I first tried Urban Tree Cidery at the Eastern Winery Exposition 2020. The cidery was established in 2015 by owners Tim and Maria Resuta, Urban Tree Cidery was a passion project that combined their two great loves: cider and the city of Atlanta. They make and sell cider in west Midtown in Atlanta, GA. During business hours, they serve cider and a mix of spirits and beer made in Georgia. They harvest their apples from the Blue Ridge Divide in Mountain City, Georgia — a family-owned orchard that has been producing apples for more than 100 years.
Now, I am a fan of ciders from New England, Maryland, and Virginia, so cider from Georgia? What the hey, Sure!
According to Urban Tree, they harvest and press the apples by hand and then transport the juice to their Atlanta based cidery. When the juice arrives, their specially selected yeasts are added to the single-variety juice to begin the fermentation process. After the fermentation process is completed, the now hard cider is filtered to remove any remaining yeast or solids. The ciders then are blended, aged, and infused. Finally, the cider is carbonated, bottled, and made ready for sale. They currently produce three ciders - the Original dry cider; the Classic semi-dry; and the Barrel-Aged.
Urban Tree Cidery Classic is a lovely cider, with big notes of green and ripe apple with a slight hint of sweetness. There's enough acidity to keep their sparkling beverage honest and refreshing, rather than sweet and cloying. Hints of spices, but nothing overt. A wonderful cider! Elegant, complex, and well balanced.
Very pretty, pretty cider. Great job!