Not sure i've ever had the same twice. Seems different year to year, batch to batch. I usually get mine from smaller production sellers or neighbors. Must be a hundred different flavor profiles but i've never had more than just a few at a time. Not enough to really do a taste test. I do have a grade A amber dark right now that is rather pale and just has a hint of vanilla. Not very interesting so i prefer the darker maple B flavors. I like the smokey caramel. I built an outdoor evaporator probably ten years ago but put it in the worst spot. Under 10 ft of snow now, maybe more. It gathers wind drift snow. When it is time to tap, this year maybe march 1st, we'll have easy access to the trees up the hill but the wood fired evaporator is way down by the garden and is the last area to thaw. And no way to dig it out. Pre-heating on the barn wood stove way uphill. Dumb planning. We'll figure something out. I only have 10 taps and my pan in tiny. About 2x3 ft. I'm just hoping for a gallon, 1/2 would even be super. Any more will be gifted. As long as we have fun, i'm game.

plllog, I think it is sugar recrystallizing or something similar.. Knowing how I handled it, and have continued to handle it and knowing that it is fresh, I seriously doubt that it is mold. I have not tried to re-zap it. It was made in the microwave, not in a pan. Would that make a difference? (1/3 c sugar to 1/3 cup water, zapped until it boiled, then cooled and stored in a clean lidded container in the fridge.) The "swirl" is more or less clear, but appears slightly more viscous than the surrounding liquid. Just enough that if you don't shake it as you remove it from the fridge, and if you look closely down into the container, you can see it. It can only be seen when looking from the top down - not from the side across. DSIL lives 2.5 hours from me, so our kitchens share nothing in common. He made his in his kitchen. I made mine in my kitchen. This is more of a curiosity than a problem. I used it last night for an Old-Fashioned, and I lived to tell about it!

LOL Carol, I do have a bridge at the north end..but it's still a trip...I don't know how my hubby commutes daily so far..but he does it and I'm grateful for the ability to stay on my Island. I have purchased at Costco in the past too, and yep it's Canadian.. (BTW, Costco is exactly 33 miles from their gas station to my front door, over 2 bridges, and 45 minutes on a good day. TJ's is another 40 plus minutes on a non existant traffic day down I5.) I was kinda wanting to see if there was a difference from Canadian and NE syrup. I think I need to call my brother, he's supposed to be heading to the NE this fall or winter. I'll beg him to send me some... :o) Yeah that's it...

Chocolate liqueur is very good in coffee, and you can also get Mocha flavored Kahlua, which I like even better. They keep indefinitely at room temperature, although they do not last long at my house. If you are making a recipe that has sugar, water, and cocoa, I find it better to make a simple syrup with just the sugar and water and add the cocoa after the syrup has been made. I omit the salt in those recipes, as I am very salt sensitive, and instead of enhancing the chocolate flavor, I find that the salt only adds a salt flavor. I think it is supposed to balance the bitter flavor of the chocolate/cocoa, but I do not have a problem with that. If you are using it in coffee, the salt will be unnecessary. Lars