A Certain Type of Cider Apple Shortage

Dear Client: Could an apple shortage stymy cider's explosive growth? A Reuters report claims there's a scarcity of "traditional hard cider" apples, including bittersweet, bittersharp and sharp varieties -- the so-called "spitters" too tart or bitter to eat, but that are ideal for cider-making. It's difficult to classify just how many spitter apples are in the U.S., but Greg Peck, assistant professor of horticulture at Virginia Tech University, shared that the total U.S. apple crop was 216 million bushels in