Stales, i send my sister in Japan maple sugar and let her add her own pure water. (she uses bottled water) 2 cups sugar to one cup water (or check a good cookbook) (or by volume, 2 parts sugar to 1 part water)

maple syrup is reasonable expensive here in NY, and mailing all water is rather silly! if you have ground water, distilled, or purefied would be best-- it would have no "flavor".

Its one of the few things i can "buy" for my brother in law-everything else that he wants, he just goes and buys for himself, once just a week before christmas!

10 years in boston, and he is a maple sugar fan for life!