Embodying Exactly What It Claims To, Mott’s Hot Apple Pie Instant Cider Mix Is Delightful!

The Good: Aroma, Tastes great!
The Bad: Environmentally irresponsible packaging.
The Basics: Mott’s Hot Apple Pie Hot Spiced Cider is the best flavor in the company’s line-up of instant cider drinks!


I am not a fan of apple pie. I wanted to be clear about that up front because I don’t want anyone to think I am biased in favor of Mott’s Hot Apple Pie Spiced Cider because of some love of apple pie. No, I am not a fan of apple pie or pie in general. To be honest, I like apple pie filling, but I am so turned off by the messy, flaky pie crust that helps to define pie that I am not a fan.

I am, however, now a big fan of Mott’s Hot Apple Pie Hot Spiced Cider. This is all of the best aspects of apple pie (as far as I am concerned) without any of the pie liabilities!

The Hot Apple Pie flavored hot cider is the latest one I have tried. I started with the Original flavor (reviewed here!) and moved on to the Caramel flavor (reviewed here!) and can easily say that the Hot Apple Pie flavor is the very best of the line I have tried thus far!

Basics

The Hot Apple Pie Orchard Style hot cider mix is part of the Mott’s Hot Spiced Cider hot cider line. The mix comes in a .74 oz. sealed foil package and come fifteen per box. Each .74 oz. packet is a single serving and these bear a relatively high price tag virtually everywhere I have found them. They tend to run approximately seventy cents each on their own, which might not seem like a lot, but adds up quickly. This is a little more expensive when compared to other make-at-home products, but easily beats the pants off of prices one pays when getting a hot beverage like this at a restaurant.

Ease Of Preparation

The Mott’s Hot Apple Pie Orchard Style hot cider mix is ridiculously simple to make. The cider is rather enduring and the packet my wife and I purchased in early January did not have an expiration date on it (though there was a batch number of some sort). Because each packet is individually sealed and has some preservatives in it, this is likely to last virtually forever unopened. A single serving is the packet and six oz. of water. There is no measuring of the product involved!

As a result, preparation is ridiculously simple. The top of the envelope has a perforated edge and one need simply tear open the top, which is quite easy, and pour the contents of the packet into a mug that is at least eight ounces large. Then, simply pour hot water - near boiling, but not actually boiling as boiling water cooks the ingredients as opposed to simply dissolving them - over the powder and stir. Stir the powder until there are no blobs of apple cider powder visible in the water or giving resistance from the bottom. The beverage will have a translucent brown color to it.

Taste

Mott’s Hot Spiced Cider Hot Apple Pie Orchard Style smells perfectly like a Hot Apple Pie, fresh out of the oven. The scent is richly apple scented with a good helping of cinnamon to the scent in a way that is immediately evocative of apple pie.

Hot Apple Pie Orchard Style hot cider tastes like the liquid incarnation of apple pie filling. Perfectly. Mott’s got this flavor absolutely right. There is no dry aftertaste, this is all sweet and apple-cinnamon flavored in a way that reminds me of the best aspects of apple pie.

As the drink cools, the beverage picks up a slight sour aftertaste, but it is still exceptionally good, flavorful and just like apple pie in its taste!

Nutrition

Mott’s Hot Apple Pie Hot Spiced Cider is a hot cider mix and is not as nutritious as fresh cider, though the Hot Apple Pie Orchard Style flavor could be far less nutritious than it is. While I am used to reviewing things like all natural teas where the ingredients are all easily pronounceable and recognizable, the Hot Apple Pie Orchard Style hot cider has a few ingredients that sound more like a chemistry experiment than a food product. The primary ingredients are sugar, maltodextrin and corn syrup solids. Oddly, apple puree powder is the fifth ingredient, which is surprising because it does have a strongly apple flavor to the drink. I could find nothing in the ingredients that would make this not vegan compliant, though the package does note that this is produced at a facility that works with milk and soy.

Obviously, Hot Apple Pie Orchard Style is pretty high in sugars. In each cup of Hot Apple Pie Orchard Style Hot Cider mix, there are 80 calories, none of which are from fat. There is no cholesterol and the consumer gets 1% of their recommended daily allowance of sodium out of a single packet of this beverage! This is fairly balanced by contributing 100% of one’s needed daily Vitamin C!

