Congratulations! We from Cider Cider thought about this Surprise Cider Box as an introduction to the cider world. If you reached this page, it is because you liked our idea.

Ciders are apple fermented beverages, and like wine, there is a whole world of ciders to be discovered. It may vary in so many ways, flavors, colors, smells, terroirs, and added ingredients, that we really support our customers to try out and discover what they most like.

For this Box we chose 6 totally different styles of ciders that have a real summer vibe and they will be perfect for you to enjoy our Dutch sunny days. We know that we don’t have that many sunny days around here, so let’s get started.

Dujardin Rosé

Not only a Rosé, but also a low alcoholic Cidre Doux (sweet cider). This cider should be enjoined very cold (below 8°C). Most of rosé ciders are made of red flesh apples and tend to be very sweet. Those characteristics make those rosé ciders very interesting as a starting point to the cider world. They are easy drinkable, suit perfectly combined on a cocktail, good to be enjoined on your brunch or happy hour during summer.

But don’t get too attached to our first definition. This first description we made will suit perfectly to French or British rosé while other producers may make rosé in a very different way. Some rosé may contain grape peel, rhubarb or berries, that will give the pink color while the flavor will be completely different from the one we first described. Those rosé ciders tend to be more acidic and less sweet.

Dujardin Rosé, is one of the first cases. A traditional French rosé cider.

To enjoy our first cider, we suggest you to prepare a glass with ice and a slice of grapefruit. Fill the glass with this beautiful pink cider and relax while enjoy it!

Domaine La Galotiere Cidre Demi-sec (AOP Pays d’Auge Fermier Biologique – Natural Cider)

This is a perfect example of a Cidre de Normandie (AOP). This cider has a golden color, crisp and medium sweet taste. Galotiere is made from organic apples that after grinded are mashed to cause a natural oxidization that will produce its golden color. The mash is then pressed and naturally fermented producing this demi-sec cider with persistent foam, very little acidity and some tannic bitterness.

La Galotiere Demi-sec may be better enjoined between 8°C and 10°C. I may be paired with cheeses, especially creamy ones like camembert and brie, crepes and not too sweet deserts. It is the perfect company for a sunny afternoon.

Abavas Medium

Easy drinkable, yes. Boring, NO WAY! This medium dry cider is made with 100% Latvian apples, fermented and aged for 8 months in low temperature.

The appearance is pale golden, very clear, with persistent light foam on top. It is due to the wine making techniques applied by Abavas Winery. On the first sip, you could follow the usual procedure. Feel the scents dissipated by the bubbles, smell, taste, and aftertaste. But we strongly recommend you to wait a bit for the bubbles to weaken a bit. The flavor and smells on this cider are very interesting and the high carbonation may disturb your palate a bit.

The blend used from Abavas Winery for this cider grants it a medium/light body, very well balanced cider.

On the aromas we can perceive some delicate meadow flower scent that can remember also sweet guava or melon. Spin the liquid in your glass, let the aromas come up and try if you discover any other good scents on this rich beverage.

First sip. Let the liquid touch all your mouth.  The mouth feel is crispy and fresh. Sweet apples, caramel, meadow flowers, and a slight yeasty hint, those were some of the flavor we discovered here. What do you feel?

On the aftertaste we can notice this fruity caramel notes and the crispy sensation.

Reverend Nat – Viva La Pineapple

Reverend Nat is on the frontline of the cider revolution in the US. More than that, he is very well known by his seasonal tepache.

Tepache is a very refreshing pineapple fermented beverage, that has some hints of spices, like cloves and cinnamon. Every summer, Reverend Nat produces some batches of tepache that became famous in the region. This guy likes pineapples, so why not making a cider with pineapples and some tepache inspiration. It is not a tepache, for sure, but has some inspiration.

The visual is hazy pale yellow. It is sparkling as beer, and has a persistent foam.

On the nose, the first aroma is from pineapple. Specially boiled pineapple peels. We also smelled some sugar cane, floral and honey. Give it a try and check the smells you notice.

in the mouth, we first notice the pineapple flavor. It for sure overcomes the apple flavor. But please don’t take me wrong, it is delicious.  Afterwards the spices come to your palate. Cinnamon and cloves are combined with this well balanced sweet and sour cider.

The aftertaste brings up again the pineapple and the spices. A very pleasant flavor stays in your mouth for quite long.

It is for sure a very pleasant cider for a warm summer day. It goes very well with desserts like waffles and pancakes. But I would strongly recommend it for that Sunday summer brunch!

Sidra Natural Trabanco (Natural cider)

Traditional from Asturias, Trabanco is one of the most famous Spanish Sidrerias. Sidra Natural Trabanco is made from very tannic apple varieties. This cider is made of 100% Spanish apples and fermented in chestnut barrels which grant it a very complex funky flavor.

Visually It is a golden still cider. You will find no bubbles here, and that is how it should be. To give it a little bit of bubbles there is traditional pouring method for sidra, the so called escanciar. It consists in keeping the longest distance between the hand that holds the glass and the hand that holds the bottle while pouring the sidra. This video may help you to figure out how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLMSPirHsh0

This technique creates what is called espalme that is the flat white layer of non-persistent foam on the top of the sidra. Watch out because it is only used for Asturian still ciders. If you try that with a sparkling cider it will probably create a lot of foam and overflow.

The aromas of this cider are quite complex. You can find notes of very mature apples and also leather, that comes from the natural fermentation inside the chestnut barrels.

The flavor is also not that easy. It is acidic, tannic, very dry astringent with a yeasty end. It is one of those kinds of flavors that you probably will not like at the first try. On the other hand, it is a must know cider because it represents a whole cider style. If you like it, keep it very cold and it will be the perfect company on a hot summer day.

This cider pairs very well with Spanish tapas, you can for sure consider spicy, fatty food. It also goes really well with egg based food, like Spanish tortillas. Keep in mind that pairing something with eggs is one of the most ungrateful tasks for a sommelier.

Guzmán Riestra Brut Nature Sparkling Cider (Natural Cider)

For sure, Guzmán Riestra Brut Nature is the star of this box. This cider wins international prizes every year. This brut nature is made from carefully selected Spanish apples, has the second fermentation inside the bottle and it is aged for 8 months before considered ready to dégorge and priming.

This cider has a yellow golden color with persistent bubbles granted by the champenoise method.

The smell brings spiciness, bakery, funky and tutti-frutti notes. Some of those notes are very characteristics from the Spanish sidras.

The mouth feel is very crispy due to the tannic apples and the high carbonation level. The taste notes are very fruity. Green pineapple, apples, pear banana. We can easily distinguish some funky notes, like mold and turf. You may think “I don’t want mold on my beverage”. But trust us, this one perfectly harmonizes with the complex flavor of this sidra and it is one of the characteristic flavors from all Asturian sidras.

The aftertaste is very dry and acidic showing a lot of brut personality. It is for sure a complex cider to be enjoyed alone or paired with white moldy cheeses like Camembert or Brie.