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Agree absolutely with the above. Given that it has been in secondary since November, the yeast are probably a bit weary and there is a chance not much fermentation has taken place. This is good, in that you may be able to bottle up without issue. Bad, in the sense that you may not have...

Ditto on the Speidels!!! Life is just too short not to use them for cider. A 30L is perfect for 7gal juice fermenting, which then gets transferred into a 20L stuffed full for secondary. The 30L then serves as the perfect bottling bucket; rinse and repeat.

You will typically add 28g/gal sugar for carbonation at bottling - this could be the sugar in 1/6 of a can of AJC, which many of us use. Any added sugars from honey will present a problem (over carbonation) as everything will be fermented to dryness.

Assuming no further fermentation occurs...

So the Campden will not inhibit the cultured yeast?

Why the Meta? This, as you know, will inhibit the reproduction of the yeast and is thus probably the reason for the slow carb. How long were you in secondary? Two weeks is hardly enough time to expect carbonation under these conditions.

229 + another 7 this morning = 236. Standard house cider. Quality juice from KS, tannins from chestnut, malic acid, nutes and SO-4.

The plan sounds right. Many here have indicated that after a longish secondary the addition of a bit of yeast prior to bottling is good insurance for carbonation. (Edit to add: Mix sugars and yeast in bottling bucket, bottle up, wait for proper level of carbonation and then pasteurize) Edit...

FWIW...I just had a batch (30 22 oz bottles) which became Sulphurous while bottle conditioning. SO-4 yeast, one month primary, almost three months secondary. Primed with 28g sugar per gal with AJC (i.e. standard stuff). Carbonated fine, but gained the nasty smell and taste. I attribute this...

Assuming you checked the juice and that there were no preservatives ... and that you "proofed" the yeast and it is known good. I'd add more anyway...if you didn't start the yeast, add more. Not much you can do other than that, and you really do want fermentation to start quickly now. Another...

Easy there...bottle carbing will consume whatever sugars are available. We might add 3 gravity points as a prime, so there your statement is spot on....if we add, say 20....I don't want to be around two weeks later.

It will ferment dry (again) to whatever "dry" was prior to bottling...ABV increase will be minimal and can be easily calculated.

Batch prime (in the bottling bucket) and insure the primer is mixed. I use the standard 28g sugar from AJC per gallon cider for a nice moderate carb. Wouldn't want more as bottle matured carbonation produces very fine bubbles.

This. Primary for a month, secondary for two and then priming/bottling.

If your end desire is a "sparkling sweet cider"...you won't get there with your plan. The yeast will ferment to dry soon enough. A transfer to secondary is a good thing as it will help age and clear...but will also allow a finish to as dry as the yeast will allow (Let's just call this 1.000)...

FWIW and some 90 gallons in, I use: (Note I like a dry cider, and all my batches are the same with tannins, a bit of acid, nutes and pectinase. Only differences are seasonal temperatures. All sit in primary for a month, secondary for 2 months and as long in bottle as I can stand it) EC-1118...

I can tell you I had random carbonation issues - and then an entire batch worth for over a year (over 150 bottles) with a Giro capper. Broke down and spent real $$ on a serious capper and have had no issues whatsoever since.

Lump nailed my thoughts. I ended up sterilizing my wife's 48" aluminum sewing ruler and stirring well. As I always let sit one month in primary and rack carefully to secondary (for one to two months there), not much lees remained in that container. Let it sit a bit and bottled up...lost two...

Have all my Speidels occupied right now, so I must bottle from secondary - no bottling container available. Current was in primary one month, secondary 45 days. Little trub on bottom will settle, but I'm nervous. Added AJC measure to full secondary container and stirred a bit. Have wiggled...

Meta (ortho, para) merely indicates the positioning of the ions...thus, the structure of the molecule.