Cider Review: Eden Specialty Ciders' Deep Cut Harvest Cider

I was thrilled to get a surprise package from Eden Cider last week. Cider mail is my favorite mail, and the timing was perfect. I had hopes it would be the two new canned varieties Deep Cut and Peak Bloom. Lo and behold, it was! My dinner plans for the night were already set to be special, because it was release day for my co-taster’s new album! This cider arrival guaranteed a celebration!

Here’s a link to Seeming’s new album: https://seeming.bandcamp.com/album/the-birdwatchers-guide-to-atrocity

 I’ve reviewed many Eden ciders before. In several of those reviews, you can find more background information on this apple-centric northern Vermont cidery. This cidery is a favorite of mine.

Here are my previous reviews

Extra Sec: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/03/cider-review-angry-orchard-super.html

Ezekiel: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/01/cider-review-eden-specialty-ciders.html

Siren Song: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/12/cider-review-eden-ciders-siren-song-and.html

Imperial 11 Degree Rose (my number one cider of 2017): http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-january-2017-cidrbox-and-edens.html

Heritage canned cider: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/06/cider-cans-crush-it-eden-heritage-and.html

Sparkling Dry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/06/cider-review-eden-sparkling-dry-cider.html

2016 Sparkling Dry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/11/pick-cider-for-thanksgiving-and-my.html

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/11/happy-to-pickcider-for-thanksgiving.html

Brut Nature: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/02/cider-con-2018-pt-1-eden-specialty.html

You can learn about all of Eden’s ciders on the website: https://www.edenciders.com/

I’ll share the full profile, as the Eden website gives lots of info on these ciders.

PROFILE: Dry, hazy, full-bodied

APPLE VARIETIES: Golden Russet • Somerset Redstreak • Dabinett • Yarlington Mill • McIntosh • Empire

HARVEST YEAR: 2019

GROWN BY: Eden Orchards, Poverty Lane Orchards, Scott Farm, Sunrise Orchards, Windfall Orchard

METHOD: Slow cold fermentation, unfiltered, carbonated and pasteurized.

TASTING NOTES: peach, black tea, citrus

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS: fried chicken, tacos, grilled anything

6.2% ABV | 0g/L residual sugar 12oz | 244/case

Serving Size: 1 can | Calories per serving: 120 | Carbs: 0g = 0CARB Gluten free, vegan friendly

Great Lakes International Cider Competition Gold Medal Winner 2019

Appearance: opaque, creamed honey, warm straw

I was so surprised to see a cloudy cider when I poured the Deep Cut, because I associate Eden with brilliant ciders with champagne-like bubbles, but then I realized how much sense it makes for a canned cider to be hazy or cloudy. It is cloudy—totally opaque, like creamed honey or peach nectar

This is a harvest cider made with less intervention and presented in a casual way. The color reminds me of creamed honey or applesauce. You could call it warm straw. 

Aromas: bread, oranges, live cider fermentation

The Deep Cut smells like bread, oranges, and actively fermenting cider still in the tank. These aromas are very appley. I get other notes too, like  light white flowers. My overall impression is springy, clean, and fresh. All of the notes are smooth and rounded. Nothing is harsh or spiky, but still I get a salivary reaction.

Dryness/sweetness: Dry but fruity

As all of the descriptions of the Deep Cut promised, this is a dry yet fruity cider. 

Flavors and drinking experience: high acidity, medium high tannins, very fruity, complex and balanced

The Deep Cut is not a cider with just one taste. This cider brings high acid, well structured medium tannins, and pleasant sparkle.It’s dry, but so fruity; I keep tasting green apple and pineapple. This cider comes across in three phases of flavor, I get a zesty tropical first taste, citrus on the middle palate, and a floral finish with a little honey. This cider is complex.

Sweetness is suggested throughout but never voiced. It’s freaking wonderful.

I’m always looking for ciders that bring both tannins and acidity, but it’s really something beyond my expectations when I get those things with interest and grit but no harshness. This cider drinks like a dream.

