Cinnamon and maple syrup go together like a hand and a glove. It is the quintessential added flavor for maple syrup and most producers who infuse their syrup have gone the cinnamon route. It complements the flavor of the already delectable syrup in a way that most find irresistible. The health benefits of cinnamon dovetail nicely with the benefits of syrup, adding value to the great flavor. We here at Wild Woods Maple have recently jumped on the bandwagon of infused syrups. We diligently did our homework before doing so, so we could create just the right amount of flavor. The R and D we did was a pleasant experience. We had to sample cinnamon syrup that was freshly infused and we had to sample cinnamon syrup that had been bottled for a few months to see how or if the flavor changed. We brought our concoctions to family gatherings and had no problems getting people to sip syrup and give us feedback. The end result is our tasty cinnamon infused syrup on the market for consumers to enjoy.

We chose the mason mug as our vessel for this infusion. It is hands down the most practical container we offer as it can be reused for many other purposes after it is emptied of syrup. The potential uses for a mason mug include; coffee cup, tea mug, smoothies, storage of dry goods or to store leftovers in the fridge. Reusability in our containers is something we strive for as it reduces consumption. The last thing we would want to do is sell our products in one-time-use containers. If someone were to choose to not reuse the mason mug, the glass it is made of is totally recyclable.

Good for the environment and good for the body; our mason mug’s reusability combined with the health benefits of maple syrup and now flavor of cinnamon makes a solid purchase. I can’t say maple syrup in mass quantities is healthy as it has a lot of sugar in it, but if you’re going to use a sweetener we strongly feel real maple syrup is the best option. All natural sweeteners, such as cane sugar, are sweet but maple syrup has the most added benefit with its concentration of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. There is a handy chart to illustrate this in the “Nutrition” section here on our website.

Cinnamon, like maple syrup, has the added benefit of being loaded with antioxidants. Our syrup infusion has a whole Ceylon cinnamon stick added to the syrup. This stick is useful after you remove it from the infused maple syrup. It can be used the same as any other cinnamon stick you may buy from the grocery store. The kicker is it is a maple flavored cinnamon stick! We have not done all our homework on the potential uses for this “maple-ish infused cinnamon stick” but I imagine there are a few.

Cinnamon has been used for thousands of years and its use can be traced back to ancient Egypt. It used to be rare but it is now available worldwide and can be found in any supermarket. It is made from a tree similarly to maple syrup. The cinnamon tree is cut at the stem and the inner bark is extracted, it then dries into a roll, creating the cinnamon stick. The scientific name of the cinnamon tree is Cinnamomum.  The tree grows in warm climates, zones 8a – 10 to be exact, so it does not look like we will be growing any here in Vermont.

Evidence based research tells the story of how cinnamon is a rather healthy spice.  Cinnamon contains a substance called cinnamaldehyde. Cinnamaldehyde is what most scientists believe is responsible for cinnamon’s health benefits. As previously noted it is high in antioxidants. Antioxidants help to protect the cells in your body from the damaging effects of free radicals. Free radicals are hungry for electrons and they take them from otherwise healthy cells in your body. Antioxidants have extra electrons and give them to the free radicals, protecting your cells. Cinnamon also has anti-inflammatory properties and can lower your blood sugar levels which, after too much maple syrup, may be a good thing.

We love our cinnamon infused syrup. Maple syrup is great by itself but we appreciate the spice cinnamon adds to it. In the long storied history of cinnamon there have been many dishes enhanced by this aromatic spice. Maple syrup can now be added to the list of good things made better by cinnamon. Please responsibly enjoy our cinnamon infused maple syrup, a maple-ish infused cinnamon stick and a really nice mason mug.