Cider Chat

In this episode of Cider Chat, we hear from Tom Hart of Humboldt Cider Company, located in Eureka, California along the rugged Pacific coastline behind what locals call the Redwood Curtain. We also discusses preserving the original Albert Etter orchard in Humboldt County and continuing the legacy of these historic cider apples.
00:00 Welcome to Cider Chat
00:38 Wickson Crab and Albert Etter
03:06 News Cider Salons Ahead
05:08 Hungary Salon and Champagne Cellars
09:08 Blossom Time and UK Tour
10:59 Support and Show Notes
12:04 Meet Tom Hart
12:30 Humboldt Cider Origin Story
14:36 Taproom and Local Crowd
16:17 Emerald Triangle Economy Shift
22:08 Apples Supply and Production
25:02 Brand Name and Partnership
26:35 Growth Plans and Cider Board Work
30:44 Juice Tankers and Redwood Roads
33:12 Humboldt Outdoors and Fishing
34:47 Where to Stay in Humboldt
35:02 Farmers Market in Arcata
35:59 Cider Batch Sizes and Varietals
37:02 Meet Albert Etter and Ettersburg
38:44 Etter Apple Legacy Varieties
42:12 Stewarding the Historic Orchard
44:47 Orchard Layout and Perry Pear
46:48 Rare Trees and Homestead Grafting
48:32 DNA Testing and Replanting Plan
58:08 Wildlife Challenges and Wrap-Up
59:54 Show Notes and Support the Podcast
Find the full show notes for this episode at CiderChat.com
Episode 494: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/494-humboldt-cider-albert-etter/
Listen to Episode 494 of Cider Chat® wherever you get your podcasts and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss what's coming next in Ciderville.
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Find Cider Chat on YouTube for more cider stories, orchard adventures, and global cider culture.
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Your support helps keep the podcast on the air and makes it possible to share more conversations like this one.

What is Asturian cider?

Asturian cider (sidra natural) is a traditionally fermented apple cider from Asturias, Spain, served through a high pour (escanciado) and shared socially in small servings called culines.

This episode is part of the Cider Chat archive documenting global cider traditions and producers since 2015.

In this epic replay from Season 2 of Cider Chat, Ria Windcaller traveled to Asturias, Spain, and sat down with Anzu Fernández, international delegate for La Sidra magazine and a lifelong ambassador of traditional Asturian cider culture.
 
Find the full show notes for this episode at CiderChat.com
Episode 493: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/493-cider-as-a-sport-sidra-in-asturias/
Listen to Episode 493 of Cider Chat® wherever you get your podcasts and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss what's coming next in Ciderville.
Prefer to watch?
Find Cider Chat on YouTube for more cider stories, orchard adventures, and global cider culture.
💛 If you love what you're hearing, please consider supporting Cider Chat.
Your support helps keep the podcast on the air and makes it possible to share more conversations like this one.
00:00 Cider Is Sport Intro
00:37 Asturias Sidra Legacy
01:34 Rollup To Episode 500
02:49 Season Two World Tour
05:07 Ciderville News And Tours
07:15 Hungarian Cider Salon
09:13 Setting The Asturias Scene
11:12 Meet Anzu And La Sidra
14:05 Doctor By Day Cider By Night
16:24 Home Cider And Espicha
20:04 Tasting Notes And Apples
22:59 Basque Vs Asturian Styles
24:52 Associations And Big Market
26:28 Cider Pouring Competitions
28:46 How To Drink A Culín
29:48 Sharing One Glass
30:15 Cider Pourer Etiquette
31:55 Low ABV Session Drinking
32:24 Wild Fermentation Basics
33:20 Blending Igualación
34:58 Modern Cider Innovations
36:25 Cider Tourism Grows
38:22 Where To Drink Sidra
40:40 Unlabeled Bottles Explained
41:52 Vintage And Market Shifts
43:45 Defining Cider Origins
47:12 Climate And Apple Country
48:49 Tasting The Long Pour
49:56 Tech Talk And Standards
52:54 Closing Reflections

This episode of Cider Chat explores the growing Maine cider scene through Absolem Cider Company in Winthrop, a farm-based cidery helping shape New England's evolving cider identity.

Located on a 60-acre farm in Winthrop, Maine, Absolem Cider Company is a cidery that expresses place, heritage apples, and hospitality.

