal has been broken or if not refrigerated after opening. Jakeman's bottle all maple syrup above 190F to sterilize the containers to get a proper seal. If mold particles or a heavy film is detected, the bottle should be pulled, noted and a credit will be issued. Maple sugar however tends to dry out unevenly, causing unsightly white spots to appear on the sugar. This is not mold and is not harmful to eat. It is simply further dehydrated, but unevenly. This can be eliminated through regular stock rotation, with a regular reorder cycle.

Why should we use maple syrup?

• Maple syrup products are used in an infinite number of circumstances, from the simple act of sweetening one's coffee to the most refined dishes.

• Canada #1 Extra Light (sometimes known as AA)

• Maple Syrup is all natural and pure, making it a perfect sugar substitute.

• Maple syrup is nutritious.

• Maple syrup is versatile and easy to use on a wide range of foods.

• Maple syrup has a unique taste unlike any other.

• Maple syrup is a simple unrefined sugar source, and can be used by some people with sugar allergies.

• Maple syrup is a valued souvenir of Canada and cannot be produced outside of North America.

• Maple Syrup is a premium tasteful gift for the discriminating traveler.

• Maple Syrup can be used for a wide range of incentives and or premium gifts.

• Maple Syrup can be easily carried abroad with no health, or plane cabin pressure concerns.

• Maple Syrup contains the true flavour of Canada.

Maple Syrup is an easy sale because?

• There is a size for every budget and can be sold in multiples.

• It is such a tasteful gift to take home and unlikely to offend, and likely to please the most discriminating shopper.

• Maple Syrup is a source of nostalgia for people revisiting Canada and is a favourite source of conversation.

• Candy, maple butter, coffee and tea are great attention getters for creating interest.

• Our presentation makes a large splash of colour drawing attention to your store display.

Maple Syrup storage and general concerns.

• Do not store any maple syrup products above room temperature.

• Limit the time glass is placed in intense light.

• Rotate your stock often. (at least every 3 months or more)

• Display candy at or below 72°F or 22°C.

• Maple butter should be stored refrigerated until displayed.

• Maple syrup must be refrigerated after opening.