The New Cider Maker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for Craft Producers

I have read a lot of books in search of guidance on successful cider making. And I have made a few batches of passable cider, always felt they could be better, but didn't know how to improve my crafting. There are a lot of books out there worth reading, but none have put all the pieces together, until now. Jolicoeur's book is the one I have searched for all these years! The author thoroughly details the steps to making great cider--everything from selecting the right apples, handling the apples properly, to the qualities to look for in a grinder and press. There is a wealth of information here--far more than you'll need for your first batch, but plenty to reward you for re-reading, and for improving each batch of cider you make. The author's research has clearly been exhaustive and there is a lot of personal experience underpinning the advice. There is also a lot of technical information in this book, mostly in the form of fermentation chemistry, but the book is organized in such a fashion that it is easy to breeze through the chemistry and focus on the practicalities of making cider (that said, the chemistry is important and something every eager maker should work through at least once). The author's writing style is quite approachable and conversational in tone. I am really grateful for this book! It arrived as I began gathering apples for this year's pressing. On my first glance through the book the author saved me from making three mistakes that would have compromised the quality of my cider. This encouraged me to slow down and get through the book before committing any more mistakes, and now I'm confident that this year's cider will be my best ever. One final note. The author developed a series of spreadsheets for managing cider production--from calibrating your hydrometer to calculating blends and tracking fermentation progress. These sheets and their use are discussed in the book, and available for download from the publisher. The spreadsheets alone are worth the price of the book!

I was well aware of Mssr. Jolicoeur's website before he delved into writing this most excellent volume. In an area of study where most of the scientific material is difficult to access, or long out-of-print, this hefty volume brings a rare fusion of science and common sense to the Cider afficionado. For someone who merely wants to dabble in converting their local farmer's market sweet cider into something more potent, this textbook-like tome may be intimidating. That said, it neither reads like a textbook, nor does it present a difficult scientific explanation for the aspects of the cider craft. Mssr. Jolicoeur is, if anything, a very down-to-earth cider maker and cider apple orchardist. His fluid and engaging style reflects that, while his suggestions for growing, equipment and production all reflect a "best practices, without excess" approach. However the book also contains a wealth of information on specific areas that have been a deep personal interest to Mssr. Jolicoeur. To wit, there is an extensive section on making your own grinding and pressing equipment that is unsurpassed by anything online or in print - anywhere. Overall this is the best guide out there for the dedicated hobbyist and small producer. The only proviso I would attach to my otherwise complete enthusiasm for this publication is that it has a certain regional focus. As an example, for those who might be looking for advice on what apple varieties to grow in the deep south there is little contained here. Mssr. Jolicoeur is clearly an expert in his climate area, a part of Quebec that corresponds to USDA (climate/growing region) Zone 4. He has also incorporated cultural information from colleagues in the Northeastern U.S., but none any further south than USDA zone 6. So the information on apple varieties, diseases and yields observed may be of little use to growers below the northern tier (such as myself in USDA Zone 8). Regardless, this information comprises a minority of the text and most of the well presented material is useful to everyone. With Claude Jolicoeur's book.....vous avez de la chance !

As a first time cider maker this book is an indispensable bible ! It is written so a beginner can easily get started making cider yet there is a tremendous amount of detail that can be delved into if one wishes or as one gains experience and wants to dig deeper. My copy of the book now has Post-It note flags on about 20 pages and as I type up notes about my fermentation procedures I insert page references from the book so I can refer to the important details when making future batches of cider. The most rewarding aspect of having this book is my first batch of cider may well turn out to be quite palatable and worth sharing with friends and family ! I bought this book along with 2 others on cider making and have barely opened the other 2 which I will likely donate to a library or book sale. Since writing my original review ~2 years ago I have progressed to making beer, wine and mead/pyment. Much of the information in Claude's book is applicable to any fermentation process so I find myself frequently referring to it for general information about the fermentation process.

This is a very good book. What first impressed me was the quality of the printing. I expected the book to focus on making hard cider exclusively. But there are detailed chapters on orchards and apple presses. The author is an engineer and has a somewhat scientific approach. This is a book you don't read from cover to cover I think. I just went to the chapters that concerned me. This book is very good. The author is a subject matter expert no doubt.

