One more thought on the Grade A/Grade B dilemma. Less Grade A syrup is produced than B, so naturally it commands a higher price. And B is best for cooking, as its flavor is more assertive. However, while I wouldn't flavor my baked beans with it, I wouldn't turn up my nose at Grade A, either. It has a lovely delicate flavor---Sagegreen has the right idea when she refers to "vintages." And if you're near a maple saphouse this March----when we were sugaring, we used to like to make hot tea from the sap, which is mostly water with just the faintest hint of sweetness. (Our "child labor" is all grown up, so now our neighbor takes the sap from our maple orchard for his own sugaring operation.)
Grade really does not have anything to do with filters. All syrup must be filtered to get rid of the sediment thrown by hot finished syrup. It has to do with when the syrup is made. Sap from early in the season makes very light fancy (Grade A) syrup, whereas later in the season the sap is darker, and the last syrup of the season is quite dark. Early sap is often sweeter, too--it may take a bit less than the usual ratio of 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. Certainly other factors like the cleanliness of the operation and the speed with which the sap turns into syrup are all factors, but all syrup must be filtered and then packed hot in the final stages. The grades have little to do with actual food quality; I myself prefer the more caramel taste of darker B syrup. When we used to run our own sugarhouse, we used little glass bottles containing colored water (one buys them from a maple equipment supplier, as a standard) to judge the grade.
I love seeing vintages of maple syrup side by side. The colors can really vary widely from year to year across the same grades, which can be broken down further beyond just A and B to include fancy, medium amber and dark amber, etc. Here is a scientific article from the uv:
http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/sugarprof.pdf
In addition to what Dina said, for me Grade B is just... yummier.
Many people relegate Grade B to cooking only -- using the Grade A for their waffles and pancakes, but in *my* house we relegate the Grade A right out the door and use Grade B for everything from baking to ice cream topping to french toast to maple pot du creme. :-)
Grade B maple syrup is less filtered and in a purer state. It is more nutrient and mineral dense than grade A, as well as having a richer earthier flavor.
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http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/sugarprof.pdf
Many people relegate Grade B to cooking only -- using the Grade A for their waffles and pancakes, but in *my* house we relegate the Grade A right out the door and use Grade B for everything from baking to ice cream topping to french toast to maple pot du creme. :-)