BY
PAUL QUACKENBUSH
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Imports is now importing TAUNTON'S BLACKTHORN CIDER, England's
most famous brand of authentic dry hard cider. As far as I know
this is the first time since 18th century colonial
America, that authentic English dry hard cider is available in
America. Taunton's Blackthorn is very different than the hard
ciders that are now being fermented in America, and you will soon
discover why. The English have been fermenting cider since before
the time of the Roman occupation….and that means for more
than twenty centuries.
 et
me makes this analogy so you can understand the place of hard
cider in English culture: Wines is to France, as beer is to Germany,
as hard cider is to England…And very few Americans are even
aware of the magnificent flavor of this beverage, or its significance
in English history.
 hat
follows is the true tale of this mythic beverage, loved by millions
of Englishmen, which explains why, for over a decade, I have dreamed
about introducing it to Americans…dreams
have power.
A
LITTLE TASTE FROM THE
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 y good friend and business associate Conrad Martin lives
in the English town of Glastonbury, in Somerset county. In ancient
Celtic times, before these lands were drained, this area was
an known as the Isle of Avalon, or the Isle of Apples. Remember that the Celts were building
their stone monuments, like Stonehenge, while the Egyptians
were building their pyramids 3,500 years ago….long before
the Greeks built their Acropolis.
 sk
anyone familiar with English history and they will tell you
that when King Arthur fell at the battle of Camlan he was carried
to the "Island of Apples" in Glastonbury. . in the hopes
of healing his wounds. . . and "there apple trees sprung up
from the short grass in the woods". It is interesting to note
that the first large scale cider apple orchards were planted
in Somerset county in the 6th century which corresponds
to the time of King Arthur's reign.
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The
Tor |
 onrad's home
sits on
the side of a five hundred foot high legendary hill called the Tor.
Legend has it that the Tor is one
of those famous mystical mounds built by the Celts around 1,000
BC, and like Stonehenge, was a place for pagan rites and celebrations.
Actually it appears that the Tor is made of rock and created by
nature.
s
you know apples are a fruit of mythic proportions in
many cultures. Everyone recalls the tree in the Garden of Eden
which imparted knowledge of good and evil to those who tasted
of its
fruit. The Greeks had their Golden Apple of Hesperides, which
"were presented by Earth to Zeus after marriage with Hera, and
guarded by an immortal dragon with a hundred heads", and which
were visited by men passing to the Happy Other World"
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Glastonbury
Apples |
 he ancient Celts believed
that the apple and its cider was a connection to the Otherworld, and
that sacred apples conferred the gift of immortality. A belief in their
sacred character features strongly in medieval mysticism and folk-beliefs
of England. In Wales, apples play an important role in divinatory rites,
a power presumably conferred on the eater by their Otherworld connections.
It is therefore understandable that Merlin would choose the apple trees
of Glastonbury as a place to utter his magical chants.
ith
all of this primal mythic history, it naturally follows that Glastonbury,
and the apple orchids of Somerset country, would be considered the most
mystical place in England. Over time its importance increased as it
became, in the sixth century, a central location in the Quest for the
Holy Grail and the Arthurian legends.
King
Arthur |
 or the England of Arthurian legend, drinking a glass of apple
cider was not just drinking a beverage, but a potion of magical dimension.
In this context it is easy to understand why such a beverage would be
called a " spirit".
Merlin
the Magician |
 n the legend of The Holy Grail, the Jewish merchant, Joseph
of Arimathea, brought his nephew Jesus here, and then after the Cruxification
Joseph brings the cup (grail) Jesus drank from at the last supper, back
to Glastonbury …and the Quest for the lost Holy Grail begins. Both
Glastonbury and The Tor are mentioned in the following scholarly books:
The Holy Grail, by Norma Lorre Goodrich, and The Quest for
Merlin by Nikolai Tolstoy. The Tor was also the place where knights came for their initiation
ceremony…and Merlin, who was a real man, might appear at any moment.
It is well documented that Glastonbury Cathedral, the most famous cathedral
in England for 1,000 years, is where King Arthur's wife, Queen Guinivere,
was buried.
nother facet of Glastonbury's mythic dimension: When St.
Joseph returned to England with the Holy Grail, he planted his staff
into the soil by the Tor and it began to grow. The staff was made
from the Blackthorn bush, and to this day the plant, which is a native
of Syria, still grows on the Tor. The Blackthorn bush has been planted
in others parts of the British Isles, but only on the Tor does it
blossom forth with the white flowers at Easter and Red flowers at
Christmas. Each year a sprig of its flower are taken from the Tor
and presented to the Queen. These blossoms can be seen through Conrad's
kitchen window.
f there is anything comparable to a "Holy Land" in England,
this is it.
onrad's family has been in the hard cider business for four
decades, so you might say his connoisseur's passion for hard cider rubbed
off on me, and I too immersed myself
in its delicious history….
 y the 10th century apple orchids were growing
new breeds of "dry not sweet" apples just for cider making. Monasteries
were also very active in breeding new strains of cider apples, and had
their own cider presses. Why such intense effort to expand the dry cider
business? Cider was in great demand by all of the castles, and by a
new type of business. . . the town pub. Of course there was one practical
advantage that hard cider had over all other beverages. . . it had a
long shelf life and in a world with no refrigeration and no ice boxes;
this mattered a great deal.
 ver hundreds of years, over one hundred varieties "dry" cider
apples have been developed. In the same way the unique flavor of French
wine is due to the unique flavor of its grapes, the unique flavor of
English Hard Cider is due to the flavor of cider apples that are only
grown in England.
 very harvest season all over Somerset County there are apple fairs
and celebration of cider making, a tradition that is thousands of years
old. I will also tell you that it is a rare thrill to see a truly ancient
apple tree in bloom. There is nothing quite like it in America because
there are no six hundred year old apple trees here. These ancient trees
look like leviathans of fruit with their massive trunks and their huge
branches laden with apples…they fill the sky with apples. When
one of these famous trees is damaged by a storm the local towns folks
rush to their aid because they are considered members of their family.
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ortunately
for me my quest for the Cider Holy Grail was far easier than King
Arthur's,
because I learned from Conrad, years ago, that Taunton's Blackthorn
brand, which is made in Somerset county is the finest dry hard
cider fermented in England, and I knew exactly where to find it.
It also helped that I had been enjoying it every time I visited
England.
didn't have to fight any fire eating dragons. I didn't have
to battle with evil knights,
or pull swords from stones. What I had to do was wait until America
was ready for the subtle refined taste of authentic hard cider.
After years of waiting, the time was right, and now there is no
reason to deprive yourself of the world's finest hard cider.
ortunately there is
a treasure trove of English apple cider
history that has been well documented. On this web site the door
to that world is opening so you can learn more about the history
of this unique English beverage. This is also helpful because
when your friends announce that they are starting to enjoy hard
cider, you can get them on the right track by introducing them
to the flavor of authentic English cider.
r, if you haven't yet experienced Blackthorn dry cider,
now is time for you to experience its unique subtle flavor …..something
Englishmen have been doing for 2000 years. And be sure to tell
your friends about us.
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