An interview with Kyle Buckel, the Cider Seeker!
During May, The Cider Exchange has reached out to members who you may know via social media outlets to be interviewed so you can get to know the people behind the persona. Our first interview is with Kyle Buckel, aka "The Cider Seeker." I've been fortunate to get to know and interact with Kyle thanks to the various social media outlets that we both utilize but was psyched to actually meet him at CiderCon 2019 in Chicago. I'm eternally indebted to Kyle personally as he pulled off what has been the greatest favor anyone has helped me with in our cider exchange group as he brought back cider from his most recent trip to Ireland and was kind enough to share as that was a bucket list item for me. I hope this interview gives a little extra insight into what's going on in Kyle's world. Cheers!
-Matt Windle
Matt Windle: Tell us about you. We get wrapped up in our cider personas that sometimes people don't know who we truly are or what we do that affords us the opportunity to be cider crazy people.
Kyle Buckel: I grew up in a small town in Northeast Ohio but relocated to the southwest side of Cleveland to work as a project manager for a marketing firm. It’s great to have quick access to amenities but I do miss some aspects of rural living and hope to find a balance between the two in the future. We’re close to the airport, which is great as my partner and better half, Ashley, and I enjoy traveling when we’re not in the midst of a global pandemic. Ashley recently started vlogging our adventures to preserve the memories of the cool places we've visited. I’m also a gearhead and avid preservationist of the manual transmission. When I have downtime (which is rare) I may pick up a guitar or a camera to try to create or capture something pleasant. I’m very fortunate and thankful for the opportunities we’ve had to be and meet crazy cider people!
MW: How did you get into cider? When did a casual interest become a full flung passion?
KB: Cider was a pretty natural step for me. Beer and I never got along (thanks, gluten sensitivity), and while I enjoy some liquors and wines, I wanted something else and found it in cider…eventually. Like many US-based consumers, my early cider experiences were questionably sweet. However, they created an interest. I wanted something like the ciders I had tried, but less sweet. I couldn’t find it at the time, so I got supplies to make my own - and then didn’t - for a few years. But in 2016, I started my first batch of cider and more cider options were appearing at local shops. It snowballed from there.
MW: What kind of ciders do you prefer? Do you have any particular favorite ciders that you can recall or what are some of your favorite cideries? Do you have a regular go-to cider?
KB: I typically trend toward dry, tannic, and/or acidic ciders but there are always some outliers. In general, something that showcases what quality apples (or pears) are capable of. I’m not opposed to adjuncts, though (especially currants), and love the character barrel aging can add. My list of standout cideries and their ciders is in constant flux, but today I can recall Eden’s Siren Song, Oliver’s Blakeney Red Perry, Longueville House’s Mór, Ash & Elm’s Bourbon Barrel Fickle Flame, and Albemarle’s Cidermaker’s Choice #5. For go-to cider, I could drink Tilted Shed’s Still Standing and ANXO’s Rojo every day.
MW: Being "The Cider Seeker" implies that you're willing to travel to seek out cider and cider related adventures. Can you tell us some stories about that?
KB: Hah, yeah, about that…we can’t go anywhere without making a list of every cider spot within a “reasonable” distance. My definition of “reasonable” is skewed in favor of the cider. We had trips planned for 2020 that have been postponed, but some of our favorite experiences so far have been (in descending chronological order):
Visiting Albemarle last December, which happened to be a day warm enough for Chuck to take us on an impromptu tour.
We visited the Finger Lakes/Upstate NY in early 2019, stopping at Embark, Rootstock, Black Duck, and The Finger Lakes Cider House – and we can’t wait to go back to visit again, and stop off at a few more places.
PA has been a great state for cider adventures, both at A Few Bad Apples Ciderfest and PA Ciderfest.
We’ve also done some international cider seeking in Ireland. Last August we visited Killahora and toured the grounds with Barry and also got to catch up with Rubert of Longueville House.
Our Longueville House cider-seeking experience in 2018 is memorable for so many reasons. Rubert responded to a post I made about seeking cider in Ireland and made sure we had an experience to remember including a tour of the grounds, meeting with Dan (Cidermaker and Distiller) and transportation to and from the estate. Longueville House is not just a producer of cider and Apple Brandy – their exceptional dining, hospitality, and grounds make it a wonderful place to visit or stay. We look forward to going back and highly recommend anyone traveling in Ireland to add it to their itinerary. And a pro-tip: Longueville House is located in Mallow, Co. Cork, so if you get to the Mallow Train Station, don’t wait 45 minutes for the train to Cork City and exit there, because you’ll be much further away…not that I know by experience or anything.
The common thread of all this cider-seeking is the people. Sure, cider is nice, but the community and company really make the experiences worthwhile. I can’t thank everyone who’s been a part of the journey enough, and I look forward to seeing you all again!
