The Food & Wine Hard Cider Taste Test—Here Are Our 7 Top Picks

Angry Orchard


Made with eight types of apple, the unfiltered Easy Apple Less Sweet is also low in alcohol (4.2%), which makes it a great introduction 
to the world of cider. 

Austin Eastciders 


The Texas Honey, which is available in cans, blends bittersweet and dessert apples with local honey for just a hint of sweetness. It makes a killer base for whiskey cocktails. 

Farnum Hill 


This New Hampshire producer was 
a pioneer in bringing back true cider-apple varieties. We love the Extra Dry, which bears a subtle resemblance to Champagne, and 
the gently sweet 
Semi-Dry, which can 
take you from hors d’oeuvres all the way through dessert on Thanksgiving. 

Foggy Ridge


Made in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, the deliciously tart First Fruit bottling is almost wine-like in its complexity. Proprietor Diane Flynt makes 
it with early season heirloom apples, which add a vivid tanginess. 

Shacksbury

This Vermont cidery excels at balancing complexity with drinkability, and now that some of its 
ciders are available in cans, they’re even more approachable—and less expensive than the larger-format bottles. Our top 
picks: the Semi-Dry, whose bright acidity keeps it crisp and 
not too sweet, and the lightly sparkling, citrusy Arlo (pictured). 

Stella Cidre


The well-known Belgian beer company makes this light, 
easy-to-drink cider in upstate New York. 
Stylistically, it walks 
a successful line between sweet, mass-market bottles and typically more austere craft versions. 

Wandering Aengus


Organic heirloom apples sourced from across Oregon go into this cidery’s single-varietal bottles and blends. One standout: the tangy, floral, 
lightly sweet Bloom. It pairs perfectly with an Oregon cheese, such as Face Rock Creamery’s buttery Clothbound Cheddar. 

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