The In-Store Tasting Experience
The Maple Roch Store
The tasting experience at Maple Roch is exactly as described. It is a full experience.
Walk into the shop in the heart of the Okanagan in Summerland, BC. You will be greeted by the smiling faces of Roch himself, Mirjana or June. And get ready, because they are all excited to share the experience of Maple Roch with you.
Whether you are a local and have come in for the Maple Roch tasting experience before, or you are visiting for the first time, there is nothing that can prepare you for the full, pure and organic flavours that are soon to change how you perceive food.
The Tasting Experience
As the highest quality, single forest maple syrup company, we are narrating the story of Canadian tradition through the purity of taste.
The tasting will begin by learning a bit more about the mission of Maple Roch, which is to continue our journey of bringing Canadian traditions to life one drop at a time while being environmentally sustainable in every aspect of the business from harvest to packaging.
Our mission also includes supporting those with different needs through mentorship and employment opportunities along the way. We also provide work experience to summer students to help give them work experience and mentorship.
The Background
When you come in for the tasting experience at Maple Roch, it will begin with your tasting guide preparing you for the tasting journey. You will hear about the maple trees; where we get our maple syrup from. Then you will learn how they grow in rich soils in the Appalachian mountains of New Brunswick, which is the perfect growing conditions for sugar maple trees to grow in and produce the best tasting maple syrup.
This is an important point to note, as while over 90% of Canadian maple syrup is produced in Quebec, most of this small batch maple syrup is produced in Saint-Quentin, New Brunswick; a town of approx. 2200 people. Maple Roch maple syrup is always harvested by the same maple-harvesting families, as they have been doing this for generations.
You will also learn that Maple Roch's maple syrup is single forest, which means it is not mixed with any other syrup producer. Because of this, our maple syrup is able to capture the unique flavor of the Appalachian regions maple trees, year to year, in the purest form.
This is called a terroir, and it is a unique feature that is normally associated with wine or honey, as the soil and growing conditions of the harvesting regions are truly reflected in their flavour profile from batch to batch. Interestingly enough, this also happens when you have maple syrup that comes from one forest.
The Tasting
In the tasting journey, you will be given a compostable spoon. This is a reflection of the mission of Maple Roch, and that is to reduce the environmental footprint as much as possible in both the maple harvesting and the packaging of Maple Roch products. Not only does Maple Roch showcase their compostable tasting spoons, but most of the packaging is recyclable, refillable or compostable as well.
Maple Syrup
Your tasting guide will start you on the tasting journey, beginning with the heart of the Maple Roch store, the 100% pure, organic, Canadian, single blend maple syrup.
Amber Maple Syrup
Your tasting guide will begin with amber maple syrup first, and will talk to you about the tasting notes and what flavours come to mind. The amber maple syrup is harvested earliest from the sugar maple trees, and has a lighter color and flavour. This is because of the earlier harvest, and also because it is boiled less than the dark maple syrup and that is to preserve that light flavour and color.
The amber syrup has a slightly softer, more delicate flavour than the dark and pairs well with fresh fruit or anything where you don't want a stronger taste pairing.
You will notice that along the journey of your tasting experience, you will hear many recipe ideas to make with these products, and that is because everyone at Maple Roch cooks and bakes with maple syrup and they all have their favorite recipes they are excited to share with you!
Dark Maple Syrup
Next, you will taste the dark maple syrup. The dark maple syrup is harvested later in the season and is also boiled for a longer time to bring out that robust, deeper flavour and deeper color.
Maple Roch offers the two grades of maple syrup, and it is great for you to try them side by side. Both are amazing and both offer very unique and distinct flavour profiles. The dark maple syrup is a more robust taste and has a stronger flavour. It is wonderful in spaghetti, with meats such as slow-cooked ham or with salmon.
Both the amber and dark maple syrup can be used interchangeably, it is really a matter of preference as to which you prefer!
Savory Maple Products
Maple Apple Cider Vinaigrette
The Maple Apple Cider Vinaigrette has a beautifully well-balanced flavour profile. It begins with the sharpness of the apple cider and then you will experience the balance of the sweet maple afterwards.
