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I finally visited that fancy sugar shack in Vermont everyone raves about... not impressed | Maple Syrup Secrets - Free To Speak

blairc90•3mo ago

I finally visited that fancy sugar shack in Vermont everyone raves about... not impressed

Drove up to the Rutland Maple House last weekend after hearing all the hype. They charge $28 for a half gallon of their "reserve" grade A dark amber. Tasted it side by side with a $12 bottle from the grocery store down the street. Honestly couldn't tell much difference except the price tag. The tour was nice and all, but I feel like people get tricked by the rustic barn vibe into paying triple. Anyone else think the small family operations are way overpriced compared to the big brands?

3 comments

3 Comments

barbara_grant43mo ago

Actually Vermont stopped grading syrup like that a few years back. They changed the whole system around 2014. Now it's just Grade A with different color names like golden and amber. The "dark amber" you're talking about is probably what they used to call Grade B. That's the stronger stuff people use for cooking mostly. Also $28 for a half gallon at a sugarhouse isn't bad honestly. The grocery store bottles are usually blended from multiple producers not single farm stuff. Different ballgame entirely.

wyatt1353mo ago

Barb says $28 for a half gallon at a sugarhouse isn't bad honestly but come on. You can go to Costco and get a whole gallon of real maple syrup for like $20. That "single farm stuff" is just marketing hype. I bet half those people couldn't pick out the fancy bottle in a blind taste test if you put it up against the grocery store brand. The whole grading system change just made it easier for them to charge more for the same old syrup. It's maple syrup, not fine wine.

bennett.harper3mo ago

My neighbor spent forty bucks on a single bottle of fancy olive oil last week and swore she could taste the difference. I dipped a piece of bread in the cheap stuff from Aldi and couldn't tell her apart. Same story with salt, people pay eight bucks for pink Himalayan when table salt is practically the same chemical. We've all convinced ourselves that paying more means getting something better even when our own taste buds can't back it up.