In January 2023 Clinton and I had an opportunity to go to a cider conference in Chicago put on by the American Cider Association. This is how we first found and tasted a cider steeped in tea.
The trip was just what we needed, January in Manitoba can be cold, dark and lonely and well taking a road trip to Chicago seemed like the perfect get away. With our cider business, January is really the only month that seems to have the least going on as far as cider goes, perfect for a holiday. The American Cider Association is big and as there are not a lot of cideries in Canada and what we do have are fairly spaced out. When we saw that the conference was in Chicago we booked it straight away.
What a great opportunity to learn from other cider makers and come away inspired about what we do and how we do it. We met other Canadian cideries, made friends with other people, tried great French Cider and Perry and got time with my sister who lives just outside Chicago. So fun!
The highlight though was going to a blues bar where they were having a pop up New York Cider tasting. There were cideries from all over New York, I think 19 of them in total. Crazy.... You paid to get in and then could just walk through each tasting. It was hard to try them all as there was live blues at the same time... so distracting. Anyway some how Clint and I got separated and I ended up trying a sample of this red looking cider, I wish I could remember the name of the cidery to give them the credit they deserve, but as soon as a smelled the cider I knew it was earl grey. Crazy I never would have thought that you could steep tea in cider and it would be good. Once I tried it I knew Clint had to try this cider. I grabbed another sample and nudged my way through the packed the bar to find him. He of course sipping cider but I told him that he just had to try this one. He smelled it and knew right away. He took a sip and said, its good....but I can do better.
It took him no time at all to start making his earl grey cider. He took great care in making sure not to steep the tea in the cider for too long as that was the one thing we both said about the cider we tried...it was steeped to long so the bitter parts of the bergamot came through first and not the lavender smooth parts.
He monitored the steeping process hour by hour, tasting the cider each time, and once he was happy we were away....Goodbye Earl was born. We bottled it in 330ml long neck bottles and through a test batch label on them. Big hit! Now this cider is on tap one year later at The Common in Winnipeg at the Forks. Such a fun story and journey. Even the name of the cider came easy for Clint and that is not always the case.
Refining and improving a product can lead to success, even without pioneering it. We have mastered the process of making cider, allowing us to take someone else's cider idea and make it our own. By applying our process and refining the flavors, we highlight the notes that make our cider stand out.
Goodbye Earl, a fantastic earl grey steeped cider