• 2026-11-12
• review
• san-leandro
• san leandro tasting room
• san leandro bars
• cider
• cidery
• blindwood cider
• cider tasting
• cider producer
• bars
• tasting-rooms
• cider
• cideries
• Blindwood Cider Tasting Room
• 12 November 2026

Address: 2547 Williams Street
Region: San Leandro, CA
Website: https://www.blindwood.com/
Phone: 510-969-5138

The 411 on Blindwood Cider #

The Vibe: Blindwood Cider’s tasting room is in a row of warehouses near the San Leandro marina. Look for their sign on the sidewalk, or you may not realize there’s a tasting room to be found!

Distillation takes place onsite, and the tasting room is inviting with artwork on the walls. Friendly faces abound behind the bar and among the clientele. On a Saturday afternoon, it was consistently full.

Blindwood Cider is a family affair, run by a husband, wife, and sister team. It’s named for “blind wood,” the condition of branches that are not sprouting leaves and often viewed as a lost cause. Inspirationally, cider maker Drew Gabel views blind wood as branches with potential instead, as investing in pruning them back and helping them become productive again should bear fruit in time.

Cider is available on tap or in bottles from the to-go fridge. Twelve-ounce glasses are the standard pour, or you can build a flight of 4-ounce tasters with flavors of your choosing. Of course, that’s the option I took!

The tasting room is open Fridays through Sundays, early afternoon through early evening. Check the website to confirm current hours.

My Take on Blindwood Cider #

The Cider:

Blindwood Cider produces a slate of their four original, or “staple,” flavors along with seasonal flavors and hand-pressed single varietals and blends. After a couple decades of drinking, I am skeptical of spirited beverages that combine ingredients like pineapple wine, marshmallow beer, or blackberry cider as they are often more of a gimmick than a well-executed beverage. But our expectations were flipped at Blindwood Cider! We all enjoyed the staple and seasonal Blindwood Cider combinations more than the hand-pressed options.

For instance, the Ginger Peppercorn cider was a definite favorite of the group. Neither the ginger nor the peppercorn overwhelmed the apple flavor but rather enhanced it subtly. The same was true of the Honey Sage and the Dry-Hopped, the latter of which leans on added hops for a tasty floral option.

Of the six hand-pressed specialty options we tried, only the Arkansas Black tickled our fancies. The others tasted out of balance, with a strong citric acid presence. I did like the Under Pressure, which had a light bubbliness, and the Richard Persimmons that blended Newtown Pippin apples with Hachiya persimmons. My companions did not…though some of those options grew on them as time passed.

I also enjoyed the seasonal El Tigre selection. Tamarind and lime flavors danced with the apples’ natural sweetness, producing a refreshing cider. It made me curious about the other seasonals, like the Cardi B with cardamom and plums and the Coffee Chaff & Bourbon Barrels.

The ABVs of Blindwood Cider’s selection ranged from 5.8% to 10%. I wonder if part of the reason I enjoyed their staples and seasonal more than the hand-pressed options was that they were on the lower end of that range. It’s certainly possible!

Would I Go Back for a $24 Tasting? That was roughly the cumulative price of my six cider choices. And yes, I would! I’ve learned that their single varietal ciders may taste less balanced than I prefer, but there’s no question that the cider maker has mastered his staple flavors. Those I would readily turn to in the tasting room or on draft at the multitude of Bay Area bars and restaurants they appear. I can trust that they’re on the drier side of hard cider, and I look forward to checking out more of Blindwood Cider’s seasonal flavors. So taste again, I must!

Visited September 2026.