Lakanto Sugar Free Cinnamon Maple Syrup - Monk Fruit Sweetener, Keto Diet Friendly, Vegan, 2g Net Carbs, Pancakes, Waffles, Oatmeal, Coffee, Tea, Granola, Frosting, Marinade (13 Fl Oz - Pack of 1)

Ok, let's look at the brass tacks about this product. I'm going to look at taste, thickness, and aftertaste. I want to look at these because these are many of the subjects of the reviews posted; especially the negative reviews.When reviewing the product, if we want an HONEST review, we must avoid the human nature of comparison. You'll understand what I mean as we go on.Taste - A problem with this product is that it includes the word "Maple" in it. This causes people to compare the taste against real maple syrup. The fact is, the label says "Maple FLAVORED". It's not maple syrup; it's maple FLAVORED syrup, and no maple FLAVORED syrup tastes like real maple syrup. The question is, is the flavor good. Honestly, even that is suggestive as not everyone has the same idea of pleasurable. We all have foods we like that others don't like. In my opinion, this syrup has a very pleasant taste.Thickness - When I poured the syrup out, I noticed that is was not very thick. I immediately remembered the reviews complaining about the thickness. Then I got to thinking, "What's the big deal with thick syrup?" My goal in syrup is to add a little flavor to the pancakes or waffles. Why does it have to be thick? I paid $10 for this product and the fact that it's thin allowed me to put only about two tablespoons on my pancakes and I had the added flavor that I desired. Some people need to get over the pettiness of little things and understand the purpose. The purpose is a little flavor added to the food.Aftertaste - Aftertaste can be another comparative term; but not always. Aftertaste is aftertaste, I don't have to compare it with anything else to know that there's an aftertaste. Yet, people are acting like this product has a horrible aftertaste. Does it have an aftertaste? What doesn't? Meat, broccoli, potatoes, drinks, everything that has a taste has an aftertaste. Here's where the comparative comes in. Compared to pure sugar... there is a slight aftertaste. It's a slight hint of artificial sweetener aftertaste that someone has to be concentrating on to taste. Compared to other diet syrups this product has no sweetener aftertaste. When I take a bite of pancakes with this syrup I get an aftertaste of a nice maple FLAVOR, a sweet sensation on my taste buds, and it lingers for a few seconds after.Conclusion, for a diet syrup that is maple FLAVORED, I give this product five stars and would recommend it to any of my friends who are trying to cut out sugars.

I am not a "keto fanatic", just a person limiting my carb intake. Lost about 24 lbs in 6 mo by simply being on a low-carb diet. I have remained on the low carb diet for the past 1.5 yrs by researching and finding foods that I can enjoy as substitutes for my old eating habits. Because there are so many alternatives offered these days, I have not found this to be difficult. I use "keto" or "keto friendly" labels on food items as a guide, and I have found the label to be very useful. That being said, I have found that the concept of "sweeteners" in the keto universe is a somewhat complex subject.Summarizing what I know about sweeteners: There are many sweetener alternatives available -- natural, artificial, and sugar alcohols.Artificial sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose (Splenda), Sweet N Low (saccharine), Equal (aspartame blend)) should be avoided. Claim to be zero calories, but they are not. FDA allows rounding error. Aspartame is also a bit controversial due to possible links with migraines, neurological health, and certain cancers. Sucralose claims to not affect insulin levels, but more recent research apparently shows that there is an insulin response. (See how complex this topic really is!) Sucralose is derived from sugar, so it is not exactly correct to list it as artificial. It has zero to no carbs, and may or may not affect insulin levels.Natural sweeteners (monkfruit and monkfruit blends, Stevia, Truvia). Glycemic index of zero, good for diabetics, good for keto. Stevia is a bit controversial: concerns over reproductive health, blood pressureSugar alcohols (erithritol (Truvia), xylitol, sorbitol, maltitol, mannitol, isomalt). Sugar alcohols contain some calories and some net carbs -- but at a very low level. Erithritol (Truvia) is the best of the sugar alcohols (least calories, least net carbs, does not affect insulin levels). Maltitol, sorbitol, mannitol apparently do raise blood sugar levels for many people -- and should be avoided. Note that many keto-labeled foods are sweetened with some of these questionable sugar alcohols. Again-- this turns out to be a very complex area of research.Other: Maltodextrin (highly processed, rapid increase of insulin levels), allulose (does not raise insulin levels, occurs naturally in fruits but has 90% fewer calories than sucrose, is a rare sugar that is not being produced in large quantities presently, is not metabolized by the body).Allulose is a potentially very good sugar substitute for diabetics and keto. This is an "up and comer" low calorie sweetener.Back to Lakanto Maple Original syrup: Sweetened with monkfruit and erithrotol. Both sweeteners are excellent for keto and diabetics. Many other "maple syrups" claim to be "keto friendly" -- but you have to look at what sweeteners are being used. Most other brands of keto friendly maple syrups are not using keto-friendly sweeteners. Do your research right here on Amazon. You will see that I am correct.As far as the taste: tastes pretty much exactly like maple syrup to me.Thickness: Has the same consistency as real maple syrup. That is: it is "liquidy" and thin -- just like the real thing. I am always amazed by the reviews of the various maple syrups, where people complain that the syrup is not thick enough! FYI: maple syrup -- true, natural maple syrup -- is NOT thick. It is thin and "liquidy". The fake stuff that you buy or get at "pancake chain restaurants" is not real maple syrup. It has been substantially thickened. So, don't go comparing real maple syrup to the crap that the big commercial brands are hawking as "pancake syrup".