Editing Cider apple (section)

===Long Ashton Research Station classification system===
In 1903, Professor B.T.P. Barker, the first director of the Long Ashton Research Station (LARS) in [[Bristol]], England,<ref name="first">Miles, C., King, J., & Peck, G. (2015). [http://cider.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/54/2017/04/CiderRegionalVarieties2015B1.pdf Commonly Grown Cider Apple Cultivars in the U.S.] Mount Vernon, WA: WSU Mount Vernon NWREC. Retrieved 27 April 2018.</ref> established an analytical classification system for cider apples based on tannin and malic acid percentages in pressed juice. This system is divided into four categories,<ref>Lea, A. (2015, April 21). [http://www.cider.org.uk/appledat.htm Cider Apple Compositional Data]. Retrieved 27 April 2018.</ref> which are as follows:

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Long Ashton four class system
|-
! Classification !! Malic Acid (% w/v) !! Tannin (% w/v) !! Examples !! Comments
|-
| Sweet (SW)<ref name="first" /> || <0.45 (low) || <0.2 (low) || [[Slack-ma-Girdle]], Sweet Alford, Sweet Coppin,<ref name="third">Merwin, I., Valois, S., & Padilla-Zakour, O. (2008). Cider Apples and Cider-Making Techniques in Europe and North America. Horticultural reviews. 34. 365-415. 10.1002/9780470380147.ch6.</ref> Northwood || Sweets are defined by low acid and tannin levels. Most dessert apples are also sweets,<ref name="fourth">Michigan State University. (2017, Fall). [http://msue.anr.msu.edu/uploads/resources/pdfs/E3364.(1).pdf Apple Cultivars for Production of Hard Cider in Michigan]. Extension Bulletin E3364. Retrieved 27 April 2018.</ref> though there is a group of cider cultivars with these characteristics.
|-
| Sharp (SH) || >0.45 (high) || <0.2 (low) || [[Crimson King (apple)|Crimson King]], [[Tom Putt (apple)|Tom Putt]],<ref name="first" /> Brown's Apple, Backwell Red || The high acidity of sharps, like that from bittersharps, can add "bite" to the cider. While there is a group of sharp cider apples, most cooking apples are also sharps,<ref name="fourth" /><ref name="another">Thompson-Witrick, K.A., K.M. Goodrich, A.P. Neilson, E.K. Hurley, G.M. Peck, and A.S. Stewart*. 2014. [https://doi.org/10.1021/jf503379t Characterization of the polyphenol composition of 20 cultivars of cider, processing, and dessert apples (Malus X domestica Borkh.) grown in Virginia.] Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 62:10181-10191.</ref> and traditional cooking varieties were often used in cidermaking in eastern England.<ref name=quinion5>Quinion, M. (1982) ''Cidermaking'', Shire, p.5</ref>
|-
| Bittersweet (BSW) || <0.45 (low) || >0.2 (high) || [[Brown Snout]], [[Dabinett]], [[Yarlington Mill]], [[Chisel Jersey]], [[Hangdown (apple)|Hangdown]] || Bittersweet cultivars are often of European origin;<ref name="fifth">Bradshaw, T. (2015, March 30). [http://www.uvm.edu/~fruit/treefruit/tf_cider/BradshawWLCider033015.pdf Cider Apple Research at UVM (and other U.S. Land Grant Institutions)]. University of Vermont. Retrieved 27 April 2018.</ref> they were often widely supposed to have originated in northwestern France, and bittersweet cultivars were often referred to by the terms "French" and "Norman" in the cider-producing counties of [[Gloucestershire]] and [[Herefordshire]] respectively.<ref name=martell>Martell, C. ''Native Apples of Gloucestershire'', Gloucester Orchard Group, p.38</ref> The raised levels of tannin add bitterness or astringency to the cider, a desirable quality.
|-
| Bittersharp (BSH) || >0.45 (high) || >0.2 (high) || [[Foxwhelp]], Virginia Crab (Hewes), [[Kingston Black Apple|Kingston Black]],<ref name="first" /> [[Cap of Liberty (apple)|Cap of Liberty]] || Having high levels of tannin and acid, bittersharps are particularly suitable for single-varietal ciders.<ref name = "last">Valois, S., Merwin, I. A., & Padilla-Zakour, O. (2006). Characterization of fermented cider apple cultivars grown in upstate new york. Journal of the American Pomological Society, 60(3), 113-128. Retrieved 29 April 2018.</ref> Along with bittersweets, these have historically been known as “spitters” because they are naturally unpalatable.<ref name="third" />
|}

Long Ashton's classification system also included a three-level classification of tannin: "full" for an apple with pronounced tannins (e.g. a "full bittersweet" such as [[Chisel Jersey]], "mild" for light tannins such as Cummy Norman, and "medium" such as Dabinett.<ref name=jolicoeur47>Jolicoeur, C. (2013). ''The New Cider Maker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for Craft Producers'', p. 47</ref><ref>Annual Report - Long Ashton Research Station, 1936</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Long Ashton seven class system
|-
! Classification !! Malic acid % !! Tannin % !! Examples
|-
| Sweet || <0.45 || <0.20 || Sweet Alford, Woodbine
|-
| Bittersharp || >0.45 || >0.20 || 
|-
| Mild Bittersweet || 0.45 || 0.20-0.25 || Cummy Norman, Hangdown, Perthyre, Royal Wilding.
|-
| Medium Bittersweet || <0.45 || 0.25-0.30 || Dabinett, Dove, Yarlington Mill.
|-
| Full Bittersweet || <0.45 || >0.30 || Knotted Kernel, Strawberry Norman.
|-
| Medium Sharp || 0.45-0.75 || <0.20 || Lambrook Pippin, Langworthy, Crimson King.
|-
| Full Sharp || >0.75 || 0.20 || Cap of Liberty, Fair Maid of Devon, Frederick.
|}

Tannins are further sometimes categorised as "hard" or "soft", for bitter and astringent tannins respectively.<ref name=jolicoeur47/>

British cidermakers normally blend juice from apples of multiple categories to ensure a finished cider with a balanced flavour and for the best and most consistent quality.<ref name="fourth" /> While traditional ciders were made from whatever apples were available locally, the blend of sugar, acid and tannin required for a successful cider is difficult to achieve from any single cultivar with the possible exception of some bittersharps.<ref name=lea156>Lea in Bamforth and Ward (eds.) (2014) ''The Oxford Handbook of Food Fermentations'', Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 156</ref> As bittersharps are rare, a common modern approach is to use a range of bittersweet varieties with some sharps, or a cooking apple such as the readily available [[Bramley apple|Bramley]], to balance the acidity.<ref name=ciderorg2>Lea, [http://www.cider.org.uk/part2.htm The Science of Cidermaking: Fruit and Cultivation], accessed 18-05-18</ref> Sharps, with their high acid content, also keep the cider's pH below 3.8 to prevent spoilage; sweets help provide adequate sugar for fermentation to the proper alcohol content.<ref name="last" />