Time for Discernment!
The trees have stopped sharing sap for the season and all of the 2024 syrup is in settling jars awaiting bottling and undergoing flavor profiling. Time to deconstruct what happened--wow! The year started super early and came to an abrupt halt a couple of times, revealing its conflicted reactions in the batches. We captured only 12 batches this year—the fewest ever for Tapatree—and by St. Patrick’s Day the season was decidedly on hold. This was unsettling because normally we are in the peak of the season in mid-March. The temperatures spiked around that time which caused the trees to react as though it was late April. Batch 8-I is as complex as any of the latest syrups, yet got to that space very abruptly and on an unusual date, making it a unique syrup. A rapid temperature drop back into the 20’s (Fahrenheit) returned the trees to more typical midseason syrups, but then everything shut down rapidly. The last batch, 12-I, went into the evaporator on April 8th—Eclipse Day. Tapatree was part of the Total Eclipse experience for over 3-minutes (spectacular!), and consequently, we are very partial to this special celestial batch!
The assistance of 15 tasters was secured to discern the profiles across the 12 batches of 2024. Currently a sticky stack of assessment sheets is under review to provide you, dear reader, with the most accurate descriptors possible. Where last year could best be described as buttery, this year is “rich”—so much complexity! Of course, there will be a fair share of butter, but it isn’t going to stand out quite as much for 2024. Instead be prepared for floral, oaky, apple, vanilla, coffee, and chocolate, and all of their friends!
When will these delicacies hit the online store, you ask? August 1st is the drop date! In the meantime, enjoy the syrups of 2023 (and especially the crème brûlée and the gingersnap--neither of those profiles presented themselves in 2024, so better scoop them up before they’re gone!)
Where to find us this year? Again, mostly online, but we are planning to attend the Sharon Springs Harvest Festival during the weekend of September 21-22! We haven’t been to this lovely show since 2019, and are looking forward to spending the weekend with our festival friends! Find time to sojourn to Sharon Springs and enjoy a lovely fall weekend with artisans from all around.
And last, an invitation! Have you ever wanted to spend time in the Zoar Tapatree forests? Find us on AirBnB to enjoy a short-term stay at The School House, a restored 1870 one-room school which we relocated to the farm from a mile down the road. Enjoy hiking, birdwatching, or even a syrup tasting from this cozy perch. (Syrup tastings can be arranged with advanced notice!)
Back to the assessment forms for us—a fun challenge! Enjoy these early spring days, friends! Life is certainly sweet on Zoar Road.
