Cider apple

Cider apples are a group of apple cultivars grown for their use in cider production, distinguished from cookers and eaters by their generally poor qualities for these uses, often because of bitterness or dryness of flavour. Some apples are considered to occupy more than one category, and so can be referred to according to context.

In the UK the Long Ashton Research Station categorised cider apples in 1903 into four main types according to the nature of their flavour components. For cider production it is important that the fruit contains high sugar levels which encourage fermentation and raise the final alcohol levels. Cider apples therefore often have higher sugar levels than dessert and cooking apples. It is often also considered important for cider apples to contribute tannins, which add depth to the finished cider's flavour.

The first director of Long Ashton Research Station, Professor B.T.P. Barker, chose tannin & malic acid percentages in juice to indicate belonging to one of four flavour categories, with the expectation that a balanced flavour in the finished cider would need some juice from a member of each category.

Other measurements taken of apple varieties towards use in cider, include pH, polyphenol content, and Brix.

Cider is made in several countries and can be made from any apples. In the UK there are two broad styles: one using dessert (eating) and culinary (cooking) apples (Eastern Counties style) and one using special cider apples used only for cider production (West Country style). In the US, the freestanding term "cider" typically refers to apple cider, unfiltered apple juice, virtually all of which outside of roadside orchards and farmers markets is pasteurized to prevent bacterial contamination, which also kills off the natural yeasts which lead to fermentation; the specific term "hard cider" is used to refer to the fermented alcoholic variety.

Historically the flavours preferred and varieties used to produce cider have varied by region. Many of the most traditional apple varieties used for ciders come from or are derived from those from Somerset and Herefordshire in England, Normandy in France, and Asturias in Spain, and these areas are considered to have their own broad cider styles although the many exceptions make this more of a historic footnote. Normandy cider is usually naturally carbonated and clear: Asturian cider apple varieties are mainly 'sharps' or mild 'bittersweets', producing a mildly acidic cider which is customarily served by being poured from height into the glass to oxegenate it.

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