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
468: Foraging Flavor: Pierrepont Cider | NY [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:06
Cider Maker and Founder Lee Van DeWater of Pierrepont Cider shares his story in this episode on how he is forages apples to share a taste of terroir from New York's North Country. Lee Van DeWater Foraging Apples for Cide…
467: Canton Apples and Frosty Twig: New York Cider Makers Unite [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:25:13
How Canton Apples and Frosty Twig Fused Two Brands into One In New York's "North of Upstate" region, in the town of Canton is the Canton Apples production building. It is now also home of a partnership shaping the local…
466: Growing Cold-Hardy Trees at Saint Lawrence Nursery | NY [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:06
A Century of Cold-Hardy Trees Saint Lawrence Nursery in Potsdam, NY, has been helping cold-climate growers find success since the 1920s. Originally founded by Fred Ashworth and later expanded by Bill MacKentley, the nurs…
464: Czech Cider: From Roadside Apples to Cellar Ferments [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:01
A conversation with Czech Cider Fan Dan Samek This episode brings us to the heart of Europe by way of Vermont. Ria sat down with Dan Samek, a cider enthusiast and home distiller from Prague, to talk about the evolving ci…
463: Zydeco Meadery: Fermenting Roots from Trinidad to New England [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:00
Eric Depradine of Zydeco Meadery crafts mead with Heart, Honey, and Heritage As securing permission, Eric was able to start his fermentation journey in high school with a science project using cane juice. That spark stay…
462: Cider in a Cathedral of Opulence | The Newt, UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:43
A Digital Media Empire Embraces Cider at The Newt The Newt in Somerset is a world-class estate blending cider-making, luxury hospitality, and horticultural excellence. The estate is owned by South African owners Karen Ro…
461 RAW Levi Danielson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:24
Levi Danielson is the founder and cider maker at RAW Cider, based in Dayton, Oregon. With roots in the Driftless Region of Minnesota and a cidery nestled among cider apples and pears in the Willamette Valley, Levi's stor…
460: James B. Forbes on Little Pomona's Ciders & Legacy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:47
An intimate sit down with James Forbes of Little Pomona to talk about grief of losing his wife and business partner Susanna Forbes, the growth of the cidery, and the evolving identity of one this select cidery. Rememberi…
459: The Apple Finch's Pet-Nats at de Groote Wei Cider | Netherlands [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:43
Fourth-Generation Farmer, First-Generation Cidermaker Sophie Horstink of De Groote Wei, which means The Great Meadow in Dutch, is crafting Dutch cider as a value added project at her family's farm. Located in the eastern…