This is my brother's girlfriend's favorite cider. She was going to have my brother get me some for Christmas, but something went awry and that never panned out. Instead, she ended up getting me some Blake's, specifically a Cyser (Blake's' honey cider)--it was super good.

While she couldn't get me Newton Folly's Authentic Draft Cider, she told me where to find it: Trader Joe's. I went and picked up a sixer (it was roughly $7) and dove in. I had no idea what I was expecting. After trying it, I saw some pretty not good things about the cider online. But I drank Authentic anyway. And now, here I am at my last bottle (I decided to crack it open before snapping a picture, so please excuse my lack of a bottle cap shot). Do I think it's as bad as everyone else?

Newton's Folly has, from what I can discern, no web presence. At all. The box tells me it's produced by Middleton, VT's American Hard Cider Company, that the cider rings in at 5% ABV, and that Authentic Draft Cider is crisp with a clean finish.

I cannot find any other information on the cider. I gather that it's a TJ's exclusive, however. This isn't bad. In fact, I prefer it to having gobs and gobs of details because it lets me form my own opinions of the cider.

The cider has a dry white wine quality in its aroma. It's slightly boozy, with apple sweetness. I'm getting apple blossoms, and a little bit of hay. The nose itself is intoxicating. I love it. Purrl gave it three whiffs, indicating that it's not really her thing.


The flavor is all draft cider. Very sweet, definitely fleshed out largely (if not completely) by dessert apples (like Red Delicious). Contrary to the cider's aroma, there's no alcohol present in its taste. It's not bad, but doesn't live up to the presentation of its bouquet.

Authentic is a very bubbly cider. Almost champagne-like in its carbonization. It gives a little more oomph to each swig and is pretty standard for the style, but doesn't do much to accentuate the cider itself.

I really wish I had an apple picking story to share with you, because the amazing aroma of this cider lends itself perfectly to an apple picking story, but I don't. Don't get me wrong; I'm sure I've been apple picking at one point in my life. I just don't remember it.

But this is conjuring up a memory of a crisp, bright, early autumn morning. I was in eighth grade and my friends and I had stayed up half the night playing the Nintendo GameCube classic, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles (which, by the way, to this day I have never beaten). After waking up, surprisingly early considering we were  a bunch of 14-year-old kids, we opted to go for a hike through the woods behind my friend's house.

The leaves had all turned but were still desperately clinging to their tree branches. The air was crisp due to the onset of one of the season's frosts. The sun was its blue sky and shining brightly, lending a fantastical quality to the morning. Being the imaginative eighth grader I was, I envisioned myself exploring a fantasy world, sword sheathed at my side. For a few brief moments, my friends and I were a party, exploring an uncharted Tolkien-esque forestscape.

Anyway, Newton's Folly Authentic Draft Cider, as I said earlier, gets a lot of hate. All of that hate is unfounded. It's a good cider, especially for the price. It has an out-of-this-world bouquet. I'm giving it an 8.0/10--it's not my favorite cider of all time, but is definitely something to pick up if you only have a few bucks and are looking for a good drink.