I was looking for news about Sonoma West Medical Center and this newspaper came up on the search…read morefeed, similar names. I read the one review of this paper here on Yelp the (one that was not recommended--couldn't help myself) and then continued looking up info about Sonoma West Medical Center as the two are apparently not related entities. I did read articles on the same billing issue about the laboratory in both the Sonoma West Times and The Press Democrat. I have to agree with the previous review of the Times--the writing is so-so, more a community newsletter in all ways except for the article about the medical center's laboratory. There it really does show a lack of professional journalism. The PD was factual but not accusing and actually quoted people involved, the Times was full of accusations but not substantiated, not professionally written with a neutral bias as all newspapers are supposed to try to attain. I'd recommend the Sonoma West Times for community event info based on some of the articles in the paper, definitely not a good source of news though. I know that a paper is not responsible for the comments that are written by readers, but, wow, some of the comments were not appropriate and way too political.

The newspaper does not check it's sources before printing materials that could be damaging or…read morehurtful to local businesses and individuals. Recently it published a headline story about a local tiny hospital that stated the hospital was part of an insurance fraud scheme with absolutely nothing cited indicating the newspaper had obtained any information from either the hospital or the insurance company. They implied that a court case was pending though there was no such thing. The Sonoma West Times also tends to cater towards a small group of wealthy individuals, vocal and ruthless in their intent on closing this district hospital that serves the area's poor and homeless. These individuals post items in the newspaper's opinion pages or blogs that are so incredible as to make one wonder if the newspaper actually has an editor. To wit: the newspaper allowed posting of an anonymous letter to the editor urging everyone to come to the hospital's next board meeting--it stated that the board was going to create a new property tax by vote at that meeting! Basic 6th grade social studies teaches that taxes cannot be voted in by a hospital board--or any entity! They must be voted upon by the public and passed with a majority. The editor of the paper knew this but still allowed the post to print. The mob that showed up disrupted the board meeting so badly that it had to be adjourned. The Sonoma West Times states in it's opinion and online blog instructions that no one may knowingly malign nor spread false or malicious information, but the newspaper has never enforced this--they appear to be encouraging the exact opposite by their own actions and articles. This tactic must be selling papers but If it were possible to rate them in negative integers I would. The district hospital was lauded in other newspapers as a hero in the recent Tubbs Lane Wildfire yet they struggle to stay open amidst attack by a newsprint bully. I used to be a faithful reader but now I would not recommend this rag for anything but birdcage liner.

The Sonoma County Gazette is a helpful, free, local paper. If you want to know about an array of…read morecommunity events, this is the paper to consult. They often highlight local businesses, post their hours&locations- even reviews and recipes. They discuss local issues from the wildfires, to legal cannabis, homelessness, you name it. It's much thicker&less pretentious than the North Bay Bohemian. There are editorials based on specific communities, highlighting their concerns- Penngrove, Cotati, Sebastopol, Geyserville, Graton, Camp Meeker, Cazadero, Jenner- you name it. You get a sense of Sonoma County's diversity. The Sonoma County focuses primarily on "West County" (essentially, communities west of 101, tho they have Cotati&Penngrove) It's thick, colorful, with personable editorials, comprehensive calendars of local events. The only downside is that it's monthly rather than weekly. A great way to catch up on local events, activities, dining and shopping.

This is truly a community newspaper, whereas the unbohemian has just turned into an ad rag. The…read moreGazette is about 4 times as thick as the unboho, but only comes out monthly. Sure there's ads in here too, but at least there's some substance to it. We always find more things we want to do in 1 issue of the Gazette than we ever do in 4 issues of the noboho. I think that the Gazette is a much better reflection of all the communities in sonoma county than the boho is. Besides the events, we really enjoy the editorials too.

Decided to drop by on a whim, and we tried their cider tastings. It's a small tasting area, but…read moreLuna (the dog - in photo!) is adorable, and there is some outside seating. Very casual experience. To preface, we're not big cider fans, but we're trying to branch out to try new things. Cider flight (4oz x 3) was $15, and included gravitude, which seems to be their staple, nehou, and persimmon (which is only available in house seasonally). As we dropped by on a whim, I didn't know their ciders are dry, but the host told us that at the start. Regardless, we were pleasantly surprised by how much we liked the dry ciders. They were quite refreshing, particularly the persimmon one. You can taste the sweet persimmon undertones. Of course, we liked the one that was seasonal and only available in the tasting room! Apparently, they make other flavors in different seasons. Our host teased us with watermelon in the summer as a previous flavor, so I will eagerly await that for my next visit.

Didn't really feel welcome and not that impressed with the expensive cider samples…read moreMost of the ciders were very dry and the tasting require two costs for the cider and then the distilled beverages

They do an amazing job and are super helpful with all kinds of packaging. They're pricing is always…read morecompetitive. Highly recommend CMYK.

Nick is the owner the company. I've never had a problem with CMYK. They do great work at a…read morereasonable cost. They are an independent company that love to compete.

A group of four of us had a fantastic time at Ambix recently, where we learned all sorts of…read moreinteresting behind-the-scenes stuff about the orchard and the distillation process, then sampled a number of their different products. I brought four bottles of their brandy/pommeau when I went to visit friends in China, who'd never tasted anything like that before. Nothing but five-star reviews!

A fabulous place to visit, whether you are new to apple brandy or a seasoned expert. If you are in…read morethe latter camp, David and Zoe (the owner-operator couple) have a wealth of knowledge and it seems like there is nothing they like to do more than introduce people to their product and the orchard, and chat about the process. There aren't very many places like this one, where you can have as in-depth and personalized experience as you want to and never feel rushed. There's a new, small club, and they are very generous with their early members with releases and fun pick-up parties. It's also an attractive location fairly close to the town of Sebastopol and to other wineries and dairies, if you're making a whole day of visiting the area.