I know this is a really old thread, but saw it and thought i would throw in my 2 cents. Good ciders usually come from a blend of apples that include some bitter sharps. If youre making your home cider from AJ, then it likely does not include these more full bodied apples. I've found that if you are really, and i stress, really light handed with a hop addition by boiling say 1/2 oz of a more floral mild hop in a couple hundred ML of water, and then blend that concoction in a 5 gallon batch, it can add some of the back of mouth bitterness that a good cider derives from more tannic apples. Its cheating, but its better than a thin cider made from just table variety apples. Give it a shot, curious to see if it works for ya!