are all sugars sugars?

I made my hard cider's first fermentation using honey as the nutrient for the yeast. After allowing the yeast to completely consume the sugars, I added more honey for the second in-bottle fermentation. The end product has been delightful, but rather much less honey presence than expected.

Is my conclusion that: no matter what nutrient used in the first of a 2 step fermentation, it's flavor is for the most part lost, if not also in the 2nd fermentation step, then why not just use a cheap (corn sugar) nutrient at least in the first fermentation?

How to preserve the honey flavor? Or any flavor, if for example using maple syrup as the nutrient (sugar)?

Cheers,

Monty

Don't use it for fermentation.

Backsweeten with it after all fermentation is done and the yeast is dropped to preserve the flavors because otherwise, you'd have to use nothing BUT said sugar to capture the subleties of it post fermentation. (Ex: Mead, Cider)

Thank You... yet, if my goal is dry sparkling honey wine, carbonated in-bottle during fermentation, then how to back-sweeten?

Montgomerry

If you want it to be dry why would you back sweeten? To back sweeten you just add sugar, so that the fermentation doesn't continue you can add non fermentable sugars like splenda or add a fermentable sugar and keep in the fridge so fermentation doesn't restart or stove top pasteurize
to kill the yeast.

First off, you are adding honey as a fermentable, not a nutrient. Just an FYI

Secondly, you do not lose the flavor of the honey, it just isn't what you might expect after the sugars have been fermented out. Aging may bring about stronger, more recognizable honey flavors from what I hear. However you may also want to look into the type of honey you are using (try buying from an Apiary), store bought honey may come out a bit bland from what I read. This may explain why you can't taste anything noticeable.

Bottle pasteurizing will retain more recognizable honey taste, since you'll still have some of the sugars, but only do this if you want a sweet cider (or cyser as it is called when made with honey).

If you do want to use corn sugar, check out Ed Wart's Apfelwein in the stickies of the wine section. I am trying to make it for the first time now and I hear it is great!

Oh and from what i have read on these threads, you should notice a difference in taste between the Apfelwein and the Cyser you made. But you won't know till you try...