Ann Bliss aka Sister Cider is a cider enthusiast and certified Pommelier building community around craft cider. 
She is the Special Events Coordinator for the New York Cider Association and head bartender at Mullers Cider House in Rochester, NY. 

Adrian Luna’s journey into the world of cider began five years ago as a spontaneous adventure with friends. What started as casual Instagram Live reviews evolved into a dedicated platform and a cross-country mission to capture the stories of cidermakers for his YouTube channel.

Today, Adrian serves as the Membership and Communications Coordinator for the New York Cider Association, where he works to strengthen the cider community across the state. In this role, he serves as a primary point of contact for New York’s diverse cidermakers, managing member engagement and crafting the strategic messaging that brings the story of NY cider to a wider audience.

Adrian is also a Licensed Educator for the American Cider Association and a Certified Pommelier. His dedication to the industry was recognized in 2023 when he was awarded the prestigious Cider Is For Everyone scholarship. This experience solidified his commitment to the industry’s sense of community and fueled his drive to educate the next generation of enthusiasts. With infectious enthusiasm and deep technical knowledge, Adrian is dedicated to raising awareness about the craft and complexity of cider throughout the region.

Michelle Pagano (@TheBrewBabe) is an award-winning cider maker, brewer, and content creator with over 17 years of fermentation experience. She began her journey in 2008 and later specialized in cider and gluten-free fermentation following a Celiac Disease diagnosis. 
 
Michelle is a respected cider judge and public speaker, holding certifications as a Certified Cider Guide, Certified in Cider and Perry Production, and General Brewing. She has served as a judge at multiple national cider competitions, including GLINTCAP, The Big E, and GIBCC, and brings a thoughtful, education-driven perspective to cider evaluation.

Damin is a long standing member of the Hard Cider community as both a personality online, as well as building a reputation with his work with Original Sin Cider of NY. He has been a previous judge in this event, as well as a GLINTCAP & PA Farm Expo Competition judge in the past. He first discovered hard cider in a hotel bar on a snowy night in 2013, and since then, he has dove headfirst into the industry in all of its aspects from tree to bottle. 

Tami Ward-Dahl is a newly retired nonprofit executive with twenty-five years of leadership experience and a long-standing interest in beverage education. She is in her third year of the American Wine Society (AWS) Wine Judge Certification Program and has also completed WineSmarts 1 through AWS. Tami serves as Chapter Chair of Northern Neck Uncorked, a local AWS chapter in Middle Neck, Virginia.

New to cider, she’s currently working toward the Certified Cider Guide credential through the American Cider Association. Tami and her husband split their time between Virginia and Washington, DC, which gives them plenty of chances to explore a wide range of wines and ciders close to home. Her curiosity about how things are grown, made, and shared is what continues to draw her deeper into this world and now into cider judging.