Eden’s pairing suggestions were not really in line with our plans, but this was a delightful cider with a summer vegetable galette. We loaded the crust with cheddar and filled the pie with zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes. The cider’s acidity and substance lifted all the layers of the meal beautifully. What a treat! 

Pick Cider for Thanksgiving! And my Birthday!

I am so excited to share food and cider with my husband, my mom, and two of my very dear friends this year. Everyone is coming to my house. And how did I get this lucky? By having my birthday on Thanksgiving. Yep! I find that folks are plenty amenable when you get to double up on holidays like that. So consider all of these choices picked to go with a vegetarian Thanksgiving Feast that is also my Birthday Dinner!

I like to start with a welcome glass of cider when someone either walks in the door for Thanksgiving or when the emerge from the kitchen into our part-time dining room. This is the cider that comes before introductions, before sitting down at the table, before anything really.

Eden Sparkling Dry

Yes, this is a known choice. I have reviewed a previous iteration of it before: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/06/cider-review-eden-sparkling-dry-cider.html And it was my #4 cider of 2015. But its just so so good! And it really is the perfect cider to stimulate both conversation and appetite.

Find out more about all of Eden Specialty Ciders here: https://www.edenicedcider.com/

Here's the description of the Sparkling Dry.

Champagne-style cider made from heirloom and bittersweet apple varieties grown in Vermont. 50% of the blend is the famous cider apple 'Kingston Black'. It is naturally sparkling and clean - we hand-disgorge the yeast from every bottle! Goes well with oysters, seafood and vegetable dishes.

My choice to go with something known at the beginning of Thanksgiving is far from arbitrary. This is the only known choice of the four, but it guarantees that the meal will start deliciously. I know this cider doesn't need food to balance it out. The Eden Sparkling Dry can stand on its own.

I have chosen two ciders for the main event as it were. They can be taken as an either/or recommendation if you have a strong preference for sparkling or still cider. Alternatively, You can have some of both. I'm always a big fan of choose both rather than either.

Number 12 Cider House Black Currant Dry

I reviewed the Number 12 Cider House Sparkling Dry this Summer: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/06/cider-review-number-12-cider-house.html

And you can learn more about all of their ciders here: http://www.number12ciderhouse.com/

Here's the description:

Number 12 Black Currant Dry begins with aromatic notes of jam and rich black currant followed by a crisp, dry cider finish. Once considered the “forbidden fruit” due to a 100 year ban, the black currant is now experiencing a resurgence in America’s conscience. It pairs beautifully with locally grown apples by providing a tannic structure needed for depth and complexity. This is the cider that will change your perspective.

Here's why I'm choosing the Black Currant Dry. There will be plenty of creaminess at my Thanksgiving table. I want at least one dry bubbly option, but one with enough flavor that the food will overpower it completely. The currants should add pleasant tannins and acid. This would also be great for folks who have the traditional turkey as a main dish, but at my house it will be pair with something vegetarian along with sides of dressing, pumpkin mac and cheese, green bean casserole, and Alex's fabulous mashed potatoes.

Also on the table...Good Life Cider's Hickok Dry Still Cider

My previous review of a Good Life Cider is of their Barrel Rye: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/12/cider-review-good-life-ciders-barrel-rye.html

Here's the Good Life Cider's page (on the Finger Lakes Cider House website) http://www.fingerlakesciderhouse.com/good-life-cider/

The official description reads simply, "Still and dry Aromas of damp earth and dark fruit. Pair this cider with the good life." The ABV of this cider comes in at 8.5%.

This is specifically to off set my other favorite Thanksgiving recipe: cranberry relish. I want a still dry cider with some rich mellowness because my cranberry relish is tart and raw. I use the food processor to blend cranberries, eating apples, oranges, and pecans and this year I will skip the maple syrup to sweeten and instead borrow just a little from my last course cider. 

