American town celebrates century of maple syrup contest

Chardon, a town in the American state of Ohio, recently held the 100-year anniversary of its Maple Contest.

Part of the Geauga County Maple Festival, the contest is a tradition that has only been broken since 1926 by the Covid-19 pandemic and World War II.

The build-up to the contest – which took place from Thursday, April 23 to Sunday, April 26 – began weeks prior, with entries of various maple syrups being evaluated by experienced maple producers.

Speaking to the Cleveland.com media platform, judge James Miller enthused:

“There’s a lot of flavour profiles. A lot of variables; soil, weather, soft versus hard maple. It’s amazing the different flavours that come out.”

The six judges had a big task on their hands, tasting over 160 samples as part of the contest. There were three categories, with hobbyists, out-of-county makers and producers all being invited to enter.

Categories are also used to divide the syrup by colour. These include golden delicate maple syrup, dark robust maple syrup and amber maple syrup. Judges looked at the sugar content and clarity of each syrup, as well as the colour.

No pancakes are on offer to the officials – merely a teaspoon for tasting, some water to wash down the syrup, and crackers to clear the palate.

Located 15 miles east of Cleveland, Chardon is not only known as a maple syrup hub – it has also been dubbed as Ohio’s ‘snow capital’ due to heavy annual downfall.

Other activities at the Geauga County Maple Festival include an arts & crafts show, bathtub races, historical displays, tug of war and amusement rides.