ON CIDER-MAKING AND ITS MANAGEMENT.
In making cider or perry it is well not to begin unless the weather be
moderately cool, as in hot weather the changes in the fluid become too
rapid, and it consequently does not keep well.
The first process will be to grind the fruit into as perfect a state of
pulp as possible. This will be effected when the kernels are decidedly
crushed. Such a state of pulp usually ensures the best results, not only
from the fact that the whole juice of the fruit is not only set free,
but it is all exposed to the action of the air, by which both the colour
and quality are greatly improved; and, besides this, every good quality
is decidedly increased by having the principles and flavour of the
kernels mixed with the other juices.
The method by which this is best effected is by grinding in the usual
circular stone horse-mill. This is confessedly a slow process, but
notwithstanding the newer methods, to be presently described, we still
prefer it to all others, and that from the great completeness with which
the grinding is effected.
Of late years cider-mills have been brought out which essentially
consist of a combination of gribbling teeth, by which the fruit is first
torn to pieces, and two cylindrical rollers, between which it is
afterwards crushed with greater or less completeness.
In some cases the rollers are of iron, in others of hard stone: the
latter is preferable, as contact with iron, even where but slight,
causes the drink to assume a degree of blackness, especially on
exposure.
Portable mills of this kind are now very general, but we so fully agree
with the remarks of Mr. Cadle, that we here quote his description of
some portable cider-mills, with his comments upon their action.
About twenty-six years ago, Mr. Coleman, of Chaxhill,
Westbury-on-Severn, commenced making an improved cider-mill and
press, which could act either as a fixture or a portable mill. It
was found that the cider thus made fined better, and the process
was also more expeditious. These advantages, together with the cost
of keeping the old kind of mills in repair, which landlords were
unwilling to undertake, led to their being superseded, as they wore
out, by Coleman’s, or a similar mill.
Coleman’s mill consists of two pairs of rollers fixed in a strong
wooden frame; it is fed from a hopper, the apples passing through
the first pair of rollers, which are made of hard wood, with iron
teeth, so as to break the apples, which fall next between a pair of
stone rollers set close enough to break the kernels, and from these
the pulp drops into a trough placed beneath to receive it.
Mr. Latchem, of Hereford, has also paid considerable attention to
the construction of these mills, and has taken out a patent for
doing away with the iron in the feed-rollers, and substituting
steel teeth fitted into one roller, and working through other steel
teeth on a fixed plate, partly on the same principle as a
curd-mill. The fruit, after passing this “chewer,” is ground
between a pair of stone rollers, as before described.
Until the portable apple-mills became general, we had a mill to
almost every farm, and even to many of the cottages; but in
Devonshire one mill or pound-house serves for a number of makers,
and sometimes for a parish, each person paying so much per hogshead
for the making.
Most of the travelling portable machines in Herefordshire have two
presses with each mill, and are worked by two horses, making 1,000
to 1,500 gallons in a day; sometimes they are worked by a small
portable steam-engine. They are very expeditious, and do very well
for a second-class cider, but if you would have the best, they are
very objectionable, because the different sorts of fruit very
rarely get ripe at once in sufficient quantities to enable you to
make much at a time. Much cider is therefore spoiled, the fruit
being ground when too green, by those who are impatient to finish
the process. I think that each farm or holding should have a mill
of its own, even if it be only a small hand-mill.
There are several other rude plans of grinding, such as nut-mills,
graters, scratchers, &c., but they are so objectionable that they
hardly deserve notice.
All metallic substances should be kept from contact with the pulp,
as chemical combinations immediately take place on contact; for
instance, if you take a clean knife and cut an apple through, the
knife quickly becomes black, as well as the apple. For this reason
I think the iron teeth and cast-iron in the rollers are
objectionable; as also the steel ones, although perhaps not to the
same extent. I should recommend that this iron be removed, and
fluted rollers of larger diameter be made of some hard wood, such
as yew-tree, or American iron-wood. No doubt more power would then
be required to work the mills, but this would be of little
consequence if the produce was first-class cider.
When this new mode of grinding was first tried, there was great
complaint amongst the labourers that the cider did not agree with
them, and this was generally attributed to the iron; but in my
opinion, the green state of the fruit when ground made the juice
harsh, and caused irritation in the system.—_Journal R. A. S._,
vol. XXV. page 1.
The next point for consideration is the pressing out of the juice. This
has been done with screw-presses of various kinds, either wood or iron,
with single or double screws.
Hydraulic presses are now coming into fashion, and one advantage which
they possess is, that of easily and expeditiously getting _all_ the
juice from the pulp.
In Dorsetshire the ground pulp or “pummy” is usually put upon a flat
stage between layers of straw, which are deftly turned up at the edges
so as to keep the “cheese” together. Upon the top of the cheese is
placed another flat board, which is acted upon by the press.
In Worcestershire and Hereford the pulp is pressed in hair cloths, which
plan is much more perfect than with straw.
In pressing it is well to observe that the pulp be ground on one day and
pressed the next, as not only colour but general richness in quality
results from exposure. The dark colour which an apple assumes on being
cut is due to this cause, not as supposed to the steel knife, for the
change mentioned is equally certain with a silver one. In the now almost
exploded plan of scooping apples, the pulp of even sour apples becomes
sweet by the process.
As the juice is exuded from the press it falls into a trough beneath,
which is divided into two parts by a grating with small holes, by which
the particles of pulp are separated, and from this the clearer fluid is
conveyed to the cask.
As regards straining, we have seen some of the finer sorts of perry made
by a more complete straining than the above; in fact, a rough kind of
filtering in flannel bags. This would take too long a time for general
purposes. It is, however, a good way of making drink for bottling.
The after-management of cider and perry is a subject upon which much has
been both said and written. We, however, join in the country opinion,
that “if it be made well the less it is messed with the better.”
We prefer putting cider in large casks in a cool cellar—say of from one
to two hundred gallons or more,—to each of which should be two
tap-holes, one in the middle and one towards the bottom; the first
tapping from the middle hole insures a clear fluid without disturbing
the lower part, which thus goes on “settling down.”
If cider from good fruit be made well, it will have an agreeable
sub-acid flavour, derived from the malic acid, which is the principle
which gives the refreshing juice of most fruits.
Fermentation is necessary to make good cider, as by it the sugar of the
fruit is converted into alcohol or spirit; and if, when this process is
complete, the fermentation ceases, we shall have a refreshing, exciting,
and generous fluid; if, however, it passes from vinous to acetous
fermentation, we get acetic acid, and the product is sour.
Cider made from good and well-ordered fruit in temperate weather, and
put in casks in a cool cellar, will be likely to ferment equably, and to
stop at the right time; if so, the product will be of the best; if,
however, these conditions have not been complied with, the cider will be
more or less harsh or “hard,” and no means will avail to improve it.
Sulphur may be burnt in the casks to check fermentation; but we would
after all prefer acetic to sulphurous acid. Chalk and lime will
decompose the acid, but to little purpose. The London method of adding
sugar or sugar-candy and water to sour cider—and to them all mature
cider is sour—is in itself innocent enough.
There is, then, this consolation: if the cider be harsh, farm labourers
will drink it; and as they will not, as a rule, drink half so much of
the inferior as of the best, they will after all be the gainers.