Is Maple Sap Tea the New Organic Gatorade (TM)?

I was chatting with a friend at church on Sunday, and she mentioned that her family's been drinking the sap from their maple trees (they only boil it long enough to kill any bacteria that may have accumulated while the bag was hanging on the tree, not anywhere near long enough to make syrup). Apparently this is a thing - a quick google search later that afternoon pulled up articles from Men's Journal, NPR, and Medical Daily, as well as more wild-food oriented sites like Chelsea Green and Wild Foodism. There are even a few companies that sell maple sap commercially. My friend said her family loves it - "It's full of electrolytes, just like a natural Gatorade(TM)!" She was even thinking about freezing pints of it for the summer, when her husband (who has a very physical outdoor job) will need the nutrients while working in the hot sun.

I thought that was a great idea, and then had an idea of my own - why not add a tea bag when you're flash-boiling a little sap to drink and have a naturally sweetened herbal tea?

I had to try it - and I was very pleasantly surprised. I was worried it wouldn't be sweet enough for my taste, but I tried it with some Rose Hips and Hibiscus tea from Traditional Medicinals, and my cup had just the right level of sweetness. It's also great with my evening cup of Nighty Night tea. I will definitely be making my tea this way whenever I have extra maple sap (but unfortunately I don't think I can spare the freezer space to save some for summertime - I guess it will just have to be a seasonal treat!)