It pairs well with salads and sweet vegetables such as corn, or with sautéed shrimp or scallops and more. This vinaigrette is a favourite as a marinade for meat, especially if you love chicken.
Maple Cranberry Vinaigrette
A bit more of a sweeter vinaigrette is the Maple Cranberry Vinaigrette. This vinaigrette is sweet but is balanced by the tart cranberries. Maple Cranberry Vinaigrette is absolutely beautiful on a spinach salad with strawberries and goat cheese or on grilled asparagus. It is also another favourite for marinating your meat for the grill or oven. Cranberries and poultry go so well together, this is a natural top pick for pairings.
Maple Mustard
Maple Roch Maple Mustard is a best seller in the store. It is sold so often after the tastings that we had to offer it in 1L containers! When tasting the Maple Mustard, your palette will come into play here, and you will be able to experience the depth of the flavours.
It starts with a first taste of sourness layered with a slight bit of heat, which comes from the mustard seed. From there, you will notice the sweetness from the maple come from the back of the tongue, so it is an extended, long flavour on your palette.
So when you add it to other dishes and meals, it extends those flavours. Imagine adding this Maple Mustard to a gourmet hot dog, sautéed beans, or on to your ham as it bakes in the oven. The maple syrup is just going to caramelize that beautifully with the flavour of the mustard lingering gently on it.
Maple BBQ Sauce
Here is a product that will take you on a tasting journey, and it is specifically designed to do this. This recipe formula was brought to us by Julia in Honduras. We are so happy she brought this recipe with her to Canada and infused it with our maple syrup, because it is another great seller of ours.
We went a bit heavier on the maple side for this recipe because we wanted to make it meatier. This is a solid, truly gourmet BBQ sauce. This Maple BBQ Sauce is actually almost like the opposite of the mustard, because the very first thing you will taste with this maple BBQ sauce, is the sweet kick of maple syrup. With the mustard, we started with a heat and ended with the sweetness, but our Maple BBQ Sauce begins sweet and ends on a bit of a spicier note.
On first taste, the sweetness comes out immediately, which accentuates the flavour of the meat it is on. You can actually taste the meat when you use this BBQ sauce, it doesn't mask or hide it at all, it is made to enhance the natural flavours of it. Lastly, you will end with a bit of a kick! Just a slight amount of spice finishes the taste perfectly.
This Maple BBQ Sauce is not only amazing on the BBQ, it is fantastic on chicken wings, on pizza or flatbread and on sandwiches.
Sweet Maple Products
Maple Granola
A super popular items in our shop is our Maple Granola. It is perfectly balanced between savory and sweet with the right amount of crispness in each bite. When you are tasting it, you are going to notice that satisfying crunch you get. This is a must have for morning breakfasts with creamy yogurt, as a snack throughout the day, on the trails mixed with dried berries or as a dessert on top of your favorite ice cream.
Maple Apple Chips
Made with organic gala apples from LocalMotive, who is a local organic produce delivery service, the Maple Apple Chips are a crunchy, sweet and healthy snack. They are amazing on their own, and kids just love them. Bring them with you camping, walking, hiking, to the beach, or anywhere. They come in a compostable bag and feature only organic, simple ingredients.
Maple Spread
Encompassing the same traditional, pure Canadian flavour, our Maple Roch Maple Spread is whipped thick and rich like a creamy butter. It has the perfect consistency to be spread or drizzled on anything that needs a little kick of palatable sweetness.
Maple Caramel With Sea Salt
For anyone who loves maple or salted caramel, this beautiful blend of these two scrumptious flavours always elicits an “ooo” from our customers in the store. A very popular seller of ours, the Maple Caramel features our grade A, pure, signature maple syrup blended beautifully with sea salt that we import from Garland, France.
Almond Roca
This one is a show stopper and makes every person who tries it in the tasting experience stop everything they are doing to comment on it. Nobody knows whether they should describe this treat as heavenly or sinful. Created by a local artisan named Val, this treat is made with chocolate, butter, maple syrup, roasted almonds and rock salt. There is not a drop of sugar, maple syrup is the only sweetener, and it enhances the butter and chocolate. Sold in store year round, this treat will only be available when the weather is cool enough to allow for non-melted shipments, so be sure to bookmark us and check back often!