Stoke Red

Why you should be excited

Stoke Red is a bittersharp English cider apple of good quality that's highly productive and scab-resistant.

The story of Stoke Red

It's hard to dislike a cider apple tree that's highly productive and also resistant to scab. Especially when its juice is well regarded by cidermakers, providing a nice zap of acid to balance the low acidity of bittersweet varieties.

Stoke Red, named for the location where it originated -- Rodney Stoke in Somerset, England -- as well as its skin colour, is perhaps not one of the most famous English cider apples, but it's certainly a good one.

Because it's got both bitterness and acid -- although not a lot of body -- Stoke Red also gets some play in single-varietal cider.

It became popular in England in the 1920s. Now the rest of the world is catching on.

Stoke Red Facts

Its origins

Discovered at Rodney Stoke, Somerset, England, 19th century.

Flavour, aroma, texture

The juice of this cider variety is both acidic and bitter. Perfect for good cider.

Appearance

As the name implies, this is a mostly-red skinned apple.

When they’re available

Very late season (usually in November).

Quality for fresh eating

Don't even think about it. Cider-only for this one.

Quality for cooking

Very good in cider.

Keeping ability

Cider varieties are generally not stored for long before they're used.