And with dessert...Slyboro Ice Harvest Cider

I got to visit Slyboro on the way back from our Vermont Cider Tour this summer. Previously, I reviewed the Black Currant cider: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/07/cider-review-slyboros-black-currant.html 

And back in the early days of the blog, I reviewed a now sold out cider, the Old Sin: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/06/cider-review-slyboro-ciders-old-sin.html

Slyboro's website can be found at: http://www.slyboro.com/

To share the official description: 

Fresh, artfully blended apple cider is pressed in the depths of our North Country winter and tucked outside to freeze. At the first thaw, a rich apple essence is drawn and slowly fermented till summers end. The resulting ambrosia is redolent of tropical fruits and warm baked apple with hints of spice. For dessert, as an aperitif & very special occasions. Serve slightly chilled. 11% alc/vol 11.5% residual sugar. 375ml

Here's the mystery though, will dessert be traditional pumpkin pie, the glorious looking cranberry curd recipe I found online, or a birthday cake? I think this cider would accompany all three beautifully as I tend to prefer desserts that emphasize richness over sweetness. I want most of the sweetness to come from this enticing ice cider. 

And if you're planning on serving or drinking cider for Thanksgiving, share your choices on Twitter with #pickcider! 

Cider Review: Eden Sparkling Dry Cider

I'm home from England! But I'm still doing vacation laundry and sorting photos, so England posts will have to wait just a little bit longer. For now, my first not-ice cider by Eden Ice Cider Company from Vermont. 

Eleanor and Albert Leger bought a farm in northern Vermont and started making ice cider about 8 years ago. I first encountered their ice ciders at NYC cider week's salon in 2012, and I've followed them since then.

You can read about the company, their apple varieties, and about the process of making ice cider on their website: http://www.edenicecider.com

But, I'm not reviewing an ice cider; I'm instead reviewing Eden's Sparkling Dry Cider. Frankly I don't think I've tasted enough ice ciders to even attempt reviewing one, so I'm thrilled to have access to something by Eden that I know enough to approach and review.

This is how the company describes their first non-ice cider: Eden Sparkling Cider Dry.

Eden Sparkling Dry Cider is made with locally grown apples, including traditional heirloom and cider varieties. 50% of the blend is Kingston Black, a classic British cider variety.

The cider is fermented and aged in French oak puncheons for a year, then bottled with a secondary fermentation that is created with additional juice rather than sugar. After another 6 months each bottle is hand-disgorged in a careful process that removes the yeast but retains the vibrant natural effervescence of the in-bottle fermentation.

The finished cider has 8.5% alcohol as a result of using true cider variety apples that have higher beginning sugar levels than typical dessert apples.

Eden Sparkling Dry is full-flavored, tannic, clean and very dry with a champagne-like mouth feel and bright acidity. It is a wonderful accompaniment to food, including barbecue, cheeses, grilled fish and especially oysters!    

Appearance: brilliant, active bubbles, rich deep gold color

The bubbles I can see the glass appear tremendously active, and I can see them well because this cider is so brilliant. Beautiful to behold.

Aromas: overripe apples, wood, minerality

This cider smells rich, sweetly tannic, with a hint of wood phenolics. But it also smells clean. The way my husband described it that it has aromas of barn but not horse.

Dryness/sweetness: Dry

This is seriously dry. Dry and tannic. Dry and tannic and flavorful. Whoa.

Flavors and drinking experience: astringent, herbal, tannic, bubbly, exciting

Eden's Sparkling Dry Cider tastes serious astringently dry. Wow! It almost removes the moisture from your face. It's also barny, almost medicinal but more herbal in a rosemary way. The cider tastes rich and like green bitter herbs. It also offers tons of fine and intense bubbles; it is very bottle conditioned. I love how very tannic, but not phenolic this cider tastes. It is really good,but not crisp and refreshing, more severe and thoughtful. The flavors feel saturated and concentrated. Take big sips—the balance is better this way.

