Sweetness
How much sugar remains or is present in the finished cider.
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Cider encyclopaedia · Styles
Cider styles: sweetness is only the beginning.
Dry, medium and sweet are useful words, but they leave out half the story. Tannin, acidity, fruit type, sparkle, fermentation and regional tradition can change cider just as much.
Acidity
The fresh, mouth-watering edge that keeps sweetness in check.
Tannin
Grip, dryness and structure, especially from traditional cider apples and perry pears.
Carbonation
Still, gently sparkling or lively — texture changes the whole impression.
More than dry, medium or sweet
Think in several directions at once.
Dry cider
Little sweetness left behind, so acidity, tannin and fermentation character stand more exposed. Dry does not necessarily mean sharp or austere.
Medium & sweet
More sweetness softens acidity and tannin. The result can range from gently rounded to openly dessert-like.
Still cider
No deliberate sparkle, allowing tannin, fruit and texture to take centre stage.
Sparkling cider
Carbonation lifts aroma and freshness. It may be added mechanically or created through further fermentation.
Keeved cider
A traditional method associated especially with Normandy and Brittany that slows fermentation and can preserve natural fruit sweetness at modest alcohol.
Spanish sidra
Often tart, dry and lightly sparkling or still, with serving rituals that are part of the experience as much as the liquid itself.
Perry
Made from pears rather than apples, often from specialist perry varieties that can bring delicate perfume, acidity and tannin.
Ice cider
Made from highly concentrated apple juice in cold climates, producing a rich, sweet style closer in mood to dessert wine than everyday cider.
Why do traditional cider apples matter?
Because eating apples are bred for a different job.
A crisp supermarket apple can make perfectly good cider, but specialist cider fruit may bring much more tannin, acidity or bitterness. Those traits can seem awkward in an eating apple and extremely useful after fermentation.
That is why traditional cider regions preserve varieties that rarely appear in a fruit bowl. Their value is in the glass, not on the lunchbox.
Cloudy vs clear
Appearance tells you less than people think.
Cloudiness can come from yeast, fruit solids, minimal filtration or deliberate production choices. Clear cider is not automatically industrial, and cloudy cider is not automatically traditional or better. Taste, balance and stability matter more than the visual shortcut.
Go back to the orchard
Style starts with fruit before fermentation even begins.
Apple cider vs scrumpy
Scrumpy is a traditional and loosely used name associated especially with farmhouse-style cider in parts of England. It is not a precise guarantee of strength, sweetness, cloudiness or production method. Apple cider describes the broader fermented apple drink.
For a useful comparison, look for the apples used, juice content, sweetness, carbonation and maker's description. A clear cider can be traditional, and a cloudy cider is not automatically farmhouse-made. Treat 'scrumpy' as a starting clue and ask what is actually in the glass.