Looking for a cider recipe using traditional cider apples

I'm heading to a local orchard this weekend to pick up a cider that consists of browns, Kingston black, dabinette, michelin, and Harry masters jersey apples. I've made a few batches of cider made from regular eating apples but really know nothing about making a traditional cider. I'm looking for a good recipe involving these apple varieties. Thanks in advance for any help.

I'm thinking I might make some of Brandon o's graff with this cider. Any thoughts?

Since you have access to such high quality cider apples why not make a simple cider? Graff is a good way to add character and body to lower quality juice.

If you're looking for something more unique/challenging maybe try making a keeved cider.

Brewvandal,
Where are you located? Proper cider apples are hard to come by for most.

...or is this your secret location....(shifty eye emoticon here)

I live in northern idaho. I was thinking of making the graff because the last batch I made, which was from different cider, was a little weak and I think I would like it to have a little more body to it

Rats!
Pa to Idaho is just outside of my comfort zone for a drive.

If your last batch was weak/thin it may have been mainly a dessert apple blend. do you recall what the cider was made from?

Yeah that would be a bit of a drive haha. I'm not sure what my last cider was made from but it was fairly sweet so I'm guessing your correct about it being made from dessert apples. The cider I'm picking up this weekend is from a small batch so I only get one shot with five gallons of it. Is this cider more likely to provide more body then my last batch with sweet apples?

Yep, that's specifically why these varieties exist. Better flavor and texture post fermentation.

That sounds like a nice mix of apples. +1 on keeping it simple. If you want more body, try using an ale yeast like S04 and then either cold crash (if you have kegs) or bottle pasteurize in the range of 1.006 to 1.020 to make a semi-dry to semi sweet cider that will have a lot more apple flavor and body that is more like a beer, and you can be drinking it in a few weeks. With the mix you have, you can ferment it dry and can get a nice flavor, but it will be dry like a white wine and it will need aging for flavors and body to develop.

Alright you guys have convinced me to keep it simple. I was going to go with the graff recipe simply to add more body but if this cider will do that on its own then I'm all for that. Does this mean I should only use straight juice without any sugar?

For the keeving process I chaptalize the juice to bring it up to a sg of 1.055 and then aim for a final gravity of 1.010

I would suggest that you try making a cyser with part of your juice if you want something more. Another time you can try keeving if you care for a sparkling sweet cider without back sweetening or forced carbonation.

I agree, when you have actual cider varieties it seems a shame to add all sorts of ingredients...

Thanks for all the great advice. Looks like I'm just going to use the cider and an ale yeast and call it good.