Hello friends. I'm a recently retired Vermonter who has been making cider for four years. I pick a variety of drops from a local orchard, grind them into pulp and press using my homemade rig which works great. I press enough to fill three or four 5-gallon carboys. I've been very happy with my cider, but am always looking to improve. I've done extensive reading and have spent hours searching various forums in my quest for knowledge. One of those searches led me to your forum, which is the only one that impressed me enough to join. -Rich