I came across some pretty intense discussions on chemistry in my searches on this topic but definitely lacking clarity. Also, looked through Claude Jolicoueur's book. When I am drinking my cider frequently, I start to feel the acidity in my stomach and I had one friend who said the same thing. The root of the problem is obviously that I'm using juice from apples that are not classic cider apples and they are higher in acidity (I have never added any additives to my cider besides yeast and yeast nutrient). While, I wish I had a grinder and a press and time to hand pick my cider blend, I don't. There were two things I was thinking about doing. I was thinking about measuring pH of storebought cider/juice to find one with lower acidity. The other thing I was wondering if using a small amount of baking soda would help? This would reduce the "fresh" taste to the cider but then I could balance it out by adding tannins. Anyone gone through this process already and can save me some hassles?