Storage/Cleanup

So long as one leaves the Hot Apple Pie Orchard Style Cocoa Classic powder in its packet, it ought to stay usable. One assumes it will last quite a while and dissolve appropriately when one attempts to use it. The packets, for those of us who consider the environmental impact of such things, are terribly wasteful and expensive. The foil/plastic wrappers are not recyclable anywhere I've been. In bulk, I tend to prefer canisters which reduce such waste, but this cider does not appear to be available in that form.

Cleanup is very easy. If the product spills while dumping it into the mug, simply wipe it up or brush it up with a dry or damp cloth. If it has already been reconstituted with water into hot cider, simply wipe it up. Light fabrics are likely to stain if this gets on them, in which case consult your fabric care guide to clean it up.

Overall

The Mott’s Hot Spiced Cider Hot Apple Pie Orchard Style is the best option I have yet found for instant hot cider drinks and it is well worth picking up!

For other hot instant beverage mixes, please check out my reviews of:
Taster's Choice Gourmet Roast Instant Coffee
Swiss Miss Indulgent Collection Mocha Cappuccino Hot Cocoa
Land O' Lakes French Vanilla & Chocolate Hot Chocolate

8/10

For other food and beverage reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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With A Great Aroma, But A Taste That Is More Dry Than Sweet, Mott’s Caramel Hot Spiced Cider Has Some Surprise To It!

The Good: Aroma, Tastes good
The Bad: Environmentally irresponsible packaging, Not a terribly sweet flavor.
The Basics: Ironically, Mott’s Caramel Hot Spiced Cider tastes better as it cools!


It seems like each day I am at work these days, I am looking for something to keep me warm. The boss is something of a cheapskate and he likes to keep the heat very low. To be fair to him, the building is far larger than it needs to be and raising the whole building to standard room temperature probably costs him a small fortune. But, as an employee, it is pretty irksome to sit in my cubical typing all day and have cold feet (even with two pairs of socks on!). My solution is to sit and drink hot drinks throughout the day, but especially in the morning when the building is at its coldest. Today’s beverage is the Mott’s Caramel Hot Spiced Cider instant juice drink.


The Caramel flavored hot cider comes on the heels of my trying the Original flavor (reviewed here!) and finding it to be predictably average. Perhaps the biggest surprise for me with the Caramel flavor is that it is only marginally better.

Basics

The Caramel Orchard Style hot cider mix is part of the Mott’s Hot Spiced Cider hot cider line. The mix comes in a .74 oz. sealed foil package and come fifteen per box. Each .74 oz. packet is a single serving and these bear a relatively high price tag virtually everywhere I have found them. They tend to run approximately seventy cents each on their own, which might not seem like a lot, but adds up quickly. This is a little more expensive when compared to other make-at-home products, but easily beats the pants off of prices one pays when getting a hot beverage like this at a restaurant.

Ease Of Preparation

The Mott’s Caramel Orchard Style hot cider mix is ridiculously simple to make. The cider is rather enduring and the packet my wife and I purchased last week did not have an expiration date on it (though there was a batch number of some sort). Because each packet is individually sealed and has some preservatives in it, this is likely to last virtually forever unopened. A single serving is the packet and six oz. of water. There is no measuring of the product involved!

As a result, preparation is ridiculously simple. The top of the envelope has a perforated edge and one need simply tear open the top, which is quite easy, and pour the contents of the packet into a mug that is at least eight ounces large. Then, simply pour hot water - near boiling, but not actually boiling as boiling water cooks the ingredients as opposed to simply dissolving them - over the powder and stir. Stir the powder until there are no blobs of apple cider powder visible in the water or giving resistance from the bottom. The beverage will have a translucent brown color to it.

Taste

Mott’s Hot Spiced Cider Caramel Orchard Style smells wonderfully buttery, like warm caramel. The beverage does not hint at sweetness in its aroma, which is likely to surprise some who might expect it to hint at its flavor through its steam. Instead, the Caramel hot cider lets the apple portion of the beverage breathe and that makes it intriguing enough to want to sip it.

