Bandida do Pomar

This Portugese cider is made by Sociedade Central de Cervejas e Bebidas S.A., part of the Heineken group. As they describe it: "With a fruity, light and refreshing taste, Bandida do Pomar cider has an intense apple flavor. It is aimed at consumers between 18 and 34 and all alcohol consumers who want new alternatives."

It has a light amber like light apple juice colour, and a light apple juice bouquet. Taste is sweet with an artificial apple flavour and no dryness in the finish, just a lingering sweetness. 4.5% ABV. 5/10

Cider Tour 2024

I tried 39 ciders while on holiday in 2024. Most were British and many of these were at the Armagh Food & Cider Festival in Armagh, Northern Ireland. The Long Meadow ciders were pretty good. I tried 6 at The Cider House in the Borough Market in London.

Cider & Wine dinner at Long Meadow Farm

I tried 5 in France that I purchased at a high end grocery store: La Grande Épicerie, Rue de Sèvres, Paris. I tried 4 in Tbilisi, Georgia and they were not drinkable.

I had a couple of nice Austrian sparkling ciders in Vienna.

Appie - Le Poiré

From Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône, this pale yellow cider has a light fresh apple and dry pear bouquet. Taste is intially quite dry for a perry and quite a subtle pear taste, and it finishes still quite dry. Nice and refreshing. 8/10

 

Zathinoe Cidre Bouché

From Castillon en Auge comes this cider with a slightly cloudy amber colour and a very mature apple bouquet. Initial taste is of old even musty apples, rather than just mature which persists and finishes off dry. A strong cider and the extra old apple taste is not appealing. 5/10

Alain Milliat Organic

From Normandy comes this cider that is yellow-amber in colour with a light mature apple bouquet. Mature apple initially follows with an off-dry finish with a hint of old cheese with a lot of body. 6.5/10

Fils de Pomme

A French cider from Nanterre. Slightly cloudy light amber colour. A nice fresh apple bouquet and a pronounced fresh apple flavour which is noticeably off-dry on the finish. 9/10

Topa Brut Apple-Pear

A Spanish and French cider: apples from Normandy and pears from the Basque region of Spain. It has a slightly cloudy pale yellow colour and light apple bouquet. Taste is a tart light apple that lingers  finishing with a light dryness. There is some sediment in the bottle. 7/10