As a retailer of a variety of Cider and Wine presses at The Fruit Press, I have a lot of customers asking if they need to use a pressing bag or not. Well, the first question I ask “what type of press are you using?” If you are using a ratchet style press, such as the Weston Apple Press, then you are forced to cut a small hole in the bottom of the pressing bag so it will fit it the tub. This is true because the threaded screw for the ratchet style presses are anchored at the bottom, where as some of the other style of presses use a “cross arm” where the threaded screw and pressing plate are not anchored to the bottom of the tub.
I would recommend using a pressing bag regardless of the cider press you are using. It’s keeps things cleaner and you don’t have as many stems, seeds, and larger chunks of apple the filter from the cider.
