Cider not fermenting

About 5 days ago I purchased 2.5 gallons of preservative free pasteurized cider. The only ingredient was apples. I dumped the cider into a carboy, and put in a full packet of dry cote des bloanc yeast, which I dissolved in hot water first. The carboy has been stored in a 73 degree room for about 5 days now, and there are no visible signs of fermentation. The are no bubbles on top of the cider, and the water in the airlock hasnt bubbled. The cider is starting to settle a bit though. I'm not sure exactly what ive done wrong, or what I can do now to fix this. The only thing I can think of is that when I put the yeast in water, the water came to a simmer. Could I have killed the yeast? Could it actually be fermenting, I just dont see it?

This is my first time brewing cider. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

anything over 120 deg F would have likely killed the yeast. Take a hydrometer reading and if nothing has changed dump a new packet of yeast in.

RandyKlein said:

when I put the yeast in water, the water came to a simmer. Could I have killed the yeast?

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I would think a simmer would = dead yeast.

When re-hydrating them you want warm not hot. Think bath tub warm and then a little less is about right for the little guys.

oops, thanks guys. guess I wont do that again. So, is it perfectly fine to just put more yeast in it?

yes