How to describe cider taste
By Cider Radar · Updated
Describe cider one trait at a time: how sweet it is, how full it feels (body), how drying or puckering it is (astringency), how sparkling, how sour, how bitter, how cloudy, and how clean or funky. Then add any extra flavours and how long the finish lasts. These are the scales tasters use in Cider Radar.
How sweet is it?
Sweetness is the level of sugar you taste: dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet, semi-sweet/sweet or sweet. Acidity and tannin can make a cider seem drier than it is — see cider sweetness.
How full does it feel?
Body is the weight or fullness of the cider in your mouth, from light or thin-bodied through medium to thick or full-bodied.
Is it drying or puckering?
Astringency is the drying, puckering feeling that tannin leaves on your gums and tongue — from none to very astringent. Ciders from bittersweet and bittersharp apples are usually more astringent.
How sparkling is it?
From still through light and medium carbonation to heavily sparkling. Note whether the bubbles are fine and soft or big and sharp.
How sour is it?
Sourness is the tart, acidic side of a cider — from none to very sour. Apples bring mostly malic acid; malolactic fermentation softens it.
Is it bitter, cloudy or funky?
Bitterness ranges from not bitter to very bitter. Turbidity is how hazy or cloudy the cider looks, from clear to very cloudy. Funk covers farmyard, earthy and other unusual notes — from very clean to very funky.
What else should I note?
Add any extra flavours you notice — fruit, flowers, spice, oak, honey — and the finish: how long the taste stays after you swallow. Then give your overall rating.
How do I record this in Cider Radar?
In the app you can rate a cider from 1 to 5 and describe it on cider-specific scales such as sweetness, body, tannin, turbidity and funk. Your notes join the bottle card next to other drinkers' notes and ratings.