How to make hard cider

I have no idea how to make this stuff. I have experience brewing beer, wanted to try 5 gallons of hard cider. I have the cider yeast, 5 gallons of cider (no preservatives) Can someone point me to a tutorial? I have some questions...

I plan to ferment in a carboy, then transfer the cider to growlers (I have a bunch and don't want to transfer to my kegs) Is this ok? Do you guys carbonate this stuff?

When, or should I add spices to the cider? Should I cook the cider prior to pitching?

Check out EdWort's post on Apfelwein, should point you in the right direction.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f25/man-i-love-apfelwein-14860/

A couple words of advice. Use beer yeast instead of cider yeast, it'll help the cider mellow out and become drinkable more quickly. Don't add any additional sugar to the juice, it'll have enough sugar to make your cider 5% ABV or more. Don't cook the cider, add campden tablets as per the instructions to kill off any nasties in the cider. If you want to add spices, my personal preference is to add them during secondary after a month long primary. Remember, it's better to use too little than too much.

IMO, it's better to forgo spices altogether in cider. I've tried a number of difference combinations/timings of adding cinnamon, allspice and cloves to the cider, and none have turned out well.

You shouldn't need to cook or otherwise process the cider before pitching. If you're really worried about infection, you can boil it for a while, but your cider won't clear if you do.

spicing a cider is not difficult at all if you'd like one. I have a hard, sweet cider in the keg now, that has a hint of cinnamon flavor on the front of the tongue, but then isn't noticable in the back of the mouth at all. It's beautiful right now. Very simple recipe, and if you'd like I can PM you and you can give it a try..it's very easy. contrary to the above post, it is easy to add cinnamon to taste in a cider.

Dan