An apple a day: My personal ranking of apple varieties

Come on in and shoot the breeze! This is the place for anything and everything not related to sports or politics. Please take political discussions off-site!
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
John
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 15566
Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2007 10:34 am
Location: A changed 19th-century America
Contact:

An apple a day: My personal ranking of apple varieties

#1 Post by John »

Hi, my name is John, and I'm addicted to apples.

Oh, I suppose it could be worse. There are stranger things to be addicted to, I guess. Like tanning (bad for your skin). And texting (bad for the other drivers on the road). And cosmetic surgery (bad for those of us trying, really, really hard to be polite). But still, addiction is addiction... and I'm hooked.

Up until a few years ago, an "apple" for me meant one thing: a supermarket-bought Granny Smith. I'm honestly not sure if I knew there were other varieties. Perhaps I did vaguely, but growing up, our family never had anything but those store-bought Grannys shipped in from across the country. If you had asked me what I thought of apples, my response would have been along the lines of, "Meh." I didn't dislike them, but could I imagine a future where I'd actually pick an apple over candy, potato chips or other assorted junk foods? Not on your life.

One day, a friend of mine spun by Patterson Fruit Farm to pick up a pie. While there, he picked up a small bag of Mutsu apples (they were actually selling them under the name "Crispin" at that time). I tried one and thought, "Hey, this is a lot better than those old, tired Grannys I grew up with." So I asked him to pick me up a bag of a different variety the next time he went. "Surprise me," I said. He returned with a small bag of Stayman Winesaps. One bite and I was in love, hooked for life.

Since then, my passion for apples has expanded. I've become a regular at Patterson's myself, and I've expanded my orchard visits to Eddy, Sage and Rittman. Even more important to my crack-like craving for apples has been local farmer's markets, where I've connected with small-time growers like Schultz and Woolf. Schultz in particular has introduced me to perhaps half of the heirloom varieties you see on the list below.

In 2010, I set out to catalog and rank as many apples as I could. By year's end, I had sampled 84 different varieties. That may seem like a lot, but consider that are around 7,500 apple varieties floating around out there, with more being created all the time. And that's not even counting the thousands and thousands of varieties that have been lost over the ages.

My travels this year carried me to orchards and farmer's markets throughout Northeast Ohio. But I didn't just stick close to home; I also traveled out of state to sample the wares of orchards and farmer's markets in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Washington D.C. Next year, I intend to expand my travels. I already have targeted several orchards west of Cleveland for visits, and I plan to make a few trips to New York, one of the biggest apple-growing states around. This year was easy; I was starting from scratch, so everything was new. Next year, it's going to be a bigger challenge, but I still plan on doubling the number of apple varieties I sample.

