420: Books, Cider, Cheesecake | Cider Chat Live

420: Books, Cider, Cheesecake | Cider Chat Live

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist July 17, 2024 Duration: 18:41

Basque Cheesecake and Santa Cruz Cider

Cider Chat Live brings you a tasting of a celebratory cider from Santa Cruz Cider Company paires with a what is called Basque Cheesecake!

Basque Cheesecake is much less dense than classic New York cheesecake. It is crustless, and has a golden, beautiful caramelized exterior. It also has a much lighter texture and flavor. The cheesecake is baked at a high temperature in order to get that burnt exterior and super creamy interior.

In this Live on Cheesecake and Cider from Santa Cruz!

This mini episode came about when Nicole Todd who cofounded Santa Cruz Cider Company in California with her sister Natalie. Nicole was traveling east to Maine with fellow book club members who she has been meeting monthly since covid kicked off in 2020.

They spent the evening with Ria, went for a swim to avoid the heat and drank copious amounts of cider and ended the evening with a special pairing of the 10 year anniversary cider with the Basque Cheesecake.

Hear about this anniversary cider and how it all started with foraged fruit in the Monterey Bay area of California. It is one part picking up fruit that turned into a relationship with an older orchardist in the Watsonville area of California.

Listen to past episodes with Nicole:

Contact for Santa Cruz Cider Company


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
079: Dan Young | Tandem Ciders, Michigan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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077: US Cider Trends 2017 | Nielsen Data of Cider Market [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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076: Lou and Sue Chadwick | Grafting at Second Chance Farm, MA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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075: Alan Shapiro | Cider Summit, USA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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074: Nicole and Rafe Ward | Forgotten Ciders, Michigan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:13
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073: Shea A.J. Comfort | The Yeast Whisper [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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072: Lost Apples of the Quabbin | Massachusetts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:21
Lost Apples of the Quabbin is a presentation by Al Sax and Matt Kaminsky documenting their 2016 research and quest for mapping out the apple trees in this historical reservoir region. The Quabbin Reservoir was created to…
071: Jeppe Gents | Fejø Cider, Denmark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:15
Jeppe Gents opened Fejø Cider in 1999. He calls himself a "cider farmer" having founded his cidery on an island 200 kilometers south of Copenhagen. You can take a 15-minute ride on a ferry to the island and visit this ce…
070: Mattie Beason | Black Twig Cider House, North Carolina [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:48
Mattie Beason's passion for cider led him to open Black Twig Cider House in 2016. This new cider bar is located in Durham, North Carolina right across the street from Duke University. A good location is a key factor as y…