#TCECiderMob with Haykin Family Cider!
The TCE Admins (and all of the TCE members really) are a spoiled group. We’ve had the special opportunity over the last five years to get to know many of the great cider makers and teams that make our favorite beverage, and really get to call them friends. Our second cidery for the #TCECiderMob is special for any number of reasons. They make fantastic ciders, they help support the cider community, and they’ve got an adorable (and growing!) family to boot. Most importantly though, Haykin Family Cider is special because they’re great people, period. We couldn’t be more excited to help support them and share them with the cider community! Show them some love by ordering some amazing cider (use code CIDERMOB for 10% off, or CIDERMOBCASE for 20% off a full case through August 8th!), and get to know the Haykin’s! -TCE! Admins
TCE! Admins: Before we get too formal, one of our favorite things is that your cidery is very family focused - it’s even in the name. So most importantly, how are Daniel, the kids, and you all doing?
Talia Haykin: Thank you for asking! We are good. Watching our kids grow (and fall in love with the cidery) has been so fun. David is 6 and introduced himself last year in Kindergarten to the upperclassmen as “David Haykin of Haykin Family Cider,” so I should probably get him some business cards. ;) Eva is 3 and she likes being the boss. She is definitely the CEO in training. I think it’s probably a good opportunity to share with the world that we are expecting our third little cidermaker in early December!
TCE!: Wow! What fantastic news that your family is growing! We all wish you the best and can’t wait to meet the newest Haykin!
TCE!: It’s been about eighteen months since we first interviewed you as part of our Women’s History Month #SupportCider campaign at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (read our first interview with Talia here). What has the last year and a half been like for the cidery, and as a small business?
Talia: Whew! Loaded question… It’s been hard as hell. I tell folks I feel like I am doing twice the work for half the sales. Half of our wholesale was fine dining and that really evaporated last year. Thank goodness for our amazing cider club members. That was the real bright spot in the past year. We managed to grow our club in a really tough time. Not to mention that Dan is actually a financial advisor in the real world so the past year and half has been a real rollercoaster for him and that meant that I took on more with the cidery. I also have had some really amazing conversations with other small business owners and our customers about how important it is to support small local businesses.
TCE!: What made you want to apply for the new #TCECiderMob project?
Talia: Well I definitely was a bit bashful to apply but I thought it was such a cool initiative. Especially when you are small, getting your cider into new hands is always incredibly important. Plus I love the TCE community so much. I’ve learned about many different producers and cider drinker’s preferences while hanging out in the group.
TCE!: You graciously decided to offer everyone 10% off through August 8th, as well as offering up some rare ciders for the TCECiderMob to try (which we can’t wait to order and try too!). Tell us about some of your favorites that are available for the first time outside your cider club.
Talia: Oh man!!! That’s so hard! It’s like picking a favorite kid, it depends on the time of day. ;) I think Ruby Jon is an amazing cider and then the rare bottles I have up there are great but we don’t have many left of them!! We released those only to our club members for our anniversary in February. But there’s a lot of good stuff there. Sorry it’s such a long scroll but there’s a lot of hidden gems there.
TCE!: Do you have any new and fun ciders in the pipeline that you can currently share?
Talia: Well the biggest bestest thing I can share is the pipeline for our Methode Ancestrale ciders. We have so many amazing things that we are working on and they taste amazing. Plus new apples that we are working with this year which won’t be released for a couple of years.
TCE!: One unique quality of Haykin Family Cider is that your ciders are all certified kosher. Please share with us about that?
Talia: So Dan and I are religiously observant Jews and within our community we have many friends who keep strict kashrut. It was really important to us that all of our friends could enjoy our product. Knowing the process was inherently kosher, many were willing to drink it anyway but we wanted to make it accessible to all. The kosher community, while coming so far since I was a kid staring with longing at Oreos (they only became kosher in 1997), still has a ways to go to give folks a depth of options especially in the beverage world. We are tapped by Jewish friends around the country for cider for their holiday tables.
TCE!: Many TCE members have expressed how much they enjoyed the Haykin Family Cider TCE Tasting Zoom this past January, and are adding visits to your cidery to their travel plans! Is your tasting room currently open to the public? Tell us about what all you have going on and what you would recommend to first time visitors!
Talia: Let’s do another zoom! If one good thing came out of this horrible situation, I am so glad that we are all comfortable with zoom events!!! It opens a whole new world for us. Our tasting room is open! Right now it’s just Sat and Sun from 2-8. We reduced our hours because of COVID but I think we will be expanding them come fall. We are definitely a destination spot (read industrial condo ;) ) but there are so many cool things nearby, including a James Beard nommed restaurant. We also are close to the airport so if you time it right, come in before your flight and hang out! We are a fairly small space so tours can basically be done from your stool but you can totally get up close and personal with our giant VW bus on wheels press and the tanks. Plus if you give us a heads up (and we aren’t crazy with kids) Dan or I might come by. We love talking about cider. We don’t serve anything but cider so grab some tasty takeout and come by!
TCE!: We recently learned that you’re the co-host of a podcast, From Apples to Fromage (give a listen here). Tell us more about it, and do you have any favorite cheese and cider pairing to recommend?
Talia: Yes! This was born out of a chance conversation with my newish cheese friend Colleen. We like to drink and eat cheese together so we decided to record it! She has taught me so much about cheese. (Did you know sheep are super hard to ranch so anyone who makes sheep’s milk cheese is basically doing a labor of love?) We both think cider and cheese are a perfect pair and it's been fun to explore it. I choose a cider then she chooses a cheese based on the tasting notes. Sometimes it’s incredible and sometimes it’s just good but we have fun no matter what.
My favorite pairing was FOR SURE the Niedzwetzkyana cider and Cambozola black label. It’s a brie style blue cheese (did you know that even existed?? It’s SO good) and the dryness of the Niedz goes so well with the creamy richness of the cheese.
TCE!: Anything else you want to add?
Talia: I have loved being a ‘fly on the wall’ in the TCE group. You all are so nice and supportive to cidermakers and cider drinkers of all flavors. I’m so glad I found you guys!
Awesome ciders and awesome family. Pick up their great ciders that Talia mentioned and more here! Use code CIDERMOB for 10% off, or get 20% off a case with code CIDERMOBCASE. Don’t want cider, but still want to support Haykin? Grab a great piece of merch here! If you’re in or visiting Colorado, check out the Haykin Family Cider tasting room at 12001 E 33rd Ave unit d, Aurora, CO 80010. Also, congrats on their Best in Class at GLINTCAP for their McIntosh cider in the Modern Cider category and Methode Ancestrale in the Rosé Cider category!
