Review of Eden Harvest Cider, their second canned cider release (see here for my review of the first).  I’ve also tried Eden’s Sparkling Dry, Cinderella’s Slipper, Heirloom Ice Cider, Sparkling Semi-Dry, Northern Spy Ice Cider, Honeycrisp Ice Cider, Imperial 11 Rosé, Heirloom Brandy Barrel Aged Ice Cider, Guinevere’s Pearls, Windfall Orchard Ice Cider, Two Ellies (collaboration with Tilted Shed), The Falstaff, Siren Song, and Ezekiel Kingston Black.

<This is a review of a sample can provided to Cider Says by Eden.  Although I will take care to treat it the same as any other review, there is always the potential for bias as I received this for free.  The only consideration I knowingly made was pushing this up in my cider review que, considering it is a new release and the info may be helpful for folks deciding to purchase it.  I love free stuff, especially cider!  Want your cider or cider-related product reviewed here?  Contact me.>

  

Cider:  Harvest Cider
Cidery:  Eden Specialty Ciders
Cidery Location:  Newport VT
ABV:  6.4%
How Supplied:  four pack of 12oz cans
Style:  American craft canned heritage cider from Vermong grown heirloom & cider apple varieties

Availability:  limited, to parts of CO, MA, NC, NJ, NY, SC, and VT

Cider Description:  Aromatic. Generously sparkling. Off-dry. Our new, canned Eden Harvest Cider reflects everything we care about:  High flavor, heirloom and tannic apples grown in small, regional orchards.  Fresh pressed at harvest to capture the full flavor of the fruit just as it ripens.  Fermented dry and blended with just a drop of our award-winning Eden Ice Cider to create an everyday cider with extraordinary complexity.  Contains heirloom and tannic apples varieties from local small family orchards, including: Dabinett, McIntosh, Empire, Spartan, and Esopus Spitzenburg.

See more on their website, here and here.  They amazingly only make this once a year.

Cidery Description:  Eden Orchards and Eden Ice Cider began on a trip to Montreal in 2006 when we first tasted ice cider and wondered why nobody was making it on our side of the border.  We had dreamed for years of working together on a farm in the Northeast Kingdom; it was a dream that had vague outlines including an apple orchard, cider, and fermentation of some sort.  That night we looked at each other and knew ice cider was it.  In April 2007, we bought an abandoned dairy farm in West Charleston, Vermont and got to work.  Since then we have planted over 1,000 apple trees, created 5 vintages of Eden Vermont Ice Ciders, and have introduced a new line of Orleans Apertif Ciders.  Out goals are to create healthy soils and trees in our own orchard, to support out Vermont apple orchard partners who do the same, to minimize our carbon footprint, to contribute to the economic and environmental health of our employees and our Northeast Kingdom community, and most of all to make world-class unique ciders that truly reflect our Vermont terroir.

Price:  n/a (runs ~ $16 / four pack, which sounds like a lot, but is an awesome deal at just over $8 / 750ml, instead of $15-20)
Where Bought:  n/a
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  a cidery rep contacted me

First Impression:  Light straw yellow hue.  Low carbonation.  Smells mild, of citrus and heirloom apples.

Tasting Notes:  Dry to semi-dry.  Light bodied.  Low tartness.  Moderate acidity.  Low tannins.  No bitterness, sourness, or funk.  Notes of super juicy apple and lemon with hints of floral and tropical fruit.  Quick finish.  Moderate apple flavor, flavor intensity, and complexity.  High sessionability.

My Opinion:  Awesome!  This went over really well with my husband and non-cider drinking house guests too.  Lots of complex flavor without being sweet.  Super refreshing and easy to drink.

Most Similar to:  A sessionable version of a drier heritage cider.

Closing Notes:  This is definitely the highest quality cider currently available in a can.  I liked it even better than last year’s version.  I’m impressed!  Too bad it doesn’t sound like it’ll be available locally, as I’d love to stock some in my cider fridge.

Have you tried any canned heritage cider?  What did you think?