What Kind Of DE Should I Use With My Filter Press?

Diatomaceous Earth (also known as “DE” or “Filter Aide”) comes in many different particle sizes and grades. We recommend 5000 grit Dicalite from Smoky Lake for the following reasons:

• It Filters the Correct Particles –
  5000 grit Dicalite removes impurities, leaving your syrup with stunning clarity. At the same time, it leaves all the good maple molecules in your syrup where it belongs, so flavor and nutrition is never affected.
  (A 2017 article in Maple Digest suggested that having too fine of a particle size could actually filter out some of the good maple properties and impact flavor.)
• Enhanced Permeability –
  5000 grit Dicalite makes it easier to pump your syrup through a filter press compared to a 4200 or smaller grit DE. 
• Food Grade –
  Extremely high quality.
• Organic Friendly –
  DE is mostly comprised of SiO2, a naturally occurring mineral formed from the microscopic shells of fossilized plankton. It can be found on the list of substances allowed as ingredients in or on processed products labeled as “organic”. This list is in the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations under Title 7, Subtitle B, Chapter 1, Subchapter M, Part 205, Subpart G.
• Made in the USA –
  The company that manufactures our DE, Dicalite, is based in Burney, California.
• Convenient, Clean Storage –
  We repackage all DE into clean, resealable storage buckets. In contrast, our competitors sell DE in messy paper bags which tear, and are prone to contamination.

In conclusion, not all DE is created equal! If you switch to a smaller particle size or lower quality DE, it is going to cost you additional time/money/headache in the long run. We highly recommend our 5000 grit Diacalite.