280: The Cidermaker's Fuzzy Slippers

280: The Cidermaker's Fuzzy Slippers

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist July 14, 2021 Duration: 37:50

Grab the slippers, the house is on fire!

In February of 2021, Nicole and Felix Todd had a chimney fire at the their home and the damage done made it unlivable. Having a fire even in the best of times is an ordeal, but during a pandemic is a whole other ball of wax. Felix ran out of the house in his socks, because fires are that scary and when it is raining embers you don't have time to lace up your boots. Which is why he ended up wearing a pair of slippers that evening after the Cal Firefighters brought him a choice of Nicole's Doc Martens (boots) and her fuzzy slippers.

Later they learned that was a bit of firefighter humor. But that is only part of the story for this endearing couple. I first met the Todds back in 2015 when I record episode 60 featuring the cidery that Nicole and her sister Natalie founded called Santa Cruz Cider Company. Today, the cidery has a Tasting Room located 1 minute from Highway 1, which is the coastal route that stretches along the coast. It is open Friday, Saturdays and Sundays and they also have a booth at the Farmer's Market held in downtown Santa Cruz every Wednesday from 1-6pm.

Ep 280 Fluffy Slippers at Santa Cruz Cider Company

Getting Back to the Slippers

This recording took place at a campsite where the Todds have plans to build their new home. This new site came about because after the fire they had moved into a camper/trailer but luck threw them another left turn when high winds caused damage to that temporary home. They temporarily move in with sister Natalie but had their sites on some land not too far from the cidery.

Around the Campfire with no Slippers but lots of cider

During this recording we discuss a spontaneously Keeved Cider from juice offered up from a neglected orchard in the area. The apples are the variety known as Gravenstein and being that the orchard had little nutrients is considered why the juice then keeved. This is a limited release cider that they bottled in 500 ml glass and have on tap at the Tasting Room.

[caption id="attachment_6341" align="aligncenter" width="300"]ep 280 Santa Cruz Cider Company Keeved cider 2020 Santa Cruz Cider Co. Keeved Cider label - look for the Gravenstein with Green![/caption]

Listen to episode 26 as Neil Worley explains Keeved Cider

Contact for Santa Cruz Cider Company

Website: santacruzciderco.com

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/santacruzciderco/

eMail:

natalie@santacruzciderco.com

nicole@santacruzciderco.com

Mentions in this Chat

Mentions in this Chat

Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving!

Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts.


There’s a whole world in a glass of cider, and Cider Chat is your invitation to explore it. Hosted by award-winning cidermaker and writer Ria Windcaller, this podcast travels far beyond the bottle to meet the people who make the global cider culture so vibrant. Each conversation is a journey-you might find yourself in a heritage orchard learning the history of forgotten apple varieties, in a bustling taproom with an importer explaining regional traditions, or in a kitchen with a chef pairing cider with unexpected foods. The discussions get into the delightful nuances, too, whether that’s the semantics of what we even call this drink or how the concept of terroir translates from soil to sip. It’s not just about production; it’s about the community, the travel, and the stories that fermentation unlocks. This is for anyone curious about the craft, history, and sheer enjoyment of fermented apple juice in all its forms. So, pour a glass and settle in for a series that feels like a wide-ranging, informative, and genuinely good-humored chat with friends who happen to be obsessed with cider. You’ll come away with a deeper appreciation for every effervescent, tart, or sweet sip, hearing directly from the growers, makers, and enthusiasts who are shaping this drink’s exciting present and future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 501

Cider Chat
Podcast Episodes
179: Southern Apples | James Creek Cider House, North Carolina [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:08
Tasty Southern Ciders at James Creek A cider dinner recording from CiderCon2019 in Chicago with Ann Marie and David Thornton of James Creek Cider House in Cameron, North Carolina. The main featured chat begins at 17 minu…
178: WWII and Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:28
178: WWII and Cider | Paying Tribute on Tour Midweek on the Totally Cider Tour to Normandy our first stop of the day was to tour the Brittany American Cemetery also referred to as the Saint James Cemetery. It is located…
177: Giard | 13 Generations of Cider, FR [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:43
177: Giard | 13 Generations of Cider, FR Domaine du Manoir de Montreuil with Patrice Giard In this episode: Patrice Giard recorded during the Totally Cider Tour to Normandy France in September 2018. Patrice is a 13th gen…
176: We Like Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:48
176: We Like Cider In this episode we begin with: News out and about in Ciderville - Thank you Nathan for becoming a patron of Cider Chat. Nathan is part of Harcourt Apples based in Australia approximately 11/2 hours out…
175: Beginner Cider Making  Q & A| Part 2 - CiderCon 2019 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:44
Part 2 of a two part series with a Question and Answer (Q & A) on Beginner Cider Making with 5 panelists in the cider industry Marcus Robert - Tieton Cider Works, Washington Tim Godfrey - Golden State Cider, California E…
174: Beginner Cider Making Q & A | Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:59
A Question and Answer (Q & A) on Beginner Cider Making with 5 panelists in the cider industry Marcus Robert - Tieton Cider Works, Washington Tim Godfrey - Golden State Cider, California Eleanor Leger - Eden Specialty Cid…
173: Aomori to Nagano | inCiderJapan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:28
173: Aomori to Nagano | inCiderJapan Lee Reeve is the Publisher and Editor of the quarterly magazine inCiderJapan, the country's first and only bilingual magazine dedicated to all things cider. Lee and I recorded a chat…
172: Tour and Tasting w/Eric Bordelet | France [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:02
172: Cider Tasting with Eric Bordelet Audio snapshots of a tasting and tour w/Eric Bordelet and the tour group visiting Normandy France in September 2018. The first Totally Cider Tour to roll out took a group of super aw…
171: Americans in Paris [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:50
171: Americans in Paris | Cider Tourists Speak In late September 2018, a group of cider travelers met with the producers of Pays d'Auge and Domfrontais, two regions of cider and perry making in Normandy, France. They wer…
170: Is the Cider in your cup Dry or Sweet? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:33
A "Dryness scale" as presented by the New York Cider Association The session was pre-recorded at CiderCon2019 Goals of this session: Slide 1 A Sensory Workshop on Perceptions of Dryness/Sweetness in Ciders This session w…