CIDER NOTES 



Kirby M. Hayes 

 Department of Food Science and Technology 



A question that often arises is how to make good cider. Al- 

 though there is no easy answer, or hard and fast rules, two of the 

 most important factors to consider are maturity and variety. 



Maturi ty 



Firm, ripe apples those that are ripe enough to eat out of 



hand make the best cider and give the highest yield. Immature 



or overripe apples lower the quality. Early-maturing varieties 

 should be allowed to ripen sufficiently to yield a high-quality 

 jui ce. 



Variety 



The best cider is usually made from a blend of different var- 

 ieties of apples. A blend provides an appealing balance of sweet- 

 ness, tartness, and tang, as well as aromatic overtones. 



A single variety of apple seldom makes a satisfactory cider. 

 However , 'Mcintosh 'has been used alone successfully, but only at 

 the peak of its maturity. 



Sometimes the desired fullness and balance can be obtained 

 from two varieties. A blend of three or more varieties is better. 

 Using several vari eties ,permi ts greater latitude in varying the 

 proportions to obtain the desired blend, and also allows practical 

 management of the available supply. 



Many commercially important varieties may be separated into 

 four groups according to their suitability as cider material: 

 Sweet subacid, mildly acid to slightly tart, aromatic and strin- 

 gent. A strict classification is not possible because many vari- 

 eties have a number of different flavor characteristics. For 

 example, 'Delicious' may be listed in both the sweet subacid and 

 aromatic groups. Moreover, varieties differ in their character- 

 istics from one area to another. 



Varieties in the sweet subacid group are grown primarily for 

 eating raw; they usually furnish the highest percentage of the 

 total stock used for cider. 



Varieties in the aromatic group have outstanding fragrance, 

 aroma and flavor that are carried over into the cider. 



Crabapples, in the astringent grouD» provide tannin - a con- 

 stituent difficult to obtain in making a high-grade cider. The 



