Kingston Black

Kingston Black is one of three English cider apple varieties (Stoke Red and Dymock Red being the others) with all the constituents (tannin, acid and sugar) necessary to produce a varietal cider of excellent merit. It is classed as a mild bittersharp.

Since Kingston Black is slow to come to bearing, a moderate cropper and is prone to scab and canker, it is seldom planted in the U.K. today. Only a few small English cidermakers still produce a Kingston Black cider.

To the orchardist, this apple may not warrant as much effort and space as other varieties, the cidermaker holds it in the highest regard.

At White Oak Cider, we believe there is a place for Kingston Black in our orchard, not to mention in the cidery. We currently have 23 producing Kingston Black trees and will be planting another 65 trees next year.

We produced a very limited amount in 1995 that is still available by the bottle.There was no crop to speak of in 1996 but, hopefully there will be a fair amount available in 1998. Pray to Pomona and keep your fingers crossed!