Maple syrup water tapped from trees is the next coconut water

The makers of a new designer brew — a subtly sweet water tapped from maple trees — want to ride the coattails of coconut water's success all the way to the bank.

Maple water has captured a modest following since it debuted in 2013. While coconut water still commands 98% of the global "alternative waters" market (which includes water harvested from bamboo, ,

"It's not coconut water, yet, from a category-size. We all like to hope that it gets to be that big at some point in time," Mike Roberts, vice president of sales at Sap on Tap, tells Business Insider. The company, founded in 2015, sources water tapped from maple trees on farms across the Northeast.

Arbeau, a luxury line of maple waters available in tap and sparkling, launched in 2016 in Canada. The brand's creator, Leanne Pawluk, likens the product to wine. Each batch will take on a slightly different flavor profile, just as wines change season to season.

When I first tried maple water, I expected to taste a sugary syrup similar to what I pour over pancakes. Instead, sipping from a Dixie cup of Sap on Tap water was refreshing. The clear liquid tasted like normal water with a spot of honey — sweet, but not as sugary as a Coca Cola.

Each spring, maple tree farmers tap their trees to catch the maple water, which is also known as sap. That liquid — made up of about 98% water and 2% sugar — gets boiled down until it becomes the sticky-sweet staple of breakfast foods, according to It takes 40 gallons of sap to yield one gallon of maple syrup.

Maple water may be a more sustainable commercial product than syrup. The trees only give about three gallons of sap per year, and farmers could stretch that supply further in its raw form. In order to be sold, the sap must be filtered to separate out bugs and bacteria. Most products have a shelf life of less than one year.

climate change threatens sap production

And if a warm winter leads to a low sap yield, the product becomes more exclusive.

"It's sustainable, it's renewable," Pawluk says. "And it's super cool because it's water from a tree."

Maple syrup water tapped from trees is the next coconut water

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