On Santa Cruz’s westside, in a spirited courtyard housing a coffee shop, boutiques, a bespoke butcher shop, and a few local favorite spots to nosh, a new spot for hard cider has opened in a shared space with Sones Cellars, a local, family-owned winery producing small lots of fine quality, distinctive wines. While single-variety wines are common, Tanuki Cider produces a single-varietal cider made from local apples. 

Tanuki’s dry farmhouse ciders are grown, pressed, fermented and bottled in Santa Cruz County and made from Newtown pippins sourced at Five Mile Orchards in the mid-county town of Corralitos. Cider-maker Robby Honda has been crafting this unique brew for a decade, resulting in a cider that is bubbly, light amber in color, medium body with a dry finish.