MW: Closer to home, what's the cider scene in Ohio like and how have you seen it change?
KB: Cider in Ohio is growing exponentially. It makes sense: We have space to the west and south, a Great Lake to the north, and a history of orchards and nurseries good enough for John Chapman himself.
Griffin Cider House was my first local cider spot and is still one of my favorites. Richard is an ex-pat from England, and being dissatisfied with cider options when he came here, started making English-style ciders in Ohio. Griffin Cider House now offers guest ciders that otherwise wouldn’t be available in the state. Gnarly Pippin (by The Bottlehouse) and Bent Ladder are two more Northeast Ohio favorites of mine. They’re both using Ohio apples, many of them being heirloom and cider-specific varieties, to create what I would say are world-class ciders. The New Frontier Cider Company is (as far as I know) the only maker of cold-concentrated cider in the state. I’ve yet to do a proper visit but have had the opportunity to taste cider From West End Ciderhouse in Athens, another creator using Ohio heirloom and cider apples to make excellent cider. In the last 3 years, I’ve learned of more Ohio cider producers than I can count, with new ones popping up regularly, and I still need to visit most of them.
The recent state of things has created some challenges, but Ohio is used to being the underdog, and we will persevere. I haven’t had much time to commit to it, but I created an Ohio Cider Instagram and Facebook profile to promote Ohio Cider, Apples, and Orchards. You’ll be seeing more of us in the future!
MW: You make your own cider at home. What's that experience been like? Do you have plans to go commercial or find a way into the cider industry?
KB: It’s a learning experience, for sure. I have 3 apple trees and a countertop juicer, so aside from a half-gallon last year, I’m not pressing my own apples. I would like to put more trees in and get a press, but even then, I don’t plan to ever have enough apples to make all the cider we’d want to make.
I spent the first two years experimenting with yeast strains, production methods, and trying different orchard suppliers. The last two years have been more about refining, and I’m pretty happy with how our cider is turning out. There’s always more to learn and room to improve, though. We’ve started a great relationship with the orchard we’ve bought fresh cider from the last two harvests. While picking up a modest 45 gallons last year they told us they would press custom blends for us, so I’m really looking forward to dialing in our cider that way.
I want to be a positive contributor to the cider industry in some way. There have been, are, and will be thoughts and discussions about stepping into the commercial side of cider. Whether it’s selling our cider, helping others with their cider, seeking and offering exceptional ciders, or some mix of those, I’m not sure yet. If I can create and offer something worthwhile, be socially and environmentally responsible, and maintain some balance in life, then I’ll go for it.
MW: Obviously, we're living in unprecedented times. What have the last few months been like for you?
KB: It’s been weird. Ashley has RA which requires immune suppression to help manage, so we are staying home as much as possible to minimize risk. We’re fortunate and thankful for the ability to continue to work remotely. Also, for the perspective and opportunity to reprioritize our lives.
Because we’re staying home, we haven’t been able to support our favorite spots by picking up to-go cider, but look forward to picking up local cider when it’s safe and responsible to do so. We have placed orders from a few cideries and are working through some older (but excellent) cider stock. I’ve also been dialing back my social media usage and consumption during this time – a needed break. But I’m working out a plan to help ramp back up with the intent to encourage others to support cider if they’re able to.
MW: Any particular fond memories that cider had a part in?
KB: So many. We’ve grown closer to family and friends, and made new friends, all over cider.
Our visit to Longueville House in Ireland was our first “big” cider adventure so it’s a top memory for us. We’ve attended and hosted cider tastings with family and friends, which is always a great time. Last year we took a small group of friends on a world tour of cider and food pairings in our living room and really want to do something like that again. I’ve been able to volunteer at Cidercon for the last two years, which are packed with great memories (and yes, I do remember it all!). This group deserves a shout-out as well! There’s real joy in setting up a cider exchange, seeking out cider for someone based on their preferences, and discovering new ciders from others.
Again, it all goes back to the people. The cider brings us together, but the people are worth staying for.
MW: Nuggets: feel free to share anything you'd like about your past experiences or plans going forward or just state of the industry in your eyes.
KB: As you mentioned, we’re living in unprecedented times and need to do all we can to support each other. The cider community is strong and we can get through this together. We need to support those who have suffered losses and help rebuild. A silver lining is that we have the opportunity to change what wasn’t working and influence the “new normal.”
This is an incredible journey and I’m just thankful for it. I started The Cider Seeker under a different name as a way to keep track of ciders I tried and make notes on things I wanted to try in my own cidermaking. It took on a life of its own and I’m sort of along for the ride at this point. The current goal is to spread the word about cider and the good people involved with it. Many paths lead there, and I hope we share a cider or two along the way!