Cloning to new drive disables APFS - How do I cleanly convert it?

Hello /r/hackintosh

running a very successful Vanilla Build (parts below) since a few weeks (following the Gitbook Vanilla Guide) I ran into a peculiar problem:

I just upgraded my SSD from a Samsung 830 EVO to a Samsung NVMe M.2 SSD. The procedure I did was:

1. Formatting the M.2 to MacOS Journaled, GUID Partition
2. Cloned my old working system (10.14.4) from the old drive to the new one using CCC
3. Copied the content from the EFI from the old drive to the new one
4. Restartet, booted into new drive to make sure everything is working (It is!)

I then wanted to upgrade to 10.14.5 which I was not able to do. Turns out my new M.2 SSD is not APFS formatted. After some research I am planning on reformatting the new SSD and cloning my old system again but I am unsure at what point I can convert the new SSD to APFS.

What is the “cleanest” way of converting the new SSD to APFS here?

Thank y’all for your advice! Cheers

Current Setup

• Asus Z370-P II
• Intel i7-8700k @ Stock Speed
• Intel UHD630 Graphics for macOS
• RTX 2070 8GB for Gaming on Windows
• 2x Samsung 830 Evo SSD for Dual Boot