Bulmers Original Cider

Introduction

If I were to associate foods that remind me of the warmer months then Strawberries and Cream would be on the list of things synonymous with Summer. Similarly a cool refreshing drink taken outside and enjoyed in the sunshine would also spring to mind and having enjoyed a couple of hot days recently and taking advantage of the balcony at my caravan I couldn't resist putting a few bottles of my favourite Summer drink, Cider, into my shopping basket on a recent trip to Tesco. I'm more of a lager drinker normally but the hot weather always seems to call out for Cider for me and even though I had more than my fair share of the stuff in my younger, heavier drinking days and still can't stand the taste of Woodpecker or Strongbow I can tolerate and do enjoy the premium brands.

Magners is my usual brand of choice but my eye was caught by a bottle of Bulmers and helped by the fact they were on a 3 for 2 offer I decided to buy a few bottles of original and Pear Cider in.

Bulmers

I'm not going to go into a long winded explanation as to who the company who makes this Cider is as that's not what you're reading this review to find out. Instead I'll quickly cover the bottle and pick out the relevant information that I think is important. So, my bottle is a 568ml brown glass one complete with a rather garish yellow foil covered top. Continuing the yellow theme the label on the front states that this a Bulmers Original Cider and that the Cider makers originated from Hereford and were established in 1887. It is a premium quality cider made from "Big apples, small apples, juicy apples and bittersweet apples" all of which are blended to give a "well-balanced and medium sweet flavour". The alcohol content is stated as being 4.5% and the bottle represents 2.6 UK units so if you were to follow daily guidelines of between 3-4 units daily for men and 2-3 for women then 1 bottle just about uses up your recommended quota. The bottle top is easily enough removed and the liquid contained within has a golden hue to it and poured over ice really does have a look of Summer which fizzes gently and releases tiny air bubbles.

The Taste

I always drink my Cider over ice, I think it makes the drink a lot more refreshing whilst making it obviously colder and it does go some way to diluting the taste. Cider can be quite bitter I find and has a tang which does take a little getting used to, because I over-drank the cheaper stuff in my youth I can't stand the taste of really sweet Cider so always try to select a medium sweetness one and whilst Magners has a slightly richer taste I thought that Bulmers did come a close second in providing an interesting and refreshing drink.

It's a perfect one to take your time with whilst allowing the ice to melt and my bottle easily filled up a pint glass which was packed with ice and had some spare to top up later. Bulmers does have a distinct taste which I found to be sharp to begin with but mellowed over the space of time and once I got used to the inital sharpness I found it to be a thirst quenching drink which helped to cool me down whilst enjoying the sunshine.

I do think this is a drink to take alongside a light lunch and would be perfectly suited to an outside environment of a pub garden and is one to gently savour rather than knocking back. It wouldn't be a drink I could take a lot of as my tastes have changed over the years but for a one off every now and again when the sun is out and I want a cool and refreshing drink then I still think Cider hits the spot for me. In all honesty I do prefer the full bodied flavour of Magners to Bulmers but even so over ice this is a perfect Summers drink (for adults, obviously) and is one that I would recommend.

Conclusion and Rating

Individually the 568ml bottles retail for around £1.99 each in Supermarkets which is quite expensive when compared to some alcoholic drinks but these do feature in plenty of BOGOF or combination offers. I bought mine from Tesco along with Bulmers Pear Cider (review to follow soon!) during their recent 3 for 2 offer and whilst I still prefer Magners I'm still awarding a very good 4 star rating for Bulmers Original.

Recommended if you fancy something cool and refreshing, thanks for reading my review. Please note that this also appears on dooyoo under my username.