CIGARS & CIDER

Cider & Cigar Tasting — June Block Party

Friday, June 20th · Hill Country Cider House

This June 20th, as part of our June Block Party, pull up a chair for something a little slower and a lot more indulgent: a guided Cider & Cigar Tasting at Hill Country Cider House. There's no finer way to spend a Hill Country evening than with a hand-picked cigar in one hand, a flight of our ciders in the other, and good company all around.

We've built a five-cider flight that travels from bone-dry to dessert-sweet, paired with two carefully chosen Arturo Fuente cigars. We'll walk you through each pairing — what to taste for, why it works, and how the right cigar can completely change the way a cider drinks. Whether you're a seasoned aficionado or lighting your very first cigar, you'll leave knowing how to pair like a pro.

Seats are limited and this flight is meant to be enjoyed unhurried, so reserve your spot before the Block Party crowd rolls in.

Here's what you'll taste:

Texas Style — We open dry and crisp with our black-tea-infused sparkling cider, paired with a mild, creamy Connecticut-wrapped Fuente. The cigar's soft cedar smooths the tea's gentle bite — a clean, bright way to wake up the palate.

Black Bart — Our blackberry-and-aronia cider brings dark fruit and an elegant tartness. That same mild cigar turns creamy against it and lets the berries shine. (Steal a puff of the second cigar here, too — dark berry and Cameroon spice are a match worth discovering.)

Grenadine — Now we switch cigars. Tart-sweet pomegranate meets the gentle spice of a Cameroon-wrapped Fuente, which lifts the red fruit and adds a welcome touch of warmth.

Pineapple Paradise — Bright pineapple with a whisper of coconut, tropical and creamy. The cigar's medium body and light pepper give it backbone — think toasted coconut meeting cedar smoke.

Sweet Mabel — We finish sweet. A small pour of our smooth, honeyed apple cider, almost a liqueur, wrapped in the cigar's spicy-sweet finish. A rich, lingering way to say goodnight.

About the Cigars

For this flight we've chosen two cigars from Arturo Fuente, each picked to travel alongside the ciders. The first is the Petit Corona in Connecticut Shade — mild and creamy, with a soft cedar note that sits gently beneath our drier ciders. The second is the Cubanitos in Cameroon — a touch bolder, medium-bodied with a gentle spice and natural sweetness that comes alive against the fruitier, sweeter pours. Both are smaller, easygoing sizes, made for a relaxed tasting rather than a marathon.

Have a favorite of your own? You're more than welcome to bring it. To keep it in step with the flight, we suggest something in one of these two lanes:

A mild, light-wrapped cigar — a Connecticut Shade or similar, creamy and mellow for the dry ciders up front.

A medium-bodied cigar with a little spice or sweetness — a Cameroon or Habano wrapper to stand up to the fruit and honey on the back half.

One friendly tip: save the big, full-strength maduros for another night — they'll overpower a cider — and a shorter size (a petit corona or corona) will pace nicely across the five pours.

Come thirsty, leave a little wiser — and a lot more relaxed.