A cider apple is a cultivar of apple grown for its use in cider production. Cider apples are grouped into four main types according to the nature of their flavour components.
Sharps are high in acidity and add 'bite' to the cider. They tend to be low in sugar content and have little tannin.
Bittersweets are high in sugar but also contain raised levels of tannin which tastes bitter and is astringent. A certain amount of bitterness is expected in all but the sweetest ciders.
Bittersharps are high in both tannins and fruit acids.
Normally, ciders are blended using juice from several apple cultivars to give the best results.
Three apple varieties from England are Kingston Black, Stoke Red, and Dymock Red:
Kingston Black is probably named after the village of Kingston, near Taunton, Somerset;
Stoke Red is from Rodney Stoke, between Cheddar and Wells;
Dymock Red [1] (http://www.orchard_group.uklinux.net/glos/apples/Dymock+Red.html) is from Dymock in Gloucestershire.
External links and references
Growing Cider Apples (http://www.agric.nsw.gov.au/reader/deciduous-fruits/11434) from NSW Agriculture
National Collection of Cider and Perry (http://www.farm-shop.co.uk/cidershop.html) from a farmer in Lewes
Natural cider has nothing added and relies on the wild yeast present in the apples for fermentation.
Although much of today's cider is produced from apple concentrate, many traditional cider makers use only ciderapples, cultivated specifically for the purpose.
Both traditional and mass-market ciders are available carbonated or still and range in taste from the bone dry to the extremely sweet.
Applecider terminology can be a bit confusing—the term historically referred to a mildly alcoholic beverage produced when apples were ground and pressed and the resulting liquid was allowed to ferment.
Apple juice is a translucent golden liquid made from applecider that has been filtered to remove all traces of apple pulp.
While hard cider is often made from a single varietal, most applecider is made from a mixture of different apples to balance the sweet and tart notes of the apples.
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