Maple syrup (the real stuff, not the fake) is available in several grades. In the U.S. these are Grade A Light Amber (sometimes known as "Fancy"), Grade A Medium Amber, and Grade A Dark Amber. Grade B is darker than Grade A Dark Amber and there's also a Grade C. The higher the grade the lighter the color and flavor and traditionally Grade A Light Amber was the most prized. Grade B was mostly used for baking, and Grade C is used primarily in commercial products.
I'm here to tell you that Grade B is the food of the gods.
I discovered this wonderful elixer when I lived in New Hampshire and bought some at a road-side stand. That night I had pancakes for supper and tried it out. Wow! As my brother described when I introduced him to it, "It's like eating the tree!" Grade B is the color of molasses (albeit not as thick) and as full-flavored as molasses. But it tastes like maple syrup times 10.
It's hard to find - I've never seen it in a grocery store - but I did find it on the King Arthur Web site. I've always got a jar in my refrigerator and in addition to pouring it on pancakes or biscuits, I use it to flavor things like mashed rutabagas, buttercup squash soup, and even bread.
Try this marvelous mead and you'll never go back to Grade A maple syrup. And a day-old plain pancake tastes better than one with that fake stuff on it.
