Tesco Cider Survival Guide - 5 of the best Ciders

At Crafty Nectar, we are very passionate about our mission to support small craft cider producers. But if the pandemic has made us realize one thing, it’s the importance of convenience. Sometimes, it just isn’t feasible to visit your favourite local producer.

So as special as small producers are to us, this special article is devoted to the epitome of convenience – Tesco cider. Nope, you didn’t misread that. This one’s all about sharing some of the best cider at Tesco without compromising on quality.

Because as important as quality cider is to us enthusiasts, safety is always the number one priority. In this special article, we’ve picked five of our favourites to help you with Tesco cider survival!

1) PULPT FLARE

Allow us to introduce you to our latest cider on this list – FLARE by PULPT. Every sip of this delicious gentle bittersweet and bittersharp cider captures the essence of PULPT.

Their “New Fashioned” quality cider is all about celebrating the essence of our favourite pure, unadulterated bubbly. The flavour profile is very well-balanced and the subtle tannins really come through quite well.

PULPT only uses English apples of the highest quality, and each bottle of FLARE features the finest Chisel Jerseys.

Given that it’s a contemporary cider that, in a certain way, pays homage to classic cider, it's less challenging and complex with less tannins and florality than the rest of their range. But that can be a good attribute if you like a cider that’s a little less intense and focuses more on the apple’s sweetness and acidity that will make it more accessible to the wider cider drinking market. 

And the best part is that you can pick up a bottle of PULPT FLARE from Tesco itself! All this earns the PULPT FLARE top spot in our Tesco cider list!

2) Henney's Dry Cider

3) Thatchers Vintage Cider 500ml

This isn’t the first time that we’ve featured Thatchers ciders. They’re one of the top commercial cider producers in the country and that earns them an easy place in our list here. Thatchers cider has been around since 1904, with the fourth generation of the Thatcher family now managing and expanding operations. Their prime focus has been on quality from day one and this is evident across their cider range even today!

If you’re aware of their offerings, you know that they offer a plethora of different cider options, including some unique brews. But the one we’ve picked here is a classic – the Vintage cider. It makes great use of high-quality bittersweet apples and is aged in oak vats.

The result is a deep flavour and a very satisfying light colour & lovely sparkle. It goes without saying that it’s vegan and gluten-free, but it does contain sulphites to keep the cider as fresh as possible, as do most of the ciders in this list.

It’s a great choice if you’re looking for the best of both worlds – quality cider and convenience. Just be advised that it packs a fair bit of punch with 7.4% ABV. While that’s not exactly “high alcohol cider”, it’s certainly higher than many other ciders at Tesco!

We feel it pairs very well with bold foods like beef or lamb, something nice and savoury. And you can use it to make cocktails, too. Great to pair with a hearty meal, then.

4) Aspall Organic Suffolk Cyder Cider 500ml

Looking for a cider at Tesco that still captures the essence of an almost artisan local producer? The Aspall Organic Suffolk Cyder might be what the doctor ordered…

It’s made with all organic apples and is still produced at the iconic Aspall Cyder House, carrying the legacy on for a staggering 300 years! The end result is very interesting. As you may know, Aspall has been around for quite a long time. But unlike many cider makers that stick to age-old methods of producing cider, Aspall has chosen to adopt newer technologies and processes as long as it helps them create the fine, artisanal cyder that they’re known for!

Their obsession with the perfect cider is truly mesmerizing, with the brand focusing on every part of the experience including the shape of the bottle and how the golden nectar flows. Talk about attention to detail!

Now, one thing you notice almost immediately when you open a bottle of their organic cyder is the refreshing wildflower aroma. In fact, you can taste the floral notes from the first sip itself! And what hits you after is just how complex and intricate the finish feels.

The alcohol content is fairly moderate all things considered. At 6.8% ABV, it’s lesser than the Thatchers Vintage Cider, but a tad bit more than some of the other Tesco ciders.

In a taste test, we’re quite confident that you’d have a hard time believing that you can grab such a quality full-bodied cider at Tesco!

5) Angioletti Apple Cider

Angioletti is a frequent mention in our articles. From delicious fruit cider to becoming a part of our special Somerset Cider Week collection, this brand has captured the essence of fine cider very well.

Most cider enthusiasts must be aware than Angioletti makes craft Italian ciders using the Charmat method. This unique process gives the cider a really fine sparkling finish, one that’s similar to Prosecco.

The cider uses no artificial flavourings or sweeteners. No fake colours either. Just the goodness of 100% Italian apple ciders!

Digging deeper into this Teso cider, the 5% ABV might seem a little low for something like this, but we felt it goes well with the overall appeal and experience. Many Angioletti ciders hover around the 5% ABV mark and most, if not all, are delicious. So this one’s no exception!

Angioletti ciders are made in the scenic Tres village in Trentino, Italy. The near 30-year journey has been spectacular for the brand, with Angioletti becoming a household name internationally, recognised for their high-quality craft Italian cider. And to think that we can get such a rich cider at Tesco! So convenient, isn’t it?

Bonus Tesco Cider: Sheppy’s Low Alcohol Cider

Since there’s a great selection of ciders at Tesco, we thought it’d be best to include one for our low-alcohol cider-loving friends, too!

Now Sheppy’s is a brand that needs no introduction. They’ve been in the game since 1816 and have given us some of the finest ciders that we’re all familiar with and love. In their 200+ years of cider mastery, the baton has been passed on through six generations, with each carrying the legacy forward by combining modern techniques with the classic Sheppy’s touch.

Given that they’ve modernized their facilities lately, their ciders aren’t made in quite the same way as a local cidery would, but the taste is still there.

One of their more recent introductions is the low alcohol cider with just 0.5% ABV.

It’s honestly a great alternative to traditional ciders as you still retain the classic taste and feel of a cider, but still get the benefits that a low-alcohol cider has. So whether you’re avoiding the extra calories or want to go the healthy route, this could be a great pick. Just keep in mind that since it’s still got 0.5% ABV, you have to be at least 18 years of age to consume it.

Tesco Cider? To sum things up...

Those are a few of our favourite Tesco ciders that you can get amongst the mainstream mediocracy. And sure, there are many more ciders at Tesco, right from fruit ciders to high ABV ones. But the ones we’ve handpicked here that are close enough to the ciders on our site and to appeal to a broad variety of taste buds ;)

And we haven’t gotten to the best part yet – Tesco ciders can have some great deals on them. For instance, many of the ones we talked about are available at fantastic prices which makes the deal even sweeter (no pun intended).

And with online ordering available, it really adds to the convenience and makes it that much easier to follow lockdown guidelines!

So while we do understand that nothing can quite replace or even mimic the charm of having ciders from smaller craft cider producers, this really is a good alternative. And sure, you don’t get the full experience that you could get if you were shopping at a craft cider producer, but you can still get a really good quality beverage and great deals very conveniently. It’s almost a fair trade-off if you ask us!

Now you've survived Tesco, it's time you had a little upgrade and experienced some proper artisan craft ciders. The problem is the ciders in this box are THAT GOOD, they'll soon be in Tesco soon...