Buying first press

[Eric Rider]

Hi all, I am looking for some input on buying a press
We are getting ready to buy a press any one have any recommendations / opinions?

Rack and cloth VS hydropress? 
Down side to rack and cloth is flexibility in what we can press with it. I am not sure how well they work on other fruit like plums, raspberries, and probably even grapes at some point.

Down side of a hydropress is the water usage here in California. I would like to find a bladder press that will work with an air compressor so I don't need to worry about wasting water.

How about yield and flavor from a hydropress VS a rack and cloth press? I have heard that the hydropress gets a higher yield than a rack and cloth and vice versa . I have also heard that the hydropress does not crush the seeds so the cider is less bitter although I am not sure how it would get a higher yield and be more gentile on the seeds that does not seem to work out.

Any one know about bladder presses that work with air rather than water?

I am leaning towards a hydropress but just don't know if it is the right decision or not. If I could find an air driven bladder press for a reasonable price I would go in that direction probably.

If I did go with a bladder press 

What about size do we buy something a bit smaller and out grow it in a few years or go for something to big and grow into it? I was thinking that a smaller hydro press would still be useful even when we do increase our production. It seems like a larger hydro press could waste a lot of water for small batches.

What about painted VS all stainless, how do the painted ones hold up to cider? 

Thanks

Eric

[Claude Jolicoeur]

I would help if you said what size of press you are considering... How much apples do you intend to press?
Claude

[Eric Rider]

right now I am looking at 80-90L. I can not ferment over 300L at a time with the current set up. 

Thanks

Eric

[greg l.]

If you are only doing small volumes I would go with a homemade rack and cloth press, you can use them for grapes as well. I have a bladder press, though they waste some water in pressing they use less in cleaning. A rack and cloth will give a better yield if it is well built, I don't think flavour is an issue.

Greg

[Thomas Fehige]

As far as I know, there are no pneumatic bladder presses and all the water press manufacturers forbid the use of their presses with compressed air. The point is that with water at a pressure of, say, three atmospheres and a rip in the bladder, you get a lot of diluted juice and maybe wet feet, if the same happens with air at three atmospheres  what you get is an explosion and you end up deaf from the bang and/or dead or otherwise injured from the shrapnel.

However, with a suitable water pump you could easily recycle the press water.

A home-made rack+cloth press could perhaps be converted into a basket press for greater flexibility, or you could use a basket press for apples, too ...

A man who used to make apple juice near Hamburg wrote that for one sole operator he found it optimal to have three water presses, so you clean and set up one of them while the two others are at different stages of pressing. Thus you might want to start with one press that suits your present scale and add a second and perhaps a third one when it's time to expand. Also, the smaller the water press, the higher is the yield, percentagewise.

On the other hand, he does not recommend water presses for stone fruit like cherries or plums, because their pits will perforate the bladder.

Cheers -- Thomas

Am Freitag, 24. April 2015 18:37:13 UTC+2 schrieb Eric Rider:

Hi all, I am looking for some input on buying a press
We are getting ready to buy a press any one have any recommendations / opinions?

Rack and cloth VS hydropress? e interested to have it published in my book with credit given, ple

Down side to rack and cloth is flexibility in what we can press with it. I am not sure how well they work on other fruit like plums, raspberries, and probably even grapes at some point.

[Andrew Lea]

On 05/05/2015 09:09, Thomas Fehige wrote:
> As far as I know, there are no pneumatic bladder presses

There are plenty used in the wine industry. Willmes to name but one. But
I don't think there are any available for small scale use. Probably
because they require the extra cost of an air compressor system and
mains water pressure is a more easily available alternative on a
domestic scale.

Andrew

--
near Oxford, UK
Wittenham Hill Cider Portal
www.cider.org.uk

[greg l.]

Pneumatic bladder presses are the main press used in the wine industry for white grapes. They are very expensive and for most small scale wineries they aren't worth the investment for the short season of use. The normal practice is to send your white grapes off to be pressed, it comes back as chilled sulfited juice. I haven't heard of any small air presses.

Greg

On Wednesday, 6 May 2015 03:15:06 UTC+10, Andrew Lea wrote:

[Claude Jolicoeur]

Yes, pneumatic bladder presses are used a lot by French cider makers. As far as I know, the smallest are at around 1 ton capacity and largest around 15 tons. I have seen such monsters in large cideries in Spain. Note also that these presses are horizontally mounted (as opposed to a vertical setup for hydro presses).
Claude

[Drew Pee]

A smaller hydro press done up with pneumatics? Came across my first one today:

Grifo - Air Press is being distributed by BrewCraft in north america
http://www.grifomarchetti.com/en/product/pneumatic_presses

No indication of how many psi are required to operate it.

Grifo also has an apple mill/crusher that looks incredibly similar to Speidel's...

[Dick Dunn]

On Wed, Jun 03, 2015 at 05:23:52AM -0700, Drew Pee wrote:
> A smaller hydro press done up with pneumatics? Came across my first one
> today:
>
> Grifo - Air Press is being distributed by BrewCraft in north america
>

> No indication of how many psi are required to operate it.

Digging down a ways on the Brewcraft web site, finally found 44 psi. Seems
like a hydro press re-fitted for air.

This is un-promising. 3 bar really isn't enough for good yield. Also,
can't tell but will the press pneumatics regulate the max pressure? 44 psi
is way lower than a typical shop compressor. It seems like this press would
want high-volume/low-pressure supply.

> Grifo also has an apple mill/crusher that looks incredibly similar to
> Speidel's...

Yes, similar enough on the outside that I'd almost wonder about patent
infringement! Can't see the blade design though.

--
Dick Dunn rc...@talisman.com Hygiene, Colorado USA