How disappointing. The label says 'made from hand picked apples' but believe me, it doesn't make it any better. What it should have said is 'no cider apples we harmed in the making of this product'. I was so hopeful about it, I even bought two bottles. Having of course read the serving recommendations, I momentarily considered venturing to the dark side and 'serving it over ice'. When the shuddering died down and staying true to my roots as a Somerset farmhouse cider lover, I couldn't bring myself to do it. Ice is for G'n'T. Maybe this is why I have a problem with it, why do you feel the need to mask a flavour with lots of ice? Does it really taste that bland? Well, Yes. That and the fact its another missed opportunity. There is no tannin, no bitterness, no dryness. To me, it tastes diluted and sweetened at the same time. Far too sweet to drink in any volume for a cider drinker and not in a fruity way. It is a lovely looking cider, slightly darker than expected which could have been the reason I bought two of them. Darkness can often be a sign of cider having been aged in oak. I should know better despite its beautiful warm dusky colour, its possibly the most uncomplex cider I have ever had.
When will one of the massive mainstream players produce a cider of quality? Of distinction? One that that tastes like cider should? Its such an opportunity to make more money but they manage to miss the boat everytime.
In fact I was so disappointed, I had to drink a beer instead. Even though this blog is about cider and photography I couldn't bring myself to put a photo of the product up here, so here is a photo of the ribs.
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| About 50 BBQ ribs |
As the owners like to bastadise my favourite product, I would like to return the favour by bastardising their well known beer tag like in conclusion:
Stella Cidre - reassuringly unoffensive to those who don't drink cider.
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