# Trouble with maple sugar



## JTBorton (Jun 13, 2013)

Hi, I recently bought some Coombs pure organic maple sugar from the local market. It says it is 1.5x sweeter than regular sugar and has a strong maple flavor. However I have found the opposite. I tried using 2 tsp in my oatmeal to replace regular sugar but actually had to add 3-4 tsps to get the same sweetness as 2 tsps of white sugar. The maple flavor was unnoticeable and I had to add a drop of maple extract to notice it. I have tried it in a few other applications with the same results, but always used just a few tsps to experiment with. Is this normal? Just how much of this stuff do you have to use to get a maple flavor?


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## Andy M. (Jun 13, 2013)

Check the ingredients on the package.  I'm curious if there's more than one.


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## Aunt Bea (Jun 13, 2013)

Here's my two cents!

In today's world we eat so many artificially flavored things that the real thing can be a let down.  I am wondering if that may be the case here.  The little pouches of maple flavored instant oatmeal are so mapley that the real thing might not measure up. 

I don't use maple sugar but, I do use real maple syrup.  I find that the light pale colored premium syrup has less flavor than the lower grade B dark syrup.


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## Janet H (Jun 13, 2013)

Andy M. said:


> Check the ingredients on the package.  I'm curious if there's more than one.




I checked the package I have - it has only one ingredient: 100% pure organic maple syrup.

I'm not surprised that the OP perceived maple sugar as less sweet.  It's a different sweet, imo - light, not cloying and seems to sit differently in your mouth. Sometime try comparing real maple syrup with the fake stuff.... calorie for calorie, the fake stuff seems to tastes sweeter.


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## Andy M. (Jun 13, 2013)

Janet H said:


> I checked the package I have - it has only one ingredient: 100% pure organic maple syrup.
> 
> I'm not surprised that the OP perceived maple sugar as less sweet.  It's a different sweet, imo - light, not cloying and seems to sit differently in your mouth. Sometime try comparing real maple syrup with the fake stuff.... calorie for calorie, the fake stuff seems to tastes sweeter.




Thanks Janet.  That's interesting.  I'd expect the sugar to be a lot sweeter as it's basically syrup with the water removed.


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## Addie (Jun 13, 2013)

Janet H said:


> I checked the package I have - it has only one ingredient: 100% pure organic maple syrup.
> 
> I'm not surprised that the OP perceived maple sugar as less sweet. It's a different sweet, imo - light, not cloying and seems to sit differently in your mouth. Sometime try comparing real maple syrup with the fake stuff.... calorie for calorie, the fake stuff seems to tastes sweeter.


 
I only will purchase grade B or even C if I can find it. I no longer use maple syrup, but I buy it as a gift for my son. He could drink it right out of the bottle. My youngest son works one weekend a month in Vermont. His former landlord taps the trees on his property and makes his own syrup. It is not your standard operation for tourists. Local folks buy from him. As a result, he makes all his syrup Grade B. That is what those in the know want to buy. The darker they syrup, the more maple flavor. Last Christmas he picked up a Grade C for me to give to Spike. t was made at the end of the season. Got a half gallon for him. No fancy bottle. Just a two large Mason Jars. I gave Spike a small ladle that is used in dressing containers to scoop it out.


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## Janet H (Jun 13, 2013)

There's an interesting read about sugars here at King Arthur: Baking sweeteners - King Arthur Flour


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