Update September 2024: I am not currently doing further reviews, but I will gladly hear about speaking, teaching, and writing opportunities about cider, orchards, apples, and food pairing!
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First off, I do not get paid by cider companies to write reviews. I review and judge cider for the love of the beverage. However, I do paid writing, teaching, and consulting work! If you want the unbiased opinions of a cider expert, email me: alongcameacider@gmail.com.I have my own taste preferences for cider. I tend to prefer tannic dry ciders with some sparkle to them. Bottle conditioning makes my day. Hopped ciders get my attention. I often enjoy the inclusion of heritage varieties or cider apples. Mind you, ciders surprise me all the time as well. My cider reviews are candid, and I try to be specific and descriptive more than just sharing whether or not I like any given cider. After all, maybe you prefer still, sweet ciders.
Many of the ciders I review are sample bottles given to me for review at this point. I also buy ciders and get ciders from friends, internet friends, strangers, and cider trades. These free ciders get reviewed exactly like those I buy. They really help out my blog because my cider budget is limited and not all ciders are sold in upstate NY. I appreciate the chance to try all kinds of ciders, even those pretty far from my own preferences, and every single one gets a fair shake.
As I've said elsewhere, sending me a cider does not guarantee a review. Sometimes I purchase or receive ciders that I don't feel comfortable reviewing. Perhaps they taste like a bad batch or like something went wrong in storage or transport. Or perhaps I simply feel that a cider's style is so different from my even my broadest preferences that I cannot give it a fair and descriptive review. I skip those. I tend not to like very acetic ciders or ciders that use rose, cherry, mango, or candy-related adjuncts. I'm just not the right reviewer for those.
As I mentioned, much of the other cider work I do is paid. I do freelance writing, consultation, judging, speaking and teaching. I love doing these things, so please feel free to reach out if you want to hire a cider nerd.
The views expressed here are 100% my own. Mostly though, I just love cider. Don't you?
