Should I use Campden Tablets?

[musikguru6]

Hey there! Making my first Cider tomorrow and wondering if I should use Campden Tablets or not. I've got the following:

• 3 gallons of unfiltered, pasteurized cider from the store
• 1.5 gallons of fresh unfiltered granny smith apple juice (no preservatives, unpasteurized, juiced at a grocery store)
• .5 gallons of fresh unfiltered apple, ginger & lemon juice (no preservatives, unpasteurized, juiced at a grocery store)

Given that the unpasteurized stuff isn't the bulk of my must, was considering just letting the wild yeasts do their thing along with my White Labs English Cider Yeast.

Is this a bad idea? Don't mind a little funk (love sour beers), but don't want any off flavors either.

 

[LeBreton]

Campden won't stop wild yeast, but does protect against microbial infection and oxidation. A commercial yeast will out-compete most wild guys in the juice and leave little to no wild yeast characteristics in the finished product.

That being said, as a fellow Ithacan, I've had great success with wild yeasts in these parts.

 

[musikguru6]

Ah, man! Thanks for the advice. Wish I was still in Ithaca, but sadly living in Dallas now.