I had a *Woodchuck Hard Cider * at my very first DopeFest and it RULED!
Tranquilis and BunnyGirl, I used to drink Okanagan Extra Dry Apple Cider, which was very good, before I learned to like beer. When I was down in Philadelphia two years ago, I had a couple of different apple ciders that tasted like bubbly apple juice. They were disgusting. I hope that’s not what you’re talking about.
(Actually, I gotta thank you Americans, as I found this stuff so disgusting I ended up buying Molson’s for a buck-a-bottle, and this is how my life with beer began. It’s been a good relationship.)
Lord Almighty, NO! Gah, the thought of drinking that ‘bubbly’ stuff makes me want to gag!
Proper hard cider is smooth, uncarbonated, and packs one helluva whallop! It’s usually the color of a good pilsner, but with less head. The pear cider is very pale, almost like a good white wine, and has an unexpectedly sharp bite to it: Sort of a ‘mid-taste’, as opposed to an aftertaste. Wunnerfull shtuff, really… 
BunnyGirl
I’ve tried the WoodChuck ciders, and they’re quite nice, well worth going out of your way for, but the stuff my SO’s boss brews (ferments?) is amazing… Smooth, clear, and potent. He uses locally grown fruit, which is of unusally high quality (the farm he picks from is actually right behind my father’s place), and very fresh. He also owns his own ciderpress, and runs-up a couple dozen gallons a year (well within the ‘personal use’ restrictions). He’ll need to run-up a few more gallons this next year, because my SO and I are addicted.