In this episode, Ria sits down with cider maker Zach Kaiser to explore how Absolem blends traditional inspiration with modern experimentation. From wild-foraged apples and native fermentations to wine-inspired co-ferments and Basque-style pours, Zach shares how Maine's apple history is shaping a new generation of New England cider.
00:00 Intro Cask Cider
00:06 Meet the Guest
01:27 How Cask Service Works
03:08 Why Absolem Uses It
04:07 Episode Roadmap
04:48 Ciderville News MOFGA Workshops
07:19 Listener Shoutout Chalkys Cider
08:29 Featured Chat Begins
09:23 Absolem Farm and Tasting Room
10:31 Where Winthrop Fits in Maine
12:42 Zachs Cider Origin Story
14:24 Founding Absolem Through COVID
16:34 Coferments and Wine Blends
18:13 Wend Wild Apple Cider
22:32 Fermentation Yeast and Malo
24:57 Beer Hybrids and Collabs
25:39 Flagship Ciders to Try
27:18 Sidra Style Foeder Program
28:40 Taproom Vibe and Winter Maine
29:21 Year Round Tasting Room
29:31 Local Bar Vibe
30:41 Lake Town Tourism
31:41 Cider As Experience
32:22 Ice Cider And Mistelle
32:47 Brandy Barrel Aging
34:36 Lodging And Visits
35:14 Signature Events Calendar
35:30 Bembel Fest Details
37:57 Anniversary And Collabs
39:30 Pressing And Production
41:36 Heating And Expansion
42:58 Five Year Vision
44:30 New England Cider Association
50:12 Wrap Up And Links
Find the full show notes for this episode at CiderChat.com
Episode 492: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/492-absolem-cider-company/
Listen to Episode 492 of Cider Chat® wherever you get your podcasts and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss what's coming next in Ciderville.
Prefer to watch?
Find Cider Chat on YouTube for more cider stories, orchard adventures, and global cider culture.
💛 If you love what you're hearing, please consider supporting Cider Chat.
Your support helps keep the podcast on the air and makes it possible to share more conversations like this one.

An early conversation that explored possibilities cider was only beginning to consider.
As Cider Chat moves toward its 500th episode, we revisit conversations from the earliest seasons, taking a long view of the moments that quietly shaped where cider and this podcast would go.
This episode, originally recorded in Season One, features legendary winemaker Randall Grahm, founder of Bonny Doon Vineyard and a James Beard Award winner. At the time, inviting a winemaker onto a cider podcast felt like stepping outside the expected boundaries of the category. Looking back now, it marked a turning point.
Long before many of these topics became common discussion in cider, this conversation explores:
indigenous and wild yeast fermentation
the use of pied de cuve to build healthy native fermentations
beginning fermentations de novo each vintage
blending philosophy borrowed from wine
quince used as structure and aroma rather than juice
perry through a winemaker's lens
antique fruits like medlars
cider as an expression of curiosity and place
Randall Grahm
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Episode 491: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/491-randall-grahm-cider-history/
Listen to Episode 491 of Cider Chat® wherever you get your podcasts and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss what's coming next in Ciderville.
Prefer to watch?
Find Cider Chat on YouTube for more cider stories, orchard adventures, and global cider culture.
💛 If you love what you're hearing, please consider supporting Cider Chat.
Your support helps keep the podcast on the air and makes it possible to share more conversations like this one.

An editorial on leadership, scarcity, and why cider no longer needs to borrow authority from beer or wine.

In Let Cider Lead, host Ria Windcaller steps back from interviews to offer a clear-eyed reflection on the state of the cider industry, drawing on more than three decades in cider and nearly eleven years documenting the modern cider movement through Cider Chat.
00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview
01:02 Upcoming Cider Events
03:10 Totally Cider Tours
06:37 Cider Chat Schedule Update
08:00 Reflections on Cider Industry Leadership
10:53 Cider Industry Norms and Challenges
18:44 Call to Action: Let Cider Lead
19:50 Conclusion and Sign Off
20:25 Outro Song: Strange Apples
 
Find the full show notes for this episode at CiderChat.com
Episode 490: https://ciderchat.com/podcast/490-let-cider-lead/
Listen to Episode 490 of Cider Chat® wherever you get your podcasts and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss what's coming next in Ciderville.
Prefer to watch?
Find Cider Chat on YouTube for more cider stories, orchard adventures, and global cider culture.
💛 If you love what you're hearing, please consider supporting Cider Chat.
Your support helps keep the podcast on the air and makes it possible to share more conversations like this one.