>>17888405Unless the juice is from cider apples it will make a boring cider. I'd suggest adding sugar so it at least gets you drunk faster. Refined sugar is better than others unless you specifically want a different taste. Yeast have to work harder to break down less refined sugar sources, but it's not a big deal. Yeast can make all sorts of enzymes to turn it into simple sugars they can then use. If honey is much cheaper I'd use that. Yeast break it down into the same thing eventually.
A pound of sugar per gallon should yield about +6% abv. By itself it's about 5 or 6% from the sugar in the juice. Adding a strong cup of black tea can give it some tannins, which sweet apples are lacking. Carbonation will make it more acidic. I like a tablespoon of sugar per liter when it's finished and time to put it in bottles. If you put too much they can explode, less likely with plastic of course. A little bit of syrup in the glass you drink from can sometimes make it taste more appley, but I prefer cider on the drier side so just a small amount is needed. When I make it with blended strawberries it doesn't seem to need any sweetening.
