What is Sap?

Maple sap is a dilute solution made up of mainly water, with a little bit of sugar, along with trace amounts of various amino and organic acids and proteins. It looks like water, and if you were to taste it, it would have only a slightly sweet taste. Most of the sugar in the maple sap is sucrose, which is the same table sugar, with only a small amount of other sugars.

Maple sap is a different product than maple syrup. The sap must be appropriately processed in an evaporator to produce the color and taste.