What does birch sap taste like?

[mark]

OK, today I was out for a wander around and thought I'd see if the birch sap was rising.
I picked a suitable tree, made a small cut and the sap started to ooze out slowly.
It tasted quite bitter; I was under the impression that it should be sweet.
Anyone else experienced this?

cheers

Mark

 

[Retired Member southey]

Its woody water, it depends on your pallet as to how it'll taste but I've never had a sweet one.

 

[Hugo]

The one I tasted at Ashdown forest a couple of weeks ago was sweet.

 

[Whittler Kev]

Have the buds opened?
That changes the taste very significantly

 

[Bundleman]

The stuff I harvested this year was slightly sweet, almost a hint of coconut!

 

[Biker]

The stuff I harvested this year was slightly sweet, almost a hint of coconut!

Ditto on that. 2011 was obviously a good vintage.

 

[drewdunnrespect]

yer i thought it tasted like a good sweet tasting water with a woody refreshing after taste

 

[John Fenna]

It tastes like good spring water with a touch of "green" and a hint of sweetness ... made into wine it is a bit like sherry!

 

[mark]

Cheers guys,
I wouldn't want to drink very much of what I tasted yesterday - it wasn't very nice.
Had a look at some other trees this morning whilst walking the dogs but didn't find any with sap rising (but it was about 4 miles inland from yesterday which was on the coast).
I was wondering if the large temperature fluctuation we have had may have affected the taste. Last week we were in the 20's, this week we're just above freezing and have had a reasonable dump of snow.
I need to go back and look at the tree from yesterday to see if the buds were open, but it's raining and I'm a fairweather bushcrafter now

 

[Bushwhacker]

IMO It's not worth damaging a tree for. It's nothing to write home about.

 

[NikolaTesla]

Healthy birch tree give sap that tastes slightly sweet, it's just water really.

 

[Stanleythecat]

First time I tried it I was expecting something with real flavour, a hint of maple syrup maybe. It turned out to be very subtle, clean and refreshing. If put in a glass in front of you without knowing you would say it was spring water. That said it mostly is and has to be reduced by something like 80% to become syrup.

Leo

 

[Big Stu 12]

we just taped some, it has just started running where we were, some trees hardly weeped at all. some really poured, the sap was quite bland, but with a sacurane aftertaste, hopefully it will inprove.

 

[Gill]

You all must have a different species of birch down south it tastes like a good Malt up here.

 

[dwardo]

Closest i can describe is a slight melon after taste.

 

[shaggystu]

IMO It's not worth damaging a tree for. It's nothing to write home about.

i'm inclined to agree

 

[Basha72]

Get a plastic 1 litre bottle fill it with tap water then had a spoonful of sugar ..... That would be about it !!

Like others have said unless you really need it or are doing something with it not worth the bother.

Worth doing it once though just so you see !


Dave

 

[bocan]

I personally love birch sap.
use it instead of water in anything from bread to cous cous.
there is always the fun of tryin to make booze


wild foods the same as all foods require a lil bit of imagination.

 

[NetFrog]

Water - like others have said. I got a glassful after around 15 minutes and shared it with a friend and we were both expecting something sweet and syrupy. Plugged the hole after with some bees wax and other than maybe collecting some for birch wine will most probably leave the trees be from now on. I would be interested in finding the suger content though, as I do not see how the sap alone can make good wine as really the nutrient content seemed to be close to zero, the sugar levels could really only have been trace and not enough to turn to alcohol without additional ingredients.

 

[Colin.W]

It tastes like good spring water with a touch of "green" and a hint of sweetness ... made into wine it is a bit like sherry!

and it matures well I made some in 2006 drank it christmas 2010 it was worth digging to the back of the cupboard for