Caramel Orchard Style hot cider tastes like warm apple cider with the dry aftertaste of caramel. In fact, it is only as the beverage is entering the throat that the fruit flavor subsides and the taste of caramel makes itself readily apparent. The flavor of this beverage is far less sweet than one might hope, but it still tastes very good. There is a light cinnamon flavor to it as well.

As the drink cools, the flavor of the apples comes out even more. Interestingly, the beverage also begins to taste quite a bit sweeter, which is nice for those disappointed by the initial taste that is more dry than flavorful. Either way, this is still a very good drink!

Nutrition

Mott’s Caramel Hot Spiced Cider is a hot cider mix and is not as nutritious as fresh cider, though the Caramel Orchard Style flavor could be far less nutritious than it is. While I am used to reviewing things like all natural teas where the ingredients are all easily pronounceable and recognizable, the Caramel Orchard Style hot cider has a few ingredients that sound more like a chemistry experiment than a food product. The primary ingredients are sugar, maltodextrin and natural and artificial flavors. Oddly, apple puree powder is the fifth ingredient, which might explain why it is not the most richly apple flavor in the world. I could find nothing in the ingredients that would make this not vegan compliant, though the package does note that this is produced at a facility that works with milk and soy.

Obviously, Caramel Orchard Style is pretty high in sugars. In each cup of Caramel Orchard Style Hot Cider mix, there are 80 calories, none of which are from fat. There is no cholesterol and the consumer gets 1% of their recommended daily allowance of sodium out of a single packet of this beverage! This is fairly balanced by contributing 100% of one’s needed daily Vitamin C!

Storage/Cleanup

So long as one leaves the Caramel Orchard Style Cocoa Classic powder in its packet, it ought to stay usable. One assumes it will last quite a while and dissolve appropriately when one attempts to use it. The packets, for those of us who consider the environmental impact of such things, are terribly wasteful and expensive. The foil/plastic wrappers are not recyclable anywhere I've been. In bulk, I tend to prefer canisters which reduce such waste, but this cider does not appear to be available in that form.

Cleanup is very easy. If the product spills while dumping it into the mug, simply wipe it up or brush it up with a dry or damp cloth. If it has already been reconstituted with water into hot cider, simply wipe it up. Light fabrics are likely to stain if this gets on them, in which case consult your fabric care guide to clean it up.

Overall

The Mott’s Hot Spiced Cider Caramel Orchard Style is good, but not as flavorful I had hoped it would be when I purchased it. Still, it is sufficient to keep me warm at work and that goes a long way these days!

For other hot instant beverage mixes, please check out my reviews of:
Taster's Choice Hazelnut Instant Coffee
Fiorelli Rich Chocolate Hot Cocoa
Land O' Lakes Chocolate Graham Hot Chocolate

6/10

For other food and beverage reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Mott's Original Orchard Style Hot Cider Is Just Above Average For An Instant Drink!

The Good: Aroma, Taste, Nutrition
The Bad: Environmentally irresponsible packaging, Expense
The Basics: Mott's Orchard Style Original Hot Cider is surprisingly good for a basic flavor of instant hot cider.


As part of getting healthier in the new year, I am actually forced to – for the first time in my life – pay attention to ingredients and nutritional information. This is actually a very good thing for me, but it has taken a lot of time and attention that I used to devote to simply eating and drinking. This means that I have been looking for less calorie-packed, less sodium-filled options for consumption than traditional hot chocolate mixes. While my teas have been a good way to keep hydrated, I get tired of all of the water and my wife and I have taken to occasional treats with hot beverages.

That is what led me to Mott’s Hot Spiced Cider. And while I have had some of their other flavors and enjoyed them, I figured it would be good and right to start with the basic flavor and work my way up. That means, I am starting with my consideration of the Original Orchard Style hot cider mix.

Basics

The Original Orchard Style hot cocoa mix is part of the Mott’s Hot Spiced Cider hot cider line. The mix comes in a .74 oz. sealed foil package and come a dozen per box. Each .74 oz. packet is a single serving and these bear a relatively high price tag virtually everywhere I have found them. They tend to run approximately seventy cents each on their own, which might not seem like a lot, but adds up quickly. This is a little more expensive when compared to other make-at-home products, but easily beats the pants off of prices one pays when getting a hot beverage like this at a restaurant.