Beautifully laid out and photographed, this book had everything I was looking for. The main thing I wanted was an informed discussion of the pros and cons of using sulfites in cider production. This book has the most technical and thorough discussion I've seen, even though the author himself admits to only using sulfites on a small proportion of the cider he produces...Most non-UK cider discussions I've seen all take it as a given that you will put sulfites or similar chemicals in the must in order to control fermentation...This book discusses the pros and cons in a non-divisive way, and explains (the basics) of the chemistry behind the practice. If you want to build a press there is a huge section with drawings and photos. And, there is a gorgeous section on varieties of apples, again including gorgeous photos of each type covered. Lastly, the book starts with the basics of making cider, end-to-end, but the remainder of the book then goes step-by-step through all aspects of the process. Great and gorgeous book.

Lots of great information. To the person complaining that this book isn't technical enough, I've been brewing beer for 16 years overall, professionally for 11 years and cidering all that time. This book is a great guide and is not lacking in technicality. I can't understand how you could say there's not enough info unless you know EVERYTHING there is to know about cidering which I highly doubt, otherwise, why buy ANY book? There were many references I had to look up but the book is laid out in a perfect flow from beginning to end. Very well illustrated. Charts and graphs are accurate and easy to read. The book itself is well made of high quality paper. I bought this in conjunction with 'Apples of North America: Exceptional Varieties for Gardeners, Growers, and Cooks' by Tom Burford which makes for an excellent cross reference to apple varieties and is chock full if info including grafting.

I've just started the book, but it's already one of the best "guides" I've ever seen. Very clear, very precise, no wasted words, no pep talks. The author and his guide are serious about cider and comprehensive. I'm just a hobbyist, but I want to make real cider, something I find enjoyable to make and drink. This book is definitely for grown ups who want to commit themselves to the process. Not for people who are looking for a fun weekend project. I'm all in and am grateful books with this kind of no-nonsense, rigorous approach still exist.

Great book. Making cider is very much an art as much as a science. Much more complex than I expected

It was written by engineer - attention to details, well structured, easy to follow, for non english speaker it was easy to read and understand. Charts, tables, formulas, clear advices. Covers almost all areas of cider making. No bugs or "cloudy" places, excellent editing and printing. It is a must for every cider maker, beginner or experienced. Can not praise this book enough.

As the introduction by Mr. Jolicouer states, this is the book I wish that I had when I starting making cider at home. I have also read Cider: Hard & Sweet, by Ben Watson, and Cider: Making, Using & Enjoying Sweet & Hard Cider by Lew Nichols & Annie Proulx as my "go-to" cider books. Both those books have been very useful to me throughout all my hobby batches, but The New Cider Maker's Handbook takes the cake. I would recommend all three to be the core of a cider hobbyist's library, but this book is ordered in the way that I would have preferred when starting out, contains lots of details that I wish I had known, and focuses on making simple cider very well without distracting the reader with information about oak barrels, keeving, cider diseases, vinegar, e.t.c. (all things that I was extremely distracted by, when I should have just been focusing on the basics)

I have just been reading this book and thought it warranted a review. It is probably the best single book on cider making cover all aspects in a thorough sound engineering based approack. About the author: Claude is a mechanical engineer and has been making cider for nearly 40 years. He brings an engineering/scientific approach to the subject of cider making but does not forget that there is art involved as well! His book is divided into 5 main parts: The basics of cider making As it says here he covers the basics of what cider is and how to make it Growing the apples Very good information on planning an orchard, descriptions and analysis of various apple varieties. Why a cider apple is different to a desert apple! Extracting the juice Very good engineering information on the design and construction of apple mills (scratters etc.) and presses. He even includes tables concerned with the strength of materials used in press design! Whats in the juice Here he talks about the chemistry of the juice: Sugars, Acidity, Tannins, Nitrogen, Pectin and why they are all so important. I did not realise that Sorbitol (used as an artificial sweetner) occurs naturally in some apples and pears and is a non-fermentable sweetner! Fermentation and beyond From fermentation, through to blending, sweetening and how to ferment a naturally sweet cider – the keeving process. Also he looks at problems that the cider maker encounters and what can de done. This is an excellent book and aims to take you from an empty piece of land through to enjoying your own craft cider. Ok that will take a few years!

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really good book, super clear, super easy to read. Now i know a lot about the argument