I have never tasted a cider, ever! Is it a sour like beverage? Is it similar to applejack? Give me a few suggestions on a commercial brands so that I can try them.
Thanks!
Applejack is a stronger version of a cider. Otherwise, cider is really literally just fermented apple juice. Tastes like apple, with a kick! Cider can be sweet or dry, tart or tame. Also there are tannins in many apples which can contribute additional dryness and body. I prefer mine to be about in the center of all these parameters. One of my favorite commercial ciders is Magner's, which is close to the center or a little more on the sweet side, and has a wee bit of unusual funk from the many varieties of old heritage cider apples that they use. There are dozens of other brands you can try. Angry Orchard is okay (it's made by Boston Beer / Sam Adams). ACE is alright too and pretty widely available. I'd lean away from Stella Artois Cidre, it's quite sweet. Those are just a few that are very widely available. Depending where you live, you should have several local options as well.
There's nothing easier to make than cider. It's like nature's original naturally fermented beverage. Literally, you can just leave a jug of juice sitting too long in your refrigerator, come back a few months later and you have a hard cider that you can enjoy -- I have done this many times and have some in my fridge right now as we speak, ready to drink. Delicious. When I make my cider at home, it tends to turn out pretty dry, so I add unfermentable xylitol to sweeten it.
I usually do add my own yeast. I've experimented with several, and my favorite yeast is a white wine yeast called Cote des Blancs, you can pick it up at any brew shop or buy 10 packs for $10 on Amazon. Cheap and effective.
Cheers!