Kopparberg Naked Apple

We're revisiting a favorite brand with a new variety that I haven't tried yet, Kopparberg Naked Apple!

Kopparberg
The Brewery was reestablished in 1994 but its roots go back to the original brewery founded in 1882. Located in central Sweden, they are the main employer for its town of 4000 people. I first tried Kopparberg in Norway, and I have fond memories of sipping the Strawberry/Lime in Oslo. On their website they describe the Naked Apple cider as "stripped back so it actually looks and tastes like apples, without all the orange colors and oaky flavors found in other apple ciders."

Where Purchased:
Wise Owl Growler's near Town Center in Kennesaw

A locally owned growler store that has a knowledgable staff and a wide selection of beer. They have several ciders available in bottles, and this was a new one from Kopparberg for me.
Setting the Mood:
Our street was a sheet of ice during Atlanta's first 'snow-in' of the seaons, so Tidnab and I enjoyed a day of fur baby snuggles. I decided it was 5 o'clock somewhere at lunchtime. A nice fresh salmon salad and Ghost Hunters on the TV, it was time to enjoy some relaxing and a cider.

Reflections:
This cider is different than the other Kopparbergs I have enjoyed. Less sweet, than others from this brewery, I didn't find anything unique to make this cider stand out and worthy of the $5.99/bottle price tag. At just over a pint (500ml), the bottle is bigger than most and the carbs come in at 25 for the whole bottle.

Tidnab's Sip: Tidnab loves the strawberry/lime Kopparberg but found this one ok. In his words, "not too sweet, has an alcohol taste, definitely a hard cider."

Scoring:
Sweetness: 5/10
Right smack in the middle. Unlike other ciders from Kopparberg, which are much sweeter, it was a refreshing change and fit the name of 'Naked Apple.'

Tartness: 7/10
This cider was on the tart side, but not in an exciting way. I like my ciders more complex, and the 'naked' quality of this cider has it coming up short in complex flavor notes.

Smoothness: 4/10
The alcoholic taste of this cider takes away from the smoothness.

Fruit flavor: 3/10
The apple taste is not distinctive and the most prominent aspect is the tartness. Again, it lives up to the name of "naked apple," but I'm not sure that it is in a good way.

Dryness: 5/10
Not particularly dry, so if that is your thing, you may or may not like this one.

Carbonation: 8/10
Lots of carbonation in this bottled cider. The carbonation is good - maybe too good but would be perfect paired with hot wings.

Container & Size: 500ml bottle

Overall: 5/10

Meh, pretty much sums up this cider for me. It is a good solid cider, but the taste doesn't stand out which makes the price tag a bit too much for my wallet. Spicy food with more complex flavor notes would make the simplicity of this 'naked' cider stand out better. I may try it again, but at the $5.99 price tag it will have to be the perfect setting.

Cider K-cups

Tidnab and I got a Keurig coffee maker for Christmas from my mom.  We LOVE it.  I'm finally able to have a cup of coffee anytime I want it without making a whole pot.  My coffee consumption has drastically increased along with my obsession with K-cup varieties.  

K-cups are the individual drink servings used in the Keurig coffee makers, and there is a lot of them - from a wide variety of companies including Caribou, Starbucks, Paul Newman, Celestial Seasonings, and Green Mountain.  I was actually shocked by the variety of beverages one could make with K-cups.  And the selection is not limited to coffee - there is hot tea, iced tea, hot chocolate - and you guessed it - Hot Apple Cider!  Needless to say with my fascination for the apple and derived beverages, trying this was a must.

Where purchased:

I picked up our Hot Apple Cider K-cups at Kroger during a sale.  The one thing that is shocking about K-cups - and will be an additional line on our budget for each month - is that they are not cheap.  Conveience has a price, and because of that sales are a good thing.  I picked up the cider along with a Starbucks French Roast and Caribou to try.  

Setting the mood:

A night of playing World of Warcraft and a chilly run in from the car after dinner made it the perfect night to try the new Hot Apple Cider!

The company:

Green Mountain Coffee produces the Hot Apple Cider K-cups along with a bunch of other K-cup drinks.  After enjoying my first cup of cider, I figured I better check out the ingredients, because I liked it too much.  I figured it would be artificial this and artificial that - I was shocked.  As you can see from the photo - I missed the "naturals" on the label as well as the "made with real apples."  Here's the ingredient list:  Dried Apples, Brown Sugar, Natural Flavors, Organic Malic Acid, Reb A (Stevia Extract).  The Nutrition facts:

The good news is the ingredient list and the bad, of course, the 80 calories and 20g of carbs - but I think for a nice evening beverage that isn't too bad, and far less than a hard cider.

Reflections:

I enjoyed this cider a lot - enough that I had two cups the first time!  I read a few reviews at the Green Mountain Coffee site, and some people complained that it was too sweet and that they could taste a stevia after-taste.  I found neither to be true.  Was it as good as fresh hot apple cider?  No.  Was it a great quick alternative that I can store in my cabinet?  Yes.  

The taste is surprisingly good - with just enough sweetness and the apple taste is authentic and actually the reason I wondered what was in the K-cup to make it taste so much like an apple.  Who would've dreamed - apples!!

Tidnab's sip:

He liked it!  Then he went back to killing things in WoW.

Scoring:

Sweetness: 9

Tartness: 7

Smoothness: 8

Fruit Flavor: 8

Carbonation: 0

Alcohol content: 0 - a drink for most anyone!

Calories: 80

Bottle size: no bottle, but it makes an 8 oz serving

Price: a little less than 70¢

Overall: 8 - a good, quick, evening beverage when you need to feel all warm inside and remember winter evenings.