Newbie Cider maker here!

[Scrumpyman]

Hi Guys,
New to the forum so go easy on me please!
I'm an Expat living in rural south western France near the Limoges area and have just tried my hand for the very first time making my own proper scumpy Cider! (difficult to find over here!)

I've currently got around 100 litres of juice sitting in my cellar quite happily bubbling away and I'd appreciate I bit of guidance as I don't want all that hard work going to waste!
Every single drop of that was pressed by myself and it was blimin' hard work too! I did it the traditional way too, picked the apples, quartered them then beat them in a large tub with a sledge hammer and then finally pressed them! Mix of apples from 5 mature trees in my orchard. Sorry no idea what variety they are but I can find out if it helps.
Okay my aim is to produce a dry, natural "scrumpy" type cider, no bubbles or added sweetness for me thank you!
Measured SG was 1.052
So far done nothing other than press the juice (which tasted absolutely delicious straight off the press!) and put roughly 50 litres each in two 60L new, clean plastic sealed containers which both have currently bubblers sat on them.
Temperature is roughly 20 degrees in my cellar and honestly within hours of putting them in they have been bubbling away quite aggressively. Fast forward around 10-12 days and it's slowed down to probably one bubble per minute.
Where to I go from here?! I've read loads of info on the site and I've come to the opinion that I'm probably better off waiting a couple of months then racking it off in a secondary container, leaving the sediment at the bottom, then bottling it up.
I ordered several sachets of SafCider AB-1 and I'm half temped to add it to one of the containers as an experiment to give it a "boost" but worried that as everything seems to be going fine with the wild yeasts so far, that i may ruin it by introducing oxygen into the containers?!
Any thoughts please?!
Leave it be and let nature take its course or add the AB-1?! Possibly rack it off into another container and then add the AB-1?!
Any help or suggestions much appreciated!
Thanks in advance everyone

 

[Vindicator]

What is the current gravity reading? Not an expert either, but wonder If you are close to 1.000 now so stopped fermenting.

 

[Scrumpyman]

No idea as I don't want to risk breaking the seal and introducing oxygen into the mix. However its still bubbling as mentioned above roughly once per minute so in my mind it's still fermenting, albeit slowly

 

[Polcho]

I think I would wait a month, then rack. I’m only in my first real year of cider making, but I can really recommend this book.
I’ve found it answers all my questions, so far, and it’s not dear.

Sounds like you are having fun, great!

 

[Stevieboy]

Leave as is, rack in a few weeks. Would like to see a photo of that old press!

 

[mawibri]

Hi Guys,
New to the forum so go easy on me please!
I'm an Expat living in rural south western France near the Limoges area and have just tried my hand for the very first time making my own proper scumpy Cider! (difficult to find over here!)

I've currently got around 100 litres of juice sitting in my cellar quite happily bubbling away and I'd appreciate I bit of guidance as I don't want all that hard work going to waste!
Every single drop of that was pressed by myself and it was blimin' hard work too! I did it the traditional way too, picked the apples, quartered them then beat them in a large tub with a sledge hammer and then finally pressed them! Mix of apples from 5 mature trees in my orchard. Sorry no idea what variety they are but I can find out if it helps.
Okay my aim is to produce a dry, natural "scrumpy" type cider, no bubbles or added sweetness for me thank you!
Measured SG was 1.052
So far done nothing other than press the juice (which tasted absolutely delicious straight off the press!) and put roughly 50 litres each in two 60L new, clean plastic sealed containers which both have currently bubblers sat on them.
Temperature is roughly 20 degrees in my cellar and honestly within hours of putting them in they have been bubbling away quite aggressively. Fast forward around 10-12 days and it's slowed down to probably one bubble per minute.
Where to I go from here?! I've read loads of info on the site and I've come to the opinion that I'm probably better off waiting a couple of months then racking it off in a secondary container, leaving the sediment at the bottom, then bottling it up.
I ordered several sachets of SafCider AB-1 and I'm half temped to add it to one of the containers as an experiment to give it a "boost" but worried that as everything seems to be going fine with the wild yeasts so far, that i may ruin it by introducing oxygen into the containers?!
Any thoughts please?!
Leave it be and let nature take its course or add the AB-1?! Possibly rack it off into another container and then add the AB-1?!
Any help or suggestions much appreciated!
Thanks in advance everyone

Regarding the crushing of the apples....I bought a second hand garden mulcher for £20 it does a fantastic job of scratting the apples, Of course camden tablets in the juice for 24 hour after. The apples come out like a fine mulch ( It is a mulcher after all)

 

[mawibri]

Hi Guys,
New to the forum so go easy on me please!
I'm an Expat living in rural south western France near the Limoges area and have just tried my hand for the very first time making my own proper scumpy Cider! (difficult to find over here!)

I've currently got around 100 litres of juice sitting in my cellar quite happily bubbling away and I'd appreciate I bit of guidance as I don't want all that hard work going to waste!
Every single drop of that was pressed by myself and it was blimin' hard work too! I did it the traditional way too, picked the apples, quartered them then beat them in a large tub with a sledge hammer and then finally pressed them! Mix of apples from 5 mature trees in my orchard. Sorry no idea what variety they are but I can find out if it helps.
Okay my aim is to produce a dry, natural "scrumpy" type cider, no bubbles or added sweetness for me thank you!
Measured SG was 1.052
So far done nothing other than press the juice (which tasted absolutely delicious straight off the press!) and put roughly 50 litres each in two 60L new, clean plastic sealed containers which both have currently bubblers sat on them.
Temperature is roughly 20 degrees in my cellar and honestly within hours of putting them in they have been bubbling away quite aggressively. Fast forward around 10-12 days and it's slowed down to probably one bubble per minute.
Where to I go from here?! I've read loads of info on the site and I've come to the opinion that I'm probably better off waiting a couple of months then racking it off in a secondary container, leaving the sediment at the bottom, then bottling it up.
I ordered several sachets of SafCider AB-1 and I'm half temped to add it to one of the containers as an experiment to give it a "boost" but worried that as everything seems to be going fine with the wild yeasts so far, that i may ruin it by introducing oxygen into the containers?!
Any thoughts please?!
Leave it be and let nature take its course or add the AB-1?! Possibly rack it off into another container and then add the AB-1?!
Any help or suggestions much appreciated!
Thanks in advance everyone

I am new to it as well but read up a bit and used this yeast my cider is dry but very appley (is that a word) anyway I may add some sweetener (not sugar) later or the missus wont drink it....

I also have a conical fermenter which lets you drop out the lees/sediment when its finished most of the fermentation and does away with that yeasty taste you sometimes get.