182: Traditional Straw Pressed Cider | Sandford Orchards, UK

Discover traditional straw pressing of cider at Sandford Orchards with Barny Butterfield based in Devon.

This Cider Chat was prerecorded at CiderCon2019.

In this episode

In this chat we discussed the traditional method of making cider using straw for the pressing, that is still used at Sandford Orchard for a specific group of locals, that Barny called ‘the old guys”, who like their “cider dry and from the oak”

Barney shares his cider making history and how farm hands, were paid with the means to make cider as part of their wages. He said that they weren’t necessarily paid with cider, but instead given the supplies and tools needed to make their own cider.

Barney Butterfield

This was true for him when he began working at his future father-in-laws farm. He credited that experience with helping him get his start in making cider, being paid with the tools needed to make his own.

His cider brand, Sandford Orchards began selling commercially in 2009. The ciders made by this brand are available throughout the UK. They have both a modern line up and a traditional offering of ciders.

Traditional Straw Pressing Notes:

The press is made up with a combination of thatching reeds.
- If you are familiar with a classic rack and cloth press used today in cider making, the straw press is set up using:
  - The Reed as the rack and Barely straw is the cloth
At Sandford Orchards they can press up to 2 tons of crushed apples on one press
As Barny says, “We do it in the Devon way.” with a press that has only one center screw on the press.
In the other region of the UK known as Somerset, they use a press with 2 screws.
It takes 3 parts of a day to build up the crushed apple with the straw on this press.

Barny says, “It looks much like a pyramid, all set up, with a strong wide base that taper up to the top.”

This set up has quite a bit of weight bearing down, and sooner than later without any downward pressure from the screw, the juice will begin to flow.

The juice will pour out slightly clear
They get 350 gallons on the first press
50 gallons with the second press – which he called the “Muck”
They usually leave the press set up for 3 days,

“What is really special is tasting that cider in the barn. We try not to make any blending decision in the barn, because we love everything we taste in the barn”

The ciderworks of Sandford Orchards was built in 1935 and is the is the oldest ciderworks in the country