Using the Alchema Cider Making System

A few years ago we wrote about the Alchema Cider Making system when it was in its Kickstarter phase.  Now that it has been some time, and the product is in the market, we received one to try out and give our perspective on how well it works.

The Device:  When you get the box, you will see quite a few items in it.  It comes with the Alchema pod, as we will call it, which includes a funnel, base, and the pitcher system.  You also get three packets of different yeasts, a power cable, and documents that go over functionality of the system. There is also the unit that is a bit large. This is necessary when making a batch of a decent size (around 2.4 L).  Inside the unit there are sensors that interact with the pitcher and a scale in the base of the unit. It also has a UV sanitation system that helps clean the interior of the pitcher! Light it up!

The App:  This is where the Alchema sets itself apart from a traditional cider making kit.  The Alchema has a companion app that holds a ton of recipes that are ready to go as well as space to make your own recipes.  Recipe for cider, mead, wine and beer can be had. Each of these recipes has a brief description of the product, the ingredients, and steps to make the beverage.  You can save the ones you like to your “favorites” or file them away when you make your own. There are a few other tabs such as the current fermentation tab, which shows any current process of these products and any history of making.  Overall, the app was very easy to use and navigate around and made the process easy for those who are not very familiar with fermentation. The step-by-step instructions aligned with the scale on the inside make measuring out the apples, juice, etc. — very easy.  Arguably the coolest part of the app is when you are in the fermentation process and see how many days are left, current temperature, pressure, and estimated final ABV. This is all graphed so you can keep track and use this data for future batches.

The Experience: We only have good things to say about the Alchema system.  The only issue that we found is the ABV seems to be based off of the recipe so if you stray from it you will not be able to easily calculate the ABV.  Other than that the steps to make the ciders and weighing the items was as easy as it gets. When the cider is done fermenting, you can either put it in the refrigerator and rack it once the yeast settles or do a freezing method to scrap off the yeast.

The Cider:  Our first batch was made with traditional cider and we added pink lady apples pieces to add some additional apple flavor and tartness.  I used the premier cuvee yeast which adds enhanced aromas. I used organic farm apple juice that had all the natural sugars we needed for fermentation.  The flavor was a bit yeasty and tart but it was fully fermented and dry. I plan on letting my ciders sit longer and experimenting with flavors.