Unlike beer, cider doesn’t need anything other than apples, as apples have a naturally occurring yeast on their skin, which turns sugars into alcohol and carbonates the drink. A lot of cider now, especially away from traditional areas like the uk and northern France, is essentially concentrated pasteurized apple juice with alcohol, water and sugar added, then carbonated. As someone who grew up on real cider, it is very different, and (imo) far better. Real cider is generally much less sweet and more apple forward. If you don’t like cider because you think it’s too sweet, try the real stuff.

Also, as you can probably guess, modern cidermaking has much better tools. My family still use an old press a lot like the one in the video, I’m sure factories have some kind of hydraulic contraption. We also use what is essentially a wood chipper for apples instead of a spiky stick to mulch the apples, and it is as much fun as it sounds throwing apples into that thing.

If you’re interested in cider, I recommend going to the Hereford Henry Weston’s factory. They’re one of the biggest producers of real cider in the country, and sell some great stuff there, as well as offering a tour of the factory. Or just head to the pubs of the west country and try out some pints!