Aging apples before juicing

[BrewGuyBry]

Curious - has anyone ever experimented with aging their apples after picking them from the tree prior to juicing them?

Specifically, I am wondering if there is a noticeable difference in flavor/body/etc. in final fully-fermented/aged cider if I were to pick the apples and immediately juice them vs if I were to pick the apples, let them sit for 1-3 weeks, then juice them?

Pretty novice cider-maker here and would love some color!

 

[dmtaylor]

It definitely will make a difference in flavor and sugar content. As the apples age, they continue to ripen. More starches will be converted to sugars, and the moisture content will decrease, resulting in greater sugar content by weight. Their depth of flavor will also improve with age. I even like to let some of mine begin to soften and go brown. This might sound disgusting to some people, but I find it makes a much more interesting cider. And it won't kill you.

 

[BrewGuyBry]

It definitely will make a difference in flavor and sugar content. As the apples age, they continue to ripen. More starches will be converted to sugars, and the moisture content will decrease, resulting in greater sugar content by weight. Their depth of flavor will also improve with age. I even like to let some of mine begin to soften and go brown. This might sound disgusting to some people, but I find it makes a much more interesting cider. And it won't kill you.

Thank you very much for the insight! That makes a ton of sense.