Are you like I was, a non-apple fan who's definition of the fruit comes from boring supermarket apples? Curious about learning more and maybe giving apples a second shot at life in your home? You should, and here are a few reasons why:
  • Those store bought varieties you've grown up with? Yeah, they suck. Visit the produce section of any supermarket in your area and you'll find the same handful of apple varieties on display: Red and Yellow Delicious, Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, a few others. The reason you keep seeing these few varieties over and over again is a.) they're good shippers, b.) they're disease-resistant strains, c.) the public likes them because they're pretty. Notice I didn't say anything about taste in there. That's because most of these varieties flat out suck (apologies to the Granny Smith, which is actually a pretty darn good apple when bought fresh). The public, quite frankly, is not much of a judge of quality when it comes to apples. Seek out different varieties and you'll be opened up to a whole new world of flavor that you never imagined.
  • Shipped apples are dead apples; buy local to experience real flavor. In order to get those apples you see in the supermarket to you before they rot, they have to be picked before they're ready. Then they get stuffed in a crate and carted across the country on trucks. By the time they've arrived in the store, they're days old from harvesting, and by the time you actually place one in your basket, it's been sitting around for another few days. That's no way to eat an apple. You need to pick those babies when they're ripe and ready. Taste a fresh apple and you will never, ever go back to store-bought!
  • You don't have to be sad when one of your favorite varieties goes out of season; there's always a new delicious apple on the horizon. Once you break away from buying your apples from the store, you'll quickly discover that you can't have the same variety of apple over and over. New season apples begin appearing around July and continue to pop up through December. During that span of time, apple varieties will come available and then go out of season. Once they go, they're gone for good until next year. That may seem like a downer, especially if you've grown up on the idea that the supermarket always carries a particular variety (that's easy to accomplish when you're shipping in from all over the world), but it's not so bad once you learn that the loss of one variety simply heralds the arrival of another. Variety, as they say, is the spice of life, and it ensures that apple tasting never gets boring.
  • Apples are ridiculously healthy. The ways in which apples benefit your health are myriad. What's more, we keep learning of new benefits all the time. The latest findings, for instance indicate that eating apples may help sharpen your brain and stave off Alzheimer's.
For descriptions of apple varieties, visit Orange Pippin or Wikipedia. I've used those sources and others to link each apple variety listed below. Click on the links to learn facts about each apple like date and place of birth, parentage, taste descriptions and more. The list itself is broken them down into nine tiers. In my ranking system, apples in the first three tiers are good enough to purchase on sight. Tiers four and five are occasional purchasers that I'll use as fill-ins during learner portions of the season (like July, when the best apples have yet to appear). Tier six and seven apples are pretty much avoiders, although I'll give a few select tier sixers a chance every now and then. The less said about tier eight and nine apples, the better. And now, I present you with...
John’s Apple Rankings (as of 11/26/22)
  • Best of the Best
  1. Burgundy
  2. GoldRush
  3. Karmijin de Sonnaville
  4. Crimson Topaz
  5. Cox’s Orange Pippin
  6. Erwin Bauer
  7. Stayman Winesap
  8. Ashmead’s Kernel
  9. Golden Russet
  10. Zestar!
    Outstanding
  11. Baldwin
  12. Jonathan
  13. King David
  14. Kidd's Orange Red
  15. Honeycrisp
  16. Pink Pearl
  17. Ruby Jon
  18. Winesap
  19. Calville Blanc d’Hiver
  20. Ananas Reinette
  21. Granny Smith
    Very Good
  22. Williams' Pride
  23. Worcester Pearmain
  24. Pink Lady
  25. Wickson
  26. Esopus Spitzenburg
  27. Braeburn
  28. Rhode Island Greening
  29. Vista Bella
  30. NY 428
  31. Newtown Pippin
  32. Roxbury Russet
  33. Pristine
  34. Northern Spy
  35. Galarina
  36. Swiss Gourmet
  37. SunCrisp
  38. Zabergau Reinette
  39. Chenango Strawberry
  40. Piel de Sapa (Toad Skin)
  41. Blushing Golden
  42. Spijon
  43. Spigold
  44. Saint Edmund’s Pippin
  45. Holiday
  46. Tentation
  47. Magnum Bonum
  48. Kinston Black
  49. Autumn Crisp
  50. CrimsonCrisp
  51. EverCrisp
  52. Crimson Gold
  53. Grimes Golden
  54. Shizuka
  55. Kissabel
    Decent
  56. Twenty Ounce Pippin
  57. Lucy Glo
  58. Ginger Gold
  59. Rubens
  60. Elstar
  61. Liberty
  62. Alkmene
  63. Yellow Transparent
  64. Florina
  65. Jonagold
  66. Redfield
  67. Envy
  68. Akane
  69. Earligold
  70. White Winter Pearmain
  71. Franklin
  72. Gravenstein
  73. Wine Kissed
  74. Summerset
  75. Wealthy
  76. Crimson King
  77. Rubinola
  78. Viking
  79. Keepsake
    So-so
  80. Lodi
  81. King of Tompkins County
  82. Idared
  83. King Luscious
  84. Hampshire
  85. WineCrisp
  86. Haralson
  87. Fortune
  88. Crunch-A-Bunch
  89. Granniwinkle
  90. Blondee
  91. Cortland
  92. Pinova
  93. Summer Rambo
  94. Sweet Sixteen
  95. Mutsu
  96. Lubsk Queen
  97. Ohio Nonpareil
  98. Lady Alice
  99. Koru
  100. Fuji
  101. Melrose
  102. Beacon
    Poor
  103. Paula Red
  104. EarliBlaze
  105. Rave
  106. Cameo
  107. Jersey Mac
  108. Redfree
  109. Sweetie
  110. Tsugaru
  111. Ludacrisp
  112. Westfield Seek-No-Further
  113. Junami
  114. Senshu
  115. Kandil Sinap
  116. Blue Pearmain
  117. Arkansas Black
  118. Silken
  119. Smiten
  120. Jonalicious
  121. Nittany
  122. Fireside
  123. Duchess of Oldenburg
  124. Honeygold
  125. September Wonder Fuji
  126. Spartan
  127. Rosalee
  128. Pazazz
  129. Shamrock
  130. Lemonade
  131. Gala
  132. Divine
  133. Enterprise
  134. Quinte
  135. Jonamac
  136. Porter's Perfection
    Very Poor
  137. Sansa
  138. Green Dragon
  139. Juliet
  140. Golden Supreme
  141. Golden Delicious
  142. Delicious
  143. York Imperial
  144. CandyCrisp
  145. Milton
  146. Autum Glory
  147. Ambrosia
  148. DanDee Red
  149. SnowSweet
  150. Red Astrachan
  151. Macoun
  152. Geneva Tremlett's
  153. NY 414
  154. Tydeman's Red
  155. Hubbertson’s Nonesuch
  156. Ozark Gold
  157. Red Transparent
  158. Jazz
    Dear God…
  159. Empire
  160. Mollie’s Delicious
  161. McIntosh
  162. Hawaii
  163. Margil
  164. Eve
  165. Pacific Rose
  166. Sunrise
  167. Sonya
  168. Pixie Crunch
    The 9th Layer of Hell
  169. Lady
  170. Sugarbee
  171. Frostbite
  172. SweeTango
  173. Rome Beauty (Rome)
  174. Red Delicious
  175. Romeo
John Rodriguez
Hard at work...
User avatar
Greg A
Triple-A
Triple-A
Posts: 589
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:28 pm
Location: Elmwood Park, Illinois
Contact:

