Best Apples for Cider: 15+ Gourmet Varieties to Try (2023)

Making apple cider is simple enough, but it works best with apples that have the right mix of acidity, sugars and tannins. Here are 15 of the best cider apples. They all have different flavors but are delicious in their own way.

The best cider apples are generally flavorful varieties with a specific sugar, acid and tannin profile. While some select varieties have a proper balance on their own, most ciders are made by blending varieties to achieve the desired flavor with a balance of sugar, acid and tannins. Good cider apples are also slightly ripe, with as much starch as possible converted to sugar.

Apple cider varieties fall into one of four categories: spicy, bitter, sweet, and sweet and sour. Sharp apples have high acidity while sweet apples have lower acidity. Apples classified as bitter have a large amount of tannins.

Read on to learn all about some of the best apple varieties for making apple cider!

“Typically, cider makers blend the juice of several apple varieties harvested at the same time before fermentation begins. Only a few varieties have all the characteristics needed to produce a balanced cider on their own”.

Apples for Cider: How to Make Cider at Home, by April White and Stephen Wood

1. Golden Apple

The Golden Russet apple is an excellent lemon apple with balanced sugar, acidity and tannins. These small, russet New York heirloom apples have a rich, flavorful juice prized by cider makers.

The use of Golden Russet apples for the cider gives the cider a full profile with the deep complexity of a truly fine cider. Apples have a light honey flavor that translates well to cider, making it sweet and enjoyable as a dessert apple cider variety.

2. Newtown Pippin Apple

The Newtown Pippin apple is another well rounded cider apple with a good balance of sugar, acid and tannins. Not only is this very old heirloom great for making cider juice, but it also makes a good fresh apple to eat after a month or two of storage.

These traditional apples are extremely popular with lovers of strong ciders. These apples are often used because of their strong flavor. When ripe, they are perfectly round apples with balanced sugar, acidity and tannins. Both are sweet and sour, which gives them a memorable taste.

3. Manzana Roxbury Russet

The Roxbury Russet apple is another balanced cider apple known for its excellent blend of sugar, acid and tannins. This American classic works great for sweeter ciders. These crunchy, tangy sweet apples are often picked in September and store well.

4. Harrison apple

Harrison's apple is a popular old-fashioned cider apple that is sometimes referred to as Harrison's cider apple. It is a well-balanced variety, with a bright and dry pulp, very well balanced with sweetness, acidity and tannins.

Unlike most apples, Harrison's Cider is a wonderful, crunchy variety. It can also be mixed with sweeter, more tannic juices if desired. Harrison's can add an astringent smoky character to blends.

Once made into cider, this juice is rich in color and imparts a dry, robust taste. The cider is full-bodied and has a pleasant finish. These are some of the best cider apples.

“Early and late apples can make a delicious, well-balanced cider. However, early apples tend to produce lower alcohol ciders than late apples."

Apples for Cider: How to Make Cider at Home, by April White and Stephen Wood

5. Kernel Apple de Ashmead

Ashmead Kernel is a strong cider apple with a bright tart flavor.

This dessert apple hails from England and makes a lovely cider with a great finish. It's a delicious apple to eat, but even better for juicing. It has a strong flavor that produces cider with bright acids and tons of flavor.

“Every cider starts with juice. How and where this juice is obtained, its quality, its particular characteristics and its balance of flavors: all these are factors that intervene in your finished cider”

Sidra Moderna, de Emma Christensen

6. Esopus Spitzburg apple

The Esopus Spitzenburg apple is another strong cider apple with a bright, tart flavor.

This tangy apple produces a unique cider flavor. It's quite strong with bright acids and tons of flavor. It's one of those lemon apple varieties that is refreshing and delicious. It makes a lovely apple cider in the fall. These are some of the best cider apples.

7. Foxwhelp apple

The Foxwhelp apple is a sour cider apple that is rich in acid and tannins. Although it is classified as bitter, it is not as bitter as some of the other bitter apples available. This juicier variety produces a bright apple cider that can add a bit of tart tartness to sweeter blends.

If you want a cider with a musky flavor, Foxwhelp is for you. This apple makes cider a dream due to its simple yet deep taste. Use these cider apples for a nice, crunchy taste.

8. Kingston Black Apple

The Kingston Black apple is a bitter cider apple traditionally used in English apple cider. Like other bitter varieties, it is rich in acid and tannin.

This variety receives high praise from cider makers. Kingston Black is usually blended with sweeter varieties, but it can certainly be used on its own to make a strong, slightly bitter cider.

9. Manzana Dabinett

The Dabinett apple is a sweet and sour apple variety that is reliable and generally easy to grow. The sweet and sour profile of this variety is rich in tannins but low in acidity. While not good for eating fresh, they are perfect for hard apples.

Dabinett apples can be used alone for a single bitter variety, but they are usually mixed with apples with lower tannins, as the juice from Dabinett apples is quite astringent.

10. Gold Medal Apple

The Medaille d'Or apple is a French cider apple with a sweet and sour flavor profile. The juice is rich in tannins, high in sugar and low in acid. This apple is one of the few used exclusively to make cider, as the fresh fruit is unfit for consumption.

11. Manzana Somerset Redstreak

The Somerset Redstreak apple is a sweet and sour cider variety with high tannins and low acidity. It makes a delicious hard cider. It is slightly sweet but mostly sour in taste.

12. Manzana Yarlington Mill

The Yarlington Mill apple is a sweet and sour cider apple, rich in tannins and low in acid. These firm apples are late bloomers but produce a delicious sweet and sour flavor that is perfect for ciders. They have good sugar levels, making a smooth cider perfect for autumn.

13. the apostle Jonathan

HejonathanThe apple is an American heritage that is often eaten fresh. This apple variety is not commonly used for cider, but has become a commercial variety that can replace specialty cider apples. These apples are tart with a crunchy flavor, perfect for blending with other sweeter, more tannic varieties as needed.

14. jonagold apple

Hejonagold appleis another variety for fresh consumption that is a good substitute for a lemon apple.

These apples are popular due to their sweet and sour taste. They are perfect for creating a cider pie. Like Jonathon apples, they were not originally used for ciders, but have become a commercial alternative to specialty apples as needed.

15. Delicious Golden Apple

The Golden Delicious apple is perhaps the easiest apple to find in the supermarket if you are looking for a widely available cider apple juice. This variety is best consumed fresh, but it also makes a decent sweet cider.

This is another commercial apple variety that substitutes for specialty apples when needed. It's slightly sweet and full of flavor. It produces a sweeter cider or apple juice that many people enjoy.

16. red apple

Idared apples are versatile and colorful apples from Idaho. These aromatic apples are great for making cider. They are another commercial apple that can be used for gourmet cider. They have become a fan favorite due to their fresh taste and light acidity.

common questions

Resources

• The best apple varieties for baking apple pie.
• Gourmet apple varieties for food lovers
• apple categories
• The Sweetest Apples with a Sugary Variety
• How long does it take to grow an apple tree?
• when to pick apples

Reference

• Washington State University Cider Cultivar Yield Database
• University of Oregon, Making Your Own Apple Cider at Home
• Michigan State University: Pressing Apple Cider at Home