Original Sin has been around making cider since 1997. This New York City cider company got its start with hand delivery and a well-balanced six-pack cider. Over time, they have become an award-winning company with some very nice ciders and the best iconic style in the industry. To check out that style take a look at all of their posters available in their online shop: http://origsin.com/v4/shop/. I first reviewed one of their specialty ciders, the Newtown Pippin a few months ago: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/02/cider-review-newtown-pippin.html.
Here's what Original Sin has to say about their newest cider, "Elderberry is a common fruit used in wine making. Its unique tart qualities make it an ideal fruit to use in the cider making process. Much of making a good cider is finding the perfect balance between acid, sugar and tannins. With Original Sin Elderberry, the Company believes it has achieved this balance. There is a long history of Elderberries being used in cider production. In fact, in the 1822 book ‘The American Orchardist’, it suggests adding Elderberries to give 'cider a fine colour as well as flavor." I can vouch for the fine color, let's see about the flavor.
Appearance: claret, brilliant, dark
The Elderberry briefly has head that disappears entirely just seconds after it is poured. This cider has quite a number of visible bubbles that entirely coat the sides of the glass. It's deep claret red is very appealing, but definitely on the unusual side for a cider.
Aromas: Not a lot of aroma
Though I didn't get a tremendous intensity of aroma from this, I could smell berries for certain. It's secondary notes come across most immediately as stone and citrus.
Sweetness: sweet
I think there is a key to making sweet ciders that I enjoy, acidity. When a cider balances this well, a cider can be sweet but not troublingly so because the sweetness has a fruit character and depth rather than stickiness. This is still a delicate balance, but one that Original Sin has handled well in this cider. Very easy drinking.
Flavors and Drinking Experience: tart, light, fun
Original Sin's Elderberry Cider has a hint of the berry bitterness that I saw in Julian Cider's Black and Blue but with less deep dark flavor. The tartness pleases my palate very much. Overall, the cider offers a sweetly tart cider with a light refreshing mouthfeel. I highly recommend having the Elderberry with nutella toast or other similarly yummy sweet comfort foods.
