Kingston Black is one of the definitive English hard cider apple varieties and produces a very high quality bittersharp juice.
It is one of the few English varieties that can be used without blending, to make a single-varietal cider.
Note that Kingston Black cannot be eaten fresh - it is grown solely for hard cider production.
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Kingston Black is not an easy variety to grow, in fact it is quite difficult. However it is widely planted for the simple reason that it can be used to produce one of the best quality single-varietal ciders, if not the best.
Kingston Black takes time to start bearing, and although this is less of an issue on dwarf rootstocks, the best quality fruit tends to come from older trees.
This is not usually a productive variety - there can often be a lot of tree and not many apples, although in some situations it produces heavily.
It is a bit susceptible to scab, although this is not likely to be a concern for the backyard grower.
Advice on fruit tree pollination.
Kingston Black takes its name from the the town of Kingston near Taunton in Somerset, the main cider-growing area of the UK. It is thought to have arisen in the 19th century.
