Franklin Cider Apple (Sold by the pound)
A game changing bitter sharp cider apple, which has been touted as the replacement for the difficult to grow, but premier Kingston Black. For the hard cider maker this apple can be the king of a great blend having the necessary characteristics contained in this one bitter sharp variety. It has high sugar, high tannins and high acidity, which gives cider a nice tang. During testing the Franklin Cider apple acidity has been compared to traditional European hard cider varieties and dessert apples used in hard ciders, along the lines of Northern Spy and Liberty and more acidic than a Macoun. Testing also ranks it as the third highest for sugars among 44 varieties tested with the juice measuring anywhere from a 17.5 to 19 Brix. When the Franklin Cider apple was tested alongside the Kingston Black, the Franklin Cider apple was slightly lower than the Kingston Black in acidity, four spots higher than the Kingston Black in sugars, and five spots higher in tannins. If the Kingston Black is in the somewhat rare category of bitter sharps then the Franklin Cider Apple clearly falls in that same category. Ripens in early-mid October.