Cinnamonny Goodness

I was wondering if anyone had any input on flavoring with cinnamon sticks. I boiled my cider with two large sticks, and added them to the primary. Should I fish them out of there after a few days? Will they impart overwhelming flavor if left in too long? How long is too long?

well first, NEVER boil the cider. It will set the pectin and may never clear. You didn't say how much cider you have but if its 5 gallons of less take the cinnamon out now. Boiling it will have taken out a lot of flavor.

Most people put in 1 to 1.5 sticks in the secondary for a few weeks.

Good to know. What temperature does the pectin set? I didn't bring it to a full boil, just heated it to under boiling, so I guess "boil" was the wrong word entirely. I've heated this cider before, last time I made mead, to around the same temp, and it cleared up fine after a couple of months in secondary, and at the time I didn't know about pectin enzymes, so I suspect I'm fine there.

Yes, its a 5 gallon batch. I took the cinnamon out as you suggested, and drew off a sample to taste. It has a barely noticable cinnamon hint to it, but nothing overpowering. This might come to the front a little more as sweetness goes down. Thanks for the info.

lapaglia said:

well first, NEVER boil the cider. It will set the pectin and may never clear. You didn't say how much cider you have but if its 5 gallons of less take the cinnamon out now. Boiling it will have taken out a lot of flavor.

Most people put in 1 to 1.5 sticks in the secondary for a few weeks.

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So don't put the sticks in the primary? Whats the process on getting them out of the carboy? Siphon off to another carboy?

Firstnten said:

So don't put the sticks in the primary? Whats the process on getting them out of the carboy? Siphon off to another carboy?

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I'd think that would give you a risk of oxidization. I'd probably tie a cotton thread to the sticks so I could pull them back out, if they were going in a carbuoy. Mine were just in fermenter bucket, so I just fished them out with my sanitized mixing spoon.

Heat to about 120 and only use enough to dissolve the sugar or honey. No need to heat more than you need. A gallon is more than enough. I put the cinnamon in the secondary in a small herb bag then remove when its where I want it or you can rack to another carboy if you need to get it off the cinnamon sticks. Oxidation isn't that big of a deal with cider if you use standard precautions.

lapaglia said:

Heat to about 120 and only use enough to dissolve the sugar or honey. No need to heat more than you need. A gallon is more than enough. I put the cinnamon in the secondary in a small herb bag then remove when its where I want it or you can rack to another carboy if you need to get it off the cinnamon sticks. Oxidation isn't that big of a deal with cider if you use standard precautions.

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