Cider apple facts for kids
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Cider apples are special kinds of apples grown to make cider. In the United States, cider is often called "hard cider" to show it contains alcohol. These apples are different from the ones you eat or use for cooking because they often taste bitter or dry. While you might not want to eat them fresh, these flavors are great for making cider! Some apples can even be used for both eating and cider.
In the United Kingdom, a place called the Long Ashton Research Station started classifying cider apples in 1903. They looked at how much tannins (which add bitterness) and malic acid (which adds tartness) were in the apples. For making good cider, apples also need a lot of sugar. Sugar helps with fermentation, which is how the sugar turns into alcohol. So, cider apples usually have more sugar than apples you eat or cook with. Tannins are also important because they give cider a deeper flavor.
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How Cider Apples Are Classified
The Long Ashton System
In 1903, Professor B.T.P. Barker at the Long Ashton Research Station in England created a way to sort cider apples. He based it on the amount of tannins and malic acid in their juice. This system has four main groups:
| Classification | Malic Acid (% w/v) | Tannin (% w/v) | Examples | What it means for cider |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet (SW) | <0.45 (low) | <0.2 (low) | Slack-ma-Girdle, Sweet Alford, Sweet Coppin, Northwood | These apples have low acid and low tannins. Many dessert apples are also in this group. They add sweetness to cider. |
| Sharp (SH) | >0.45 (high) | <0.2 (low) | Crimson King, Tom Putt, Brown's Apple, Backwell Red | Sharps have high acid but low tannins. Their high acidity gives cider a "bite." Many cooking apples are also sharps. |
| Bittersweet (BSW) | <0.45 (low) | >0.2 (high) | Brown Snout, Dabinett, Yarlington Mill, Chisel Jersey, Hangdown | Bittersweet apples have low acid but high tannins. The tannins add bitterness or a dry feeling, which is good for cider. Many of these apples came from France. |
| Bittersharp (BSH) | >0.45 (high) | >0.2 (high) | Foxwhelp, Virginia Crab (Hewes), Kingston Black, Cap of Liberty | These apples have both high tannins and high acid. They are great for making cider from just one type of apple. People used to call these "spitters" because they don't taste good to eat. |
Tannins are sometimes also called "hard" (for bitter) or "soft" (for dry).
Cider makers in Britain usually mix juice from different apple types. This helps them create a cider with a balanced flavor that tastes good every time. It's hard to make a great cider from just one type of apple, except for a few bittersharps. Since bittersharps are rare, many modern cider makers use a mix of bittersweet apples with some sharps (like the common Bramley cooking apple) to get the right acidity. Sharps also help keep the cider's pH low (below 3.8), which stops it from spoiling. Sweet apples provide enough sugar for the fermentation to make the right amount of alcohol.
French and Spanish Systems
Other countries like France and Spain also have their own ways of classifying cider apples. Their systems also look at acidity and tannins. For example, the French system has an extra group called acidulée (or acidulada in Spanish). These apples are semi-tart with low tannins.
In the US, cider apples are grown in orchards in four main areas: the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Northwest. Many of the most popular cider apple types come from England or France. Most special cider apples in Europe are bittersweets and bittersharps, which have lots of tannins. The US doesn't have as many apple types with high tannins. Most US ciders are made from leftover dessert apples, which are usually sweets and sharps.
Other Ways to Classify Apples
Besides acid and tannin levels, other things are measured to classify cider apples. These include pH (how acidic or basic something is), how many polyphenols are in them, and how much sugar they have (measured in degrees Brix). The sugar level helps predict how much alcohol the cider will have. This is important because there are different tax rules for ciders based on their alcohol content. For example, in the US, "hard cider" usually has between 0.5% and 8.5% alcohol. If it has more sugar (over 17 °Brix), it might be taxed like cider wine, which is higher.
Foaming is also important for cider quality, especially for sparkling ciders. The way a cider foams can tell you a lot about it. Scientists also study the smell of cider to understand what gives it its unique aroma.
Cider Styles Around the World
Cider is made in many countries and can be made from any apple. Historically, the flavors and apple types used for cider changed depending on the region. Many traditional cider apples come from places like Devon, Somerset, and Herefordshire in England, Normandy in France, and Asturias in Spain. These areas are known for their own general cider styles. For example, Normandy cider is usually naturally bubbly and clear. Asturian cider apples are mostly 'sharps' or mild 'bittersweets', making a slightly acidic cider. This cider is often poured from a height into the glass to add air to it.
In the UK, there are two main cider styles based on the apples available. In eastern England (like East Anglia, Kent, Sussex), ciders were made from extra dessert and cooking apples. These ciders were usually acidic and light. The other style, found in the West Country (especially Somerset), uses specific cider apple types with more tannins. These ciders are often stronger and more tannic.
Devon ciders were often made mostly from sweet apples, which were common in that area. Devon cider makers also made "keeved" cider, where the fermentation was slowed down to make a naturally sweet drink. Somerset ciders, on the other hand, were usually stronger and had more tannins. Bitterswet apples, called "Jersey" apples locally, were typical in Somerset. Gloucestershire traditionally preferred bittersharp apples, making strong ciders with a sharp taste from both acid and tannins.
Single Variety Ciders
Most ciders have always been made by mixing different apple types. Making cider from just one type of apple is a more modern idea. Only a few apple types are considered good enough to make a great single-variety cider. These apples are called "vintage" quality. This term means the apple can create complex and interesting flavors on its own.
Some examples of apples that can make good single-variety ciders are:
- Sweet Coppin: A sweet apple from Devon.
- Sweet Alford: Another sweet apple from Devon.
