A few weeks ago I shared a rather exciting behind the biz interview with Ben and Dan, the founders of Cranes cider. I love to champion and support small businesses and when that involves a taste test it’s even better. Cranes is not like any other cider, it’s made from a combination of cranberries and apples. It’s also a little healthier than other ciders but we’ll get onto that later. I’ve now had the chance to sample all 3 flavours and thought I’d share my thoughts with you today.
I love cider, especially during the summer months. It reminds me of dancing to my favourite bands at festivals and relaxing by the pool on holiday. I really got into cider when the fruity combinations started to become more popular. It’s no surprise that I was keen to give Cranes a try.
The only thing that has ever stopped me from drinking cider on a more regular basis is that a lot of the popular brands are just so sweet. When you first open up a bottle that’s all well and good but half way through it can all get a bit much and the drink quickly becomes sickly sweet. That’s where Cranes cider comes in. Their drinks have 30% less calories in comparison to brand leaders and utilise the sweetness of the fruit.
I’m working hard at my lifestyle change at the moment but equally there are a lot of BBQs and parties happening. It’s nice to be able to grab a couple of bottles of Cranes and indulge without worrying too much about sugar and calories.
With the lovely weather Phil and I have been having lots of picnics, usually in the grounds of our flats but that’s good enough for us. As you can imagine, Cranes Drinks are perfect for picnics, BBQs and they were even at Blogtacular the other month. I’d love to see Cranes make it to major festivals and give people the opportunity to drink something a little lighter but still full of flavour and quality ingredients.
There are 3 flavours within the Cranes collection; Cranberry & Lime, Blueberry & Apple and Raspberry & Pomegranate. All of which were very appealing to me. They also have a Cranberry & Blood Orange Liqueur which sounds delicious.
I’ve made a few notes about each flavour and hope they give you an idea of what to expect. They were all very refreshing and crisp and I’ll happily repurchase each of the flavours again.
Cranberry & Lime
This is one of my favourites, though I could say that about all of them. It’s like the more famous strawberry and lime flavours you see knocking about but not at all sweet and sickly. It’s a refreshing drink with a good balance of sweet and tartness. The cranberries are the focus flavour of each bottle and as you would expect they give the flavours a more tangy base than other ciders. This one goes down easily on a sunny afternoon.
Blueberry & Apple –
This one has a lovely crisp flavour. It’s sweet but not at all sickly and has a real berry flavour to it. The tangy flavour is a little more subtle in this one as opposed to the other two flavours. I found this worked well with BBQ food, I’m not sure why but it did.
Raspberry & Pomegranate –
I tend to love anything with pomegranate in so I was very excited to try this one. This is super fruity and to me and tasted the sweetest of the bunch (not sweet like regular fruit ciders though). It still has a good tangy kick to it from the cranberries which I really enjoyed. With a big glass of ice this is such a refreshing cider.
If you have any questions about the different flavours then leave them in the comment section below and I’ll be happy to answer them. If you’re keen to discover more about the brand and the people behind it then check out my interview with the founders. I’ll be buying Cranes again and would love to be able to get them in my local supermarket for last minute party plans.