(once you do you can’t let it go)
So a cider has the astringency and bitterness of red wine and the acidity of white wine, with about half the alcohol, which gives a lighter body to the drink. Add in a unique suite of aromas created by the yeast-apple interactions — flowers, citrus, soap, and mice are sometimes cited — and you have an acquired and grown-up taste. Most people, who have been conditioned to expect a very narrow range of flavors in their alcohols, have not acquired it.
Once you do, however, you can’t let it go. I eagerly anticipate a new cider, with its weird wafts of pear and musk and the way it makes my lips sandpapery. It’s also a spectacular accompaniment to food. Cider sharpens the tastes, scours the palate, and enhances whatever you’re eating. It captures the essence of a family farm on a crisp October day — the hay barn and the animals and the orchard — in a way that no wine can.
Rowan Jacobsen, American Terroir: Savoring the Flavors of Our Woods, Waters, and Fields
Cidrbox.com connects people seeking orchard-driven cider with the artisans who make it. Each month we visit a single, distinctive American heritage orchard — where small producers grow, harvest, press, ferment and refine their cider — and we ship their cider to our subscribers. We also sit down for a tasting with the maker, and we share that tasting with you at cidersessions.com.
p.s. When we say cider, we mean hard cider: Artful fermentations of heirloom apples by master cidermakers. You must be at least 21 to drink what we deliver, and you will be asked for your ID and signature at the door.
