What the heck is Feijoa? (A cider review.)

Background:

This is the last of the ciders I tried while in Australia.  I had already given the thumbs up to Old Mout’s Scrumpy Cider, so I was excited to try a cider involving a fruit I have NEVER HEARD OF.

Dear wikipedia,

What is a Feijoa?

• Acca sellowiana, a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, is native to the highlands of southern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern Argentina,and Colombia.^[1] It is widely cultivated as a garden plant and fruiting tree in New Zealand, and can be found as a garden plant elsewhere such as in Australia, Azerbaijan, West part of Georgia, South part of Russia and South Africa. ^[2] Common names include feijoa ( /feɪˈʒoʊ.ə/, /feɪˈdʒoʊ.ə/,^[3] or /feɪˈhoʊ.ə/)^[4] pineapple guava and guavasteen. It is an evergreen, perennial shrub or small tree, 1–7 metres (3.3–23 ft) in height, widely cultivated as a garden plant and fruiting tree. The German botanist Otto Karl Berg named feijoa after João da Silva Feijó, a Portuguese botanist born in the colony of Brazil.

 

And its flavour?

•  The flavour is aromatic, very strong and complex, inviting comparison with guava, strawberry, pineapple, and often containing a faint wintergreen-like aftertaste. It also is possible to buy feijoa yogurt, fruit drinks, jam, ice cream, and such in New Zealand. It also may be cooked and used in dishes where one would use stewed fruit. It is a popular ingredient in chutney. The very strong, complex flavour can make using feijoas, in combination with other fruits or vegetables, a creative and complex undertaking.

Now that I know what I was tasting, lets look at the cider.

 

Kind: Old Mout Cider – Feijoa and Cider

Size: 330mL glass bottle

Strength: 8% ABV

From: Nelson, New Zealand

 

Orgle’s Thoughts:

“We should’ve gotten an apple to taste them side by side.  There’s definitely something different to it. I like their other one, I like this one, I think I’d like their boysenberry one.”

My Thoughts:

It is different. That’s for sure. And not in a bad way.

There is an almost floral flavour from the feijoa. Its kind of like a sweeter pear skin. If that makes any sense.

It’s still strong like the others and quite dry. A really tart linger.  Distinct alcohol taste but it works well with the aromatic tartness.

Afterthoughts:

What I think the Old Mout Ciders taught me is that you can have a fruit cider without making a sweet cider.

Obviously, I’d love to try a feijoa to see how much of the fruit flavour came through in this cider, but maybe that would tarnish my impression of it – an impression that is definitely in the good category.

This cider was the most interesting one I tried down under and also one of the most memorable.

Where to buy:

Australia and New Zealand.

Sigh. Please find a North American distributor!

Review – Old Mout Apple cider – Scrumpy

Background:

On the bottle it says, “We think it’s pretty good.”

And before I get into the review, let me say, I agree. This one of the best ciders I tried in Australia. (Along with the already reviewed Cheeky Rascal)

(And it is from New Zealand.)

Name: Old Mout Cider (Mout rhymes with fruit)

Kind: Scrumpy

Size: 330mL glass bottle (though on the company website it shows other sizes)

From: Nelson, New Zealand

Company Info: (Full description)

“Old Mout Scrumpy is our take on the traditional Scrumpy recipe, with a gutsy apple flavour to seriously satisfy a solid thirst.”

Orgle’s thoughts:

“It’s interesting.”

My thoughts:

It’s definitely a scrumpy. It’s strong with quite a kick. The alcohol edge is expected for a scrumpy but it might be a bit much for a casual cider drinker.

The apple doesn’t get lost but it isn’t what lingers. The alcohol is what sticks around. There is a still the tang and apple of a good cider. It’s just too bad some of that doesn’t come back around the end.  It really starts out incredibly well.

The more I drank it, the more I like it. Not just because I’m drunk.

Afterthoughts:

I would also end up trying their Feijoa and Apple Cider. (Review to come.)

And I am kicking myself for not trying the other flavours: Passionfruit & Apple, Boysencider, Cranberry and Apple, Pear Scrumpy, and Classic Apple.

Where to buy:

Australia and New Zealand.

Sigh. Please find a North American distributor!

Mini Review – Monteith’s Crushed Apple Cider

Background:

Strongbow was the most common cider I saw in Australia, but this showed up several times.  We picked up a 4-pack on one of the first few nights there. We ended up at a “British-style” pub as we tried to escape the wind (seriously, that news story tells you what the weather was like when we were there), and that’s what was on tap.

Kind: Monteith’s Crushed Apple Cider

Size: 330mL bottle or on tap

Strength: 4.5%

Australian website description: MONTETIH’S NEW CRUSHED APPLE CIDER is crafted from sun-ripened Nelson fruit that gravitate from the province’s many thousands of apple trees before journeying to our Monteith’s master brewers here in Greymouth who spend three months carefully nurturing the freshly crushed apple juice.

(Yep, they failed to spell the company name right in the description! And that wasn’t the only mistake! Yikes!)

However, that was from the Australian website! And this is a cider from New Zealand.  The NZ website is prettier and lacks as many spelling and grammar mistakes. 🙂

New Zealand website description: A light, refreshing French-style cider made from 100% sun-ripened Nelson apples which have been freshly crushed to retain their natural flavour. Not from a syrup concentrate. Perfect for the moment you feel the sun on your back.

Orgle’s thoughts:

I didn’t write any down, but I just asked him, “what do you remember about Monteith’s Crushed Apple Cider?”

His response: “I just remember it being okay, kind of normal cider.”

My thoughts:

It had a lot of apple flavour. However it also was quite sweet.  Too sweet for me. But I ended up drinking all four bottles and the pint. So it can’t be that bad!

However, I liked it better than the Australian Original Strongbow.

And it gave me hope for what the rest of the ciders I would end up seeing on Australian store shelves would offer.

Note to self:

This would be the first of a few ciders from New Zealand. This would prove to be a recurring theme.

I wonder how long it will be until we see New Zealand ciders here. I’m a big fan of NZ brewer 8 Wired which is showing up in all the liquor stores in BC known for decent craft brewing selections.  Hopefully some of the cider producers can get that distribution connection as well!

Where to buy:

Australia and New Zealand.