[no_toc]When it comes to Valentine’s Day it is all about one thing, cider. Some may say it is for love, But I know quite a bit more about fake history than they do. Yet, this is the time of the year where we forcibly show our significant other that we genuinely care for them. And, what better way to show that than with cider-related gifts? Outside of suggesting some cider pairings, we have five perfect cider gift ideas for your partner this Valentine’s Day:

The Original Cider Tasting Mug & Book

We wrote an article reviewing this cider tasting mug and have been in love ever since. These testing tools are a must have for a cider connoisseur. Not only are they cider-centric, but they are fun gifts to get. The attention to detail from the mug to the booklet keep the ideals of cider at its core. The mug has a wide mouth, great feel, and an internal stamp on the base of the mug to create bubbles. The tasting book features a variety of flavor profiles to help describe cider for someone who is not as sophisticated in the space or reminders for tasting experts. It is not only is cool but also can help you remember all of those delicious ciders that you have drank — a great book to bring to the liquor store to remind you which cider to purchase again. Check out the full review of the Original Cider Tasting Mug & book before you pick yours up.

A Cider Tour from Groupon

The best way to experience cider is to get out and go to a cidery itself. Some cideries have free cider tours while others you can simply grab tickets online or from Groupon for tours. Cider tours are a great way to get out of the house and try something new. May it be an hour drive or a venture into a new city across the states, cideries are great places to enjoyed well-crafted drinks and get to know locals in a warm environment. Grab some tickets now! Just search “cider tastings” or “cider tours” and select the region you are interested in.

Cider Swag from CiderScene’s Threadless

It would not be a complete list without some cider-centric swag, and we have some of the best on the web (we are not biased at all). We have a mix of CiderScene branded material and hard-cider-based shirts for those who need another avenue to declare their love for hard cider! May it be a towel, a jacket, or one of our many shirt designs, all of these items can be found, conveniently, on our Threadless website.

Cider Subscription Boxes

What is better than a cider delivered to your door that you get to come home to and open like a present? Not much, I tell you. This is the best, absolute best way for any cider connoisseur to taste or try ciders that may be harder to obtain in the area. There are a few options in the cider subscription game, too. Here are a few larger companies: DoubleCider, Orchard Box, Crafty Nectar, and Cidrbox. They typically offer month-to-month subscription services, as well as yearly discounted subscriptions. Some of our favorite boxes are crafted specially for holidays like Christmas. If you go with the DoubleCider box subscription and use CIDERSCENE10 at checkout, you will get a nice little discount. You can make that purchase here.

Hard Cider

This may seem like an obvious choice but what beats the good old product itself? Cider is the perfect mate for any meal that you choose this Valentine’s Day. Cider can be just like a fine wine.

To celebrate the pre-meal or post-meal, we suggesting finding something a little drier to drink this year.

If you are eating a heavy protein perhaps with a sauce, like steak or pork, you could go with something oaky or definably tannic, like you would with wine. We’ve heard that tannic wines, like red wine, pairs well with meat. Why, you may ask? Tannins soften the fat in meat and help release flavor. The same goes for cider! Depending on where you live, you can find high tannin or oaky ciders from a local cider maker. To make life simplier, we provided a few suggestions based on overarching region below:

Midwest: Virtue Michigan Apple & Island Orchard Cider Oak Aged Apple Cider

West Coast: Finnriver Oak and Apple & Snowdrift Cornice Pacific Coast Blueberry Zinfandel

East Coast: Woodchuck Winter Chill & Downeast Winter Blend

South: Bold Rock Vintage Dry Bishop Cider High and Dry

Canada: Ironwood Cider Tres Robles & Sea Cider Wild English

Need help finding local cidermakers? Use our cidery locator to find the perfect stop on your way home.

You are ready to surprise your loved one with the joy of cider! Make their V-day special and give them one of these five cider gifts. Now, don’t spill the wine on their new carpet and make sure you get the right shirt size. We don’t want any argument on this day of cider… err, love!