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The story:

The other day I went to one of those high flouting touchy-feely 
organic/health food stores cause in spite of my disdain for the touchy freely 
political correctness most of those shopping there express the fluffy one 
does care somewhat about what he shoves down his gullet.   At any rate there 
was not much there that piqued my interest (well there was this very well 
developed blonde, but I digress...) but I did stumble across some "Trader 
Joe's" Current Crop Gravenstein Apple juice.   Well I about choked on the 
price tag, but the rabbit will pay for quality, so I though what the 
heck..."Gravenstein yum" (he says in a Homer Simpson voice).  Anyway, it was 
very, very good.  Some years back I sort of gave up on the fall cider you saw 
in the stores as it tasted too much like the surgery apple juice you see in 
juice isle.   Kind of like a red delicious with added sugar...I think you 
know what I mean, a wet sweet sticky drink, but no body to it, an aroma only 
a yellow jacket could love, and lack of real apple  taste.   But this 100% 
Gravenstein juice was darn good...a little watery in some ways, but still 
with a strong "apple" flavor that was rather complex, sweet, but not 
obnoxiously so, and there was body to it, and it was an aromatic delight.  I 
was truly happy with the purchase and would adjust my budget to include it as 
a "special beverage" purchase.   

The saga continues...

So this week I found myself in Sioux Falls South Dakota, a virtual paradise 
by the way, and I saw some cider in the store.    I don't remember the exact 
brand it began with an "S" but the labeled claimed the usual homey lineage 
about how it was a family operation in business for 76 years and they 
carefully blended their apples to get that quality you'd expect.  Well a 
couple more dollars fled my wallet and I anxiously made my way back to the 
hotel to sample my purchase....well....it was not bad, it was a step above 
the typical "apple juice" but not by much.  I t was watery no matter home 
much you mixed it, and the custom blend well, it was really that nebulous, 
kind of reminiscent of something that might be related to an apple, or at 
some time something that grew near an apple, but it truly did not convey the 
essence of an apple like the "Gravenstein juice" had.  

Well, so I went a bit nuts and tried this cider, that cider, this juice, that 
juice, and determined that the Gravenstein juice was by far the superior.  
And price wise although it is many times more expensive that regular apple 
juice it was just a tad higher priced than the various ciders on the market 
and vastly superior in quality.  So from that respect it represented a 
"value".

My suspicion is that these so called blends are just a marketing gimmick to 
cover up the fact that they are just buying apples willy-nilly from the 
lowest cost producer without reference to the type of apple, sugar level or 
anything else and just juicing them up.  I really have trouble believing that 
any human is tasting this stuff and stamping their family seal of approval on 
it.

The questions...

Anyway I am wondering about cider.   Specifically nonalcoholic (ya'll don't 
want to see the fluffy bunny on the sauce).  What type of apples make the 
best single apple cider?  And what apples blends make a good cider?   Better 
yet, why do you blend the apples in a nonalcoholic cider, i.e. what are you 
trying to achieve.?    Does anyone make a good "tart" non-hard cider?   How 
about "balanced" nonalcoholic cider?

And an FYI...

And here is one for some of you.  I am working with one of those snobby 
blokes from across the pond whom loudly informed this ignorant colonist that 
the trouble with America is "you wankers don't' have any good fermenting 
apples here".   Apparently in good ol' England the blokes like to get 
snockered at work by eating apples that ferment to a rather high alcohol 
content "naturally".   Now, I suspect that if you let any apple with a bit of 
sugar sit around it will ferment naturally but I had no idea there was an 
entire classification of such apples that were grown for such intent.   

Wishing all of you a blessed holiday season,

The fluffy bunny  

Luke 2:8-14

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping 
watch over their flock by night.
And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone 
round about them; and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings 
of great joy which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ 
the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in 
swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host 
praising God, and Saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

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