Tengukami's Cider

This is very no-frills, so this costs less to get into operation, but also means more patience and greater attention to quality control. But the soft touch leads to a very flavorful, satisfying cider.

This is what I use:

I use champagne yeast. Not for any special reason; it's just the most available kind here. I activate 10g of yeast in a bowl of warm water and plenty of raw sugar. In a 25L bottle, I pour 10L of apple juice, probably the most essential ingredient. So you get what you pay for - buy juice from concentrate, and you'll have a standard cider; organic apple juice has a more complex flavor. Then I add 2kg of sugar, and a pinch each of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove.

By this point, the yeast should be fully hydrated and activated. Pour the solution into the bottle, and agitate thoroughly for a good 5 minutes. It will be heavy, but this helps ensure a broad distribution of yeast in the sugar.

I use a bubbler gauge, your mileage my vary by matter of taste.

The first batch is done after about 3 months. At this time, the solution should be more or less clear, perhaps with some visible particles floating in it, with a thick layer of activated yeast-sugar silt.

At this point, you siphon the solution into another bottle, avoiding the silt as carefully as possible. Save it - you can use this to make future batches.

The second batch takes about a month to be ready for siphoning into bottles. The end result is at least 9 750mL bottles of cider. I do not know what the precise alcohol percentage is, but it's nearly as strong as wine; I would guess 9 or 10%. That I still have to test.