- Crimson King: A sharp apple first grown in Somerset.
- Yarlington Mill: A bittersweet apple found near a mill in Somerset.
- Dabinett: A bittersweet apple named after William Dabinett, from Somerset.
- Major: An old bittersweet apple found in Devon and Somerset.
- Broxwood Foxwhelp: A bittersharp apple from Herefordshire, a type of sport from the old Foxwhelp variety.
- Kingston Black: A bittersharp apple likely named after a village near Taunton, Somerset.
- Stoke Red: A bittersharp apple from the village of Rodney Stoke in Somerset.
Even though these apples are good for single-variety ciders, they also work well when mixed with other apples.
What's Inside Cider Apples
Polyphenols and Tannins
Polyphenols are very important in ciders. They give cider its dry or bitter taste, help it stay clear, and add color. The amount of polyphenols in apples changes depending on the apple type, how it's grown, and which part of the apple it is (the peel has more than the flesh). The main polyphenol in apples is called procyanidins.
Cider apples can have five times more polyphenols than dessert apples. However, in the US, there aren't enough bittersweet and bittersharp apples to meet the growing demand for cider. Some cider makers add extra tannins to improve the flavor. In countries like the UK and France, there are plenty of high-tannin cider apples. About half of the apples used for cider in Europe are bittersweet.
Orchard Designs
Traditional Orchards
Before the 1950s, most cider apple orchards used a traditional design that had been around for centuries. These traditional orchards are rare now, but you can still find them in places like Spain. In traditional orchards, the apple trees were very large (6–12 meters tall) and spaced far apart (about 7.6–9 meters). There were usually fewer than 150 trees in one hectare (about 2.5 acres). Trees were also different ages, with new ones planted when old ones died. The large, round tree tops in traditional orchards are very different from the cone-shaped or flat trees in modern orchards.
Traditional orchards often grew other plants between the trees. It was common to have a system where fruit trees and pasture (grassland for animals) were combined. Sheep or cows would often graze on the grass under the trees. This "grass orchard" was common in cider-making areas of England. These orchards didn't use artificial fertilizers or chemicals, only natural fertilizer from the grazing animals. They also needed less special training to manage than modern orchards. Apples from traditional orchards tend to have less nitrogen and more polyphenols.
In recent years, the number of traditional cider orchards has gone down. This is partly because the large trees are hard to maintain and pick apples from. They also don't produce as many apples (10-12 tons per hectare) and take longer to start producing fruit (15 years compared to 8 years for modern orchards). In the 1950s, France even paid farmers to switch to modern orchards. By the 1970s, traditional orchards only made about 25% of the cider in the United Kingdom.
Bush Orchards
In the 1950s, as demand for cider apples grew in the UK, the Long Ashton Research Station developed the bush orchard system. This system is still commonly used in the UK today. In bush orchards, cider apple trees are grafted onto special rootstocks that make them grow to a medium height (4.5 to 6 meters). The trees are planted closer together, with about 750 trees per hectare. They are spaced 2–3 meters apart in rows that are 5.5 meters wide. These rows are still wide enough for tractors and harvesting machines. Unlike very dense orchards, trees in bush orchards stand on their own without needing support. Bush orchards can produce 2-3 times more apples than traditional orchards, up to 35-50 tons per hectare. This style became very popular in the 1970s when companies like H.P. Bulmer and Taunton Cider offered rewards to farmers who planted bush orchards. Today, about two-thirds of cider apples in the UK are grown in bush orchards.
High-Density Orchards
High-density planting became popular in the 1960s and 1970s and is now a common way to grow cider apples outside the UK. An average high-density orchard has about 1,000 trees per acre, but some in Europe and the Pacific Northwest can have up to 9,000 trees per acre! Trees in these orchards are grafted onto small rootstocks that make them grow small and start producing fruit quickly, often within two to three years. This means growers can bring new apple types to market much faster.
Because these trees are small and thin, they need to be supported by a trellis system. The rows are spaced based on the height of the mature tree. High-density orchards are more efficient for workers because they don't need to climb ladders for maintenance or harvesting. Applying Pesticides is also more efficient, as special sprayers can cover many trees at once, reducing waste.
Tree Types and Planting Systems
With more trees planted closer together, different tree shapes and planting systems have been developed:
Central leader trees are shaped like a cone, with a main vertical branch (the central leader) and wider branches at the bottom that get smaller towards the top. This system has been changed to fit modern, high-density orchards.
An example is the slender spindle. These trees also have a tapered shape. Their top branches are regularly trimmed or bent to control growth. A less strong rootstock is used to keep the tree small, and they are usually staked for support when they have a lot of fruit.
Solaxe and vertical axis systems are similar to central leader and slender spindle. They were used as a step from widely spaced orchards to high-density ones. The size of the tree depends on the rootstock, from very small to semi-dwarf. These trees need support. The goal is to balance fruit production and tree growth, with very little pruning. Solaxe uses branch bending to control how much the tree grows, while vertical axis uses regular pruning.
Super spindle orchards use very high-density planting, with 2,000 or more trees per acre. The benefits include lots of fruit early on and less manual work during harvest. These high-density plantings use a trellis system to support the trees.
Tall spindle also has many benefits of high-density planting and combines ideas from other systems. It uses high-density planting on small rootstocks, with 2,500 to 3,300 trees per acre. Tall spindle systems involve very little pruning when planted. They use branch bending to control growth and trim branches when they get too big. If the trees grow too tall (over 90% of the row spacing), the fruit quality at the bottom of the tree might not be as good.
See also
In Spanish: Manzana para sidra para niños