To get a big more specific, it has high tannins and high acid; they keep each other in check. The cider sweetens very gently in the finish, which is broad and lingering, but clean. In a rare way, it shows both an extreme of its style and a sense of balance.This is not a cider for beginners or soda-drinkers.  8.5 ABV, British style, and with a decidedly rustic kick. I love it!

Cider and Cheese Pairings: A Cider Week Event with The Cellar D'Or

Wow, this post is so overdue: my apologies, especially to the faraway folks who were asking about the pairing choices months ago. Finally. Here we go.

Back in October, I had the joy of doing some cider and cheese pairings with Mark of The Cellar D'Or.  This was a free tasting event by The Cellar D'Or for the good people of Ithaca (and surrounds) as a part of Finger Lakes Cider Week. The Cellar D'Or does a free tasting of some form or other at least once a week, usually on Friday evenings; so with this we managed to celebrate Cider Week and introduce a few more wine people to a variety of international ciders and cheeses. Putting this together with Mark was such a great time; he's a real asset to the cider and wine communities here in Ithaca. Thanks, Mark!

Here's what we paired. Some pairs were guided by the shared regional qualities and others just because they complemented one another well in aroma, taste, and texture. We also ordered these with some care because of the strong flavors going on both the ciders and cheeses. In general we tried to begin with more austere tastes and textures and allowed the choices to become more intense and aromatic toward the end. After all, it is easier for the palate to understand things getting crazier, but our mouths have a far harder time noting the nuances of something delicate after a fabulously taste-bud shredding.

1. Cabot Clothbound Jasper Hill Cellar Cheddar with Farnum Hill's Semi-Dry Cider (until we ran out of course and switched to a few bottles of their Summer Cider). Their Semi-Dry has 7.4%ABV and would probably taste dry to most folks. Both Cabot Creamery and Farnum Hill are incredibly respected New England businesses that set standards for their respective products. The Cabot Clothbound is aged for a period of 10-14 months, giving it a sweet, nutty, tangy, caramel-tinged savoriness.

2. P'tit Basque with Txopinondo Sagarnoa Cider: both of these delicious treats come from the Basque region. The P'tit Basque cheese uses sheep's milk which has an astonishing percentage of flavor-giving fat: 45%. The cheese is fairly firm with an edible rind. The Txopinondo Cider is more tart and acidic with lots of citrus fruitiness. It's ABV has a more typical 6% after being matured on the lees for six months in barrels.

3. Valdeon with Castanon Natural Sidra: Spanish ciders and cheese both here. The Sidra goes a bit farther still in terms of its acidity; that is the most famous quality of this region's ciders.  It has an ABV of 6%. The Valdeon cheese is a Spanish blue that can use either cow or goat milk. The flavor is intense but clean. The cheese is always wrapped in sycamore, chesnut, or maple leaves before being sold. This is definitely the pairing that starts down the road to fiercer flavors.

4. Humbolt Fog with Etienne DuPont Organic Cider Brut 2011: this may have been the most popular pairing of the evening. The Humbolt Fog is a California goat cheese that uses vegetable ash, buttermilk, and fresh cream. It also offers the most gorgeous cream line when you cut into it. The Etienne Du Pont has many of the great qualities of Normany ciders. It is unpasteurized and uses no sulphites (great to know for those with sensitivities). It manages to offer both sweetness and slightly farmy complexity. 

And for just a tiny while, we had a decadent Fourme D'Ambert with Eden's Vermont Ice Cider Heirloom Blend. The ice cider is much boozier with an ABV of 10% and the kind of intense sweetness known to fans of ice cider (15% residual sugar). The cheese is one of ancient lineage that goes back to the Roman empire. Now it comes from the Auverne region of France, and it uses cow's milk to create this semi-hard blue cheese. Amazing.

My friend and photographer, Sara, caught me mid-explanation here, but evidently I didn't stop moving very often. This is the cider fan in her natural habitat. The only unusual feature is that she has neither bottle nor glass in hand.

All Photos appear courtesy of Sara Kalla. My thanks to her for documenting this great time!