Ease Of Preparation

The Mott’s Original Orchard Style hot cider mix is ridiculously simple to make. The cocoa is rather enduring and the packet my wife and I purchased last week did not have an expiration date on it (though there was a batch number of some sort). Because each packet is individually sealed and has some preservatives in it, this is likely to last virtually forever unopened. A single serving is the packet and six oz. of water. There is no measuring of the product involved!

As a result, preparation is ridiculously simple. The top of the envelope has a perforated edge and one need simply tear open the top, which is quite easy, and pour the contents of the packet into a mug that is at least eight ounces large. Then, simply pour hot water - near boiling, but not actually boiling as boiling water cooks the ingredients as opposed to simply dissolving them - over the powder and stir. Stir the powder until there are no blobs of apple cider powder visible in the water or giving resistance from the bottom. The beverage will have a translucent brown color to it.

Taste

Mott’s Hot Spiced Cider Original Orchard Style is surprisingly unaromatic. I write “surprisingly” because many of the other flavors I have had open up the nasal passage with their delightful and inviting aroma well before the tongue hits the beverage. That is not the case with the Original Orchard Style, which smells faintly like apples and, oddly enough, has an equally faint plastic or chemical smell to it.

Touching the tongue, though, the Original Orchard Style hot cider embodies exactly what one might hope it would. This tastes like a hot cider using apple cider from concentrate. But it actually does taste like a fresh cider heated up in the microwave with just a hint of cinnamon. The Original Orchard Style might not be the most robust apple cider flavor, but it tastes good and it tastes like what it is supposed to. This beverage leaves a slightly dry feeling on the lips, but no unpleasant aftertaste in the mouth, making it a generally satisfying thirst quencher as well as comfort drink!

Nutrition

Mott’s Hot Spiced Cider is a hot cider mix and is not as nutritious as fresh cider, though the Original Orchard Style flavor could be far less nutritious than it is. While I am used to reviewing things like all natural teas where the ingredients are all easily pronounceable and recognizable, the Original Orchard Style hot cider has a few ingredients that sound more like a chemistry experiment than a food product. The primary ingredients are sugar, maltodextrin and corn syrup solids. Oddly, apple puree powder is the fifth ingredient, which might explain why it is not the most richly apple flavor in the world. I could find nothing in the ingredients that would make this not vegan compliant, though the package does note that this is produced at a facility that works with milk and soy.

Obviously, Original Orchard Style is pretty high in sugars. In each cup of Original Orchard Style Hot Cider mix, there are 80 calories, none of which are from fat. There is no cholesterol and the consumer gets 1% of their recommended daily allowance of sodium out of a single packet of this beverage! This is fairly balanced by contributing 100% of one’s needed daily Vitamin C!

Storage/Cleanup

So long as one leaves the Original Orchard Style Cocoa Classic powder in its packet, it ought to stay usable. One assumes it will last quite a while and dissolve appropriately when one attempts to use it. The packets, for those of us who consider the environmental impact of such things, are terribly wasteful and expensive. The foil/plastic wrappers are not recyclable anywhere I've been. In bulk, I tend to prefer canisters which reduce such waste, but this cider does not appear to be available in that form.

Cleanup is very easy. If the product spills while dumping it into the mug, simply wipe it up or brush it up with a dry or damp cloth. If it has already been reconstituted with water into hot cider, simply wipe it up. Light fabrics are likely to stain if this gets on them, in which case consult your fabric care guide to clean it up.

Overall

The Mott’s Hot Spiced Cider Original Orchard Style is good and while I might figure that a basic flavor would hit about the average range, this is a little higher than true average because of the nutritional benefits. The Original Orchard Style is an enjoyable drink that can bring hot apple cider to consumers year round, not just when it is “in season!”

For other hot instant beverage mixes, please check out my reviews of:
Taster's Choice Vanilla Instant Coffee
Swiss Miss Indulgent Collection Mocha Cappuccino Cocoa
Land O' Lakes Chocolate Graham Hot Chocolate

5.5/10

For other food and beverage reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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