Pre-fermentation additions

Once you’ve squeezed your apples and filled your fermenting vessel (leaving a couple of centimetres – an inch or so – of headspace at the top), there are a couple of chemicals you may want to consider adding before fermentation. Using sulphite (in the form of a Campden tablet) will kill off the unwanted yeasts that can add filthy flavours to your cider, while also allowing more favourable yeasts to grow. However, you may wish to leave sulphite out, especially if you intend to serve your cider to anyone with a sulphite allergy.