Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Page

  1. What is the difference between Juice and Cider? ANSWER. Though “apple juice” and apple “soft cider” are both fruit beverages made from apples, there is a significant difference between the two. Fresh “Apple Lane Orchards apple cider” is raw apple juice that still contains small particles of pulp and sediment. This “cider” is then flash pasteurized to maintain its exotic taste and provide a 30-day shelf life or until the date marked on the container. “Apple juice” is this same juice that has been filtered to remove all solids and then fully hard pasteurized so that it will stay sterile for 14 or so months. Often, juice makers, add sugar, and other ingredients. Additionally, hard pasteurization removes much of the exotic taste.
  2. What kind of apples are used in cider? ANSWER Like much of life’s experiences, apples fall into the two categories of sweet and tart. With cider production, a blend of the two makes for the most wonderful, exhilarating, exotic taste. Apple Lane Orchards usually works with a precise blend of six or more apple varieties. When it comes to the tart, Apple Lane Orchards uses primarily three tart apples in each production blend: Granny Smith, Pink Lady, and Braeburn. When it comes to the sweet, however, we have many choices subject to our available supply and our farm manager’s whim. Fuji, Gala, Johnny Gold, golden delicious, red delicious, Mutsu, Johnathan and MacIntosh are all apples used in one or more of the Apple Lane Orchard’s Apple Cider blends.
  3. How many different varieties of apples go into a cider recipe? ANSWER At Apple Lanes Orchards, subject to availability, we prefer 8 to 11 very specific types of apples in each production run.
  4. What is the ratio of tart to sweet apples in Apple Lanes Orchard cider? ANSWER We prefer half and half, but sometimes produce runs of 33/67 with 33% being the percentage of tart or sour apples.
  5. What other ingredients are put into apple cider? ANSWER Apple Lane Orchards cider contains only one ingredient, pure apple cider (squeezed juice from apples).
  6. What are the differences between Julian fruit used in cider and imported fruit used in cider? ANSWER Julian apples are fresh picked from the orchard and contain no preservative chemicals. Imported apples often do contain chemical waxes to increase life freshness and are often placed into longterm controlled-atmosphere storage in a warehouse.
  7. Why does Apple Lane Orchards Flash Pateurize their cider? ANSWER Apple Lanes Orchards flash pasteurizes their cider to eliminate bacteria and pathogens for a 30-day shelf life.