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Always Grade B. It's the best for baking and eating on pancakes/waffles, as its flavor is so much more rich and complex than any of the Grade A's.

raspberry eggplant

I always wondered why Grade A was the fancy grade, when I tend to fancy B myself. Last spring I finally asked at a sugaring shed, and they claimed that Grade A was developed as the fancy grade way back in the day when New Englanders had few choices for sweetening. Apparently, the more refined flavor of Grade A was preferable for general baking and sweetening, because people actually got tired of the maple taste (imagine!).

I haven't actually seen the grade B myself, but I have heard that it has more flavor and I wanted to try it. Thanks for including a source.

Grade B is the best - it has a much more pronounced flavor. And is a key ingredient in an amazing Quebecois dessert called Pouding Chomeur, aka "unemployment pudding": http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/233996

Just checked what we have in the fridge -- guess we have a different grading system, because it says " Canada number 1 Medium" -- maybe a grade A medium or dark amber?

I have Grade C - even darker and tastier than grade B, and not available commercially (VT maple producers are only supposed to sell grade C wholesale, I think it's the same in other states).
I'll give a plug here for my parents' maple business - they sell their stuff mail order and it’s canned in glass mason jars. They produce mostly Grade B, for those who are looking.
Here's their website:
http://www.vermontel.com/~knsh/maple.htm
You can see the products and pricing there, but they're old fashioned, so you can't place your order online, you have to call them or send in an order form via postal mail. The syrup is worth it though!

My husband had a container of Grade C that was exquisite. It took us years to get through it.

What ever we get from our tree. Last year it was some grade A Medium Amber some Grade B. This year it all seems to be Grade A Fancy. Maybe it will darken up a bit at the end of the season. Still a few weeks left.

I like the stronger flavor myself.

Don't hurt me but I don't like maple syrup. I never have it in my pantry but maybe I should give it a second try. I am always on a quest I saw a show where they poured it out boiling hot onto snow I thought that seemed interesting.
http://organicandnaturalmom.blogspot.com/

I went to Trader Joe's tonight and I was standing in the sauce aisle, pondering some apricot jam, when a couple came up next to me and started talking about maple syrup. The woman was all, "Oh! Don't forget your maple syrup. What kind do you want?"

And the guy was like, "Grade B! That's the best..."

Rosie, I'm so jealous of your maple syrup connection! As this is our first year living in VT, I'm really excited for the start of sugaring season... a lot of local places are doing an open house this weekend, actually. Maybe I can get hooked up with some grade C!

Sorry to disagree with the pack, but living as I do in a big maple producing area (c'mon up, this weekend is sugaring off time with al the farms open and many other neat events. Go to www.mapleweekend.com.)
Anyhow, sparkling light fancy grade A maple syrup is a real treasure. Comparing it to the lower grades is kind of like comparing NY state sparkling wine to that produced in the champagne region of France. The light has a really pure maple taste, perhaps undiscernable to those used to the in your face fake maple flavors used in things like Log Cabin or Mrs Butterworth's. It certainly is not for cooking. Use it to enhance a bowl of real vanilla ice cream or pour atop a stack of pancakes. There's a reason it's so much more expensive than the rest-less is produced. It's from the 1st sap run. I plan to cococt a maple & Ciroc cocktail this week-end. How bad could that be?

Re maple syrup-just remembered a funny anecdote about it. On a ski trip to Vt. one winter, my then BF & I saw a sign for maple syrup, which led us down a back road ending at another with no sign as to which way to go. We guessed left & drove a considerable distance when we spotted it, a sign for the golden prize! We stepped into the little shanty which was filled with nice orderly rows of cans & bottles of the stuff; lots of it. After a bit of a wait, the farmer, with a surprised look on his face, came in & asked how we found the place! We could hardly contain the laughter & when we got back to the car with our purchases absolutely howled with hysteria! Those old New Englanders-gotta love 'em.

Wow, I always thought that I was a weirdo because I prefer Grade B. Glad to see that it's actually popular!

One of the sugar houses we frequent here in Massachusetts said that the "B" stands for bugs and bacteria - because the Grade A is first to be bottled and filtered while the Grade B sits and waits.

Hi Folks - I sell Maple Syrup at the Union Square Greenmarket....I am constantly talking about how maple syrup is graded, and how the grades are or aren't different. So thank you, Kitchn, for getting it right. However, I caution people that although Grade B syrup is darker and richer in flavor, it is not any thicker than the other syrups...though I can easily see how you would want to give it that sort of attribute.

For what it's worth, here's my rant about syrup, the Master Cleanse, and the people who buy it:
http://grammarpiano.blogspot.com/2008/02/truth-about-grade-b.html

mmm, brains - that's some pretty amazing BS.
The grade has to do with the color of the syrup, which is related to the amount of carmelization in the syrup. The sugar content of the sap (the slightly sugary water that flows out of the maple tree) determines how long the sap must be boiled until it reaches the standard consistancy of syrup. Sap with a lower sugar content has to be boiled longer, and so it carmelizes more, giving it a darker flavor and a deeper color (Grade B & C).
Regarding "bugs and bacteria," all syrup that you can buy commerically has been filtered. It has also been boiled for many hours (during production), killing off any bacteria that may have been in the sap. The only way to get non-filtered syrup would be at a sugar house, before the syrup has gone through the filtration part of production.
I'm sorry to take you seriously if you were joking, but there is a lot of mis-information out there about syrup grades and spreading more mis-information isn't helpful.

Thanks, Lee, for the most informative comments. One question, is it true that you & other maple syrup producers have to use formaldehyde pellets in the tree spigot to keep it running freely? I've heard that it is outlawed in Canada. What say you on this? For the record, I've done the "master cleanse" many times in my life & it is appalling what your body releases during the fast. The amazing thing is that you have boundless energy, since digestion is the #1 energy sapper of your body. You also have all the time freed up from planning, shopping, preparing & serving meals for the time you're on the fast! Don't plan on lasting weight loss, however, you go back quickly to the pre-fast level.

As for formaldehyde pellets: it is illegal in most places where syrup is produced, including Vermont, however there are sometimes stories floating around about people still using them. (For the record, I don't know of any sugarmaker who does; or at least they don't admit it.) Additionally, the standards set by the Vermont Sugarmaker's Association are especially high for maple syrup since it's such a well-known product around the world, and of course they do not allow for any formaldehyde. You don't want to be caught with chemicals in your product, either.

The best thing to do if you're worried about formaldehyde is to ask the farmer!

I think if you want to do the Master Cleanse for whatever reason--the main one being that it makes you feel good--you should do it. But I think many people do it without being clear about their purposes, much like any dieter might choose a diet for one reason or another. It's not going to cure you of anything--but it may "reboot" your psychology, in that it forces you to focus on what goes into your body after you finish the cleanse, and I think a lot of people make better eating choices after they've been "good" to their bodies for a number of days. Remember that FOOD is what keeps your body healthy, not lack of food.

Thank you, Nina, for giving us this fabulous dialogue!