Fall Flavors of Michigan: The Big Three Cider Mills

Continuing on my journey to find the best donut in the Metro Detroit area, I hit up the three most well-known Cider Mills: Blake's, Yate's, and Spicer's. This time around I had more company as friends joined me in attendance and contributed to the experience overall. These three cider mills not only have donuts, cider, apples, and gift shops, but generally have more activities and buildings which allow for several hours at one location.

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Blake's Orchard and Cider Mill, Armada, MI

I am definitely partial to Blake's as far as the bigger cider mills are concerned. With delicious donuts, a wide variety of sauces and jams, great cider, and an expanded list of hard ciders, it is easy to see why so many people flock there for the start of the Fall season. Additionally, Blake's is open all year with strawberries in Spring, the lavender festival in the Summer, and a cut your own tree farm for the Winter. This company is truly utilizing every aspect of growth as they look to be there for the customers.

Two friends joined me in tasting donuts at Blake's and we made a full day of it. Between eating donuts and catching up, we shopped around the main store as well as the lavender shop on the premises, we drank some hard cider, ate some custom coney dogs, and made a whole day of it. Even on a decently gloomy day, we were able to experience the best that Blake's was able to offer, as far as our interests were concerned. There are also attractions for children, however none of us have children so those activities were not for us.

As far as the actual donut goes, this is the cider donut I am most familiar with eating. Blake's has franchised out Bakehouse 46 throughout some cute downtown areas that supply Blake's donuts all year. I have spoiled myself with those donuts a few mornings at work when I have been craving sweet things. What is usually missing for me upon buying those at Bakehouse, however, is that fresh and warm feeling of getting them at the actual Blake's Orchard. Though, it seems, with popularity some things are pushed aside. While the flavor of the donut is still delicious, these were pre-bagged and on racks off the to side. The warmth of my hot cider could not provide enough balance to make up for the lack of heat in my donut. For me, a major part of the cider mill experience is getting the donuts fresh out of the fryer and enjoying the smell of the donuts cooking. That was lacking for me on this trip and I felt like it would have been just as good to grab a donut from the middle of downtown Bloomfield. Though, I highly recommend grabbing a hard cider and enjoying the ambiance.

Meeting donut expectations:

• light and fluffy? - Yes, the texture was excellent.

• full of fall flavor? - Cinnamon with a hint of nutmeg, delicious

• cinnamon sugar dusting? - the perfect amount and not too much on fingers

• fresh and warm? - unfortunately not

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Spicer Orchards, Fenton, MI

This was surprisingly my first visit to Spicer despite knowing of its popularity for the last several years. Once again, I was joined by a friend (and managed to capture a picture together this time!) I will say as far as the cider mill experience goes, Blake's was a better environment. There weren't many options for seating or really privacy, as we would find and table and then be joined by another group sitting at the same table as us. In a crowded atmosphere when you need a moment of call or space to ease the feeling of overwhelming, there was no escape. Plus, we were having some personal conversations that I didn't want random people hearing.

The entire reason we chose Spicer was to allow her kids to have some fun while we ate donuts and tried their cider and wine options. She knew there was a playground, but since she last visited a few years ago, that playground along with all additional activities (petting zoo, food trucks, train rides, etc.) are now behind a gated area that costs $5 per person. That would be fine if you didn't have to pay additional charges for the activities inside. It is difficult for me to judge any place in Michigan on their wine, so I will keep that evaluation out of my review as I was not a big fan.

The donut had a few highs for me: the warmth, the crisp, and the fluffiness. However, it had one major low: the flavor. This donut was big, it had an excellent texture throughout with a crispy edge, excellent sugar feel, and a fluffy interior. I was so sad to discover that despite the incredible texture my donut was so very bland. Not even the cinnamon sugar coating was really flavoring any of my bites. I also purchased the pumpkin spice donuts and while they had more flavor it was not enough for me to rank them incredibly high.

Meeting donut expectations:

• light and fluffy? - very much so

• full of fall flavor? - bland, bland, and more bland

• cinnamon sugar dusting? - right texture, no flavor, and all came off on fingers

• fresh and warm? - warm enough

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Yate's Cider Mill, Rochester, MI

Sadly, I don't know if I gave Yate's the cider mill the best opportunity for success or to impress me. I attended a morning meeting out past Yate's so I decided to stop on my way back home before lunch. This put me attending the cider mill by myself and not really looking to experience any of the environment or activities surrounding the mill. The views were lovely and there were a surprising amount of people attending the mill for a Friday morning. Clearly it is a fan favorite for a reason. The two things I did get to assess were the cider and the donut. Though I haven't gotten cider at every location, I think it is worth commentary on the drinks I do test.

I am a full on hot cider fan. Hot drinks will always be my go to. It can be 95 degree in the middle of summer and I will purchase a hot coffee over an iced coffee any day. I like the soothing nature of warmth, I can't help it. The Yate's cider though, was my least favorite. There is an overwhelming amount of clove in their cider blend that makes the drink incredibly smokey but also reminds me more of Winter than Fall. I will skip the cider next time in favor of consuming more baked calories than sugary drink calories.

The donut was very middle ground for me. With more of a baked/cakey texture and a much smaller size, I felt I wasn't really getting all that I wanted out of the eating experience. The flavor was fine, but nothing I remember so greatly that I need to go back and satisfy the need to have it again. Overall, there wasn't anything I was overjoyed by at Yate's, but nothing I was extremely disappointed in either.

Meeting donut expectations:

• light and fluffy? - not dense, but not fluffy

• full of fall flavor? - like the cider, too much clove

• cinnamon sugar dusting? - yeah it was there

• fresh and warm? - just came out and served immediately (good timing on my part)

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Time for the new standings amongst the cider mills! Keep checking back and let me know which Cider Mill is your favorite if I haven't written about it yet!

1. Markillie Orchard

2. Diehl's Orchard & Cider Mill

3. Blake's Orchard & Cider Mill

4. Spicer Orchards

5. Parmenter's Northville Cider Mill

6. Yate's Cider Mill

7. Barkham Creek Farms

8. Parshallville Cider Mill