Hi Kim,
Thank you so much for your honest review! To clarify, using our syrup within a month is not listed as an expiration date and rather as an instruction because it is a suggestion for best flavor and food safety purposes. For most people they can last a few months when kept in the fridge, but you may notice the syrup lose it's strength in flavor as time goes on. The use of coconut palm sugar in our syrups does mimic the color of extract, however, they are true rich simple syrups! Although, yes, they do contain pure extracts within them. We hope this clarification helps and may change your mind on repurchasing!