What the Heck does "Throwing Lees" Mean?

I've read a bunch of cider posts where people have talked about ciders "throwing lees". My understanding is that "the lees" are the various solids produced by the fermentation and flocculating yeasts that form sediment at the bottom of the fermenter (i.e. similar to trub in beer).

But I have read people say that bottling cider too soon after primary fermentation ends is bad as the cider will "throw lees" and cause lots of sediment in the bottle. Is this analagous to the bit of suspended yeast in beer falling out of suspension after carbonation, or is this some special/weird cider thing?

I'm normally a beer brewer, and my instinct is to ferment cider like beer, perhaps with a longer primary that I will monitor with gravity readings, but otherwise the same general routine and issues. I don't secondary but I do tend to let my primaries sit for several weeks well after fermentation has ended and have been getting nice clear beers. I have a batch of filtered apple juice and Nottingham going now.

It's the same thing, but more of an issue when using fresh apple juice as opposed to the filtered grocery store stuff.

Is that why ciders are supposed to take longer than beers prior to bottling/kegging - longer clearing time needed? Or is the ferment just plain slower due to different sugars than beer wort?

In my experience, both, cider fermentation (4-6 weeks is common) takes longer than beer (1 week and change) but this doesn't seem to be true for everyone. Also, the lighter color of cider shows haze more than the darker hew of most beers, which is why there is more of an emphasis on cider clarity. Personally I think presentation is part of the enjoyment of cider, so I tend to secondary my ciders to allow them to clear.

With beer is mostly the proteins clumping together when you chill your beer. "Chill Haze" is a different animal all together. Those proteins that clump are from the malt.

In cider, I think it's mostly going to be yeast cells and fruit pectin floating around. I guess there could be other sources, but for the most part those are what I have experienced. With cider, typically all you need to do is sit and wait. Rack once or twice and keep it cool and dark after primary fermentation.

My apfelwein is 3+ weeks in and is still kicking off a bubble or two every now and again. The last few gravity points seem to take a while. Even the cider with Nottingham - it's been in 3 days and it has been fermenting nicely, but in my last beer brew with Nottingham the fermentation was far more aggressive and it was at FG at the end of day 4. It is a different fermentation despite the same yeast. It is technically more sugar to act on, even though the OG of the juice and the beer wort are similar - the cider is almost all fermentable.

I agree with the desire for clarity. My last two brews cleared really nicely. That seems to be more an indicator of the quality of your overall process. I'm getting more patient and am fumbling less during the boils and rackings, developing the feel, and these little things just seem to make better looking beer. We'll see what I can do with this cider.