Re: An apple a day: My personal ranking of apple varieties

#2 Post by Greg A »

I love apples, but not nearly as much as you do, but that is awesome. I am definitely going to research some of these and try and get some. I will have to drive up to Michigan (not far) and go to an orchid and make an informed decision when I buy them.
User avatar
Cole
All-Star
All-Star
Posts: 1726
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 4:44 pm
Location: Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada

Re: An apple a day: My personal ranking of apple varieties

#3 Post by Cole »

Can't say that I am a big fan of apples. I will usually pick some up at the market when my kids request that I do so. Your detailed cataloging of the varieties you have sampled over the past year have got me curious. I am going to note the actual variety that I buy and see if I can make some comparisons. Should be fun to do with the kids.
Cole
Kalamazoo Badgers GM
2016 - Present.
Post 838+
Daniel Diemer

Re: An apple a day: My personal ranking of apple varieties

#4 Post by Daniel Diemer »

Apples good. I eat one or two a day as a rule. Interesting list.
User avatar
John
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 15566
Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2007 10:34 am
Location: A changed 19th-century America
Contact:

Re: An apple a day: My personal ranking of apple varieties

#5 Post by John »

Eating one to two apples a day is a great habit to get into. Now me, I'm a little more insane over apples, so I tend to consume just a titch more that that. Six to eight a day is more likely for me. If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, I'm warding that mutha' off with an apple-powered bazooka. :-b

Apple varieties currently in my refrigerator: Ambrosia, GoldRush, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Jonathan, Stayman Winesap, Suncrisp.
John Rodriguez
Hard at work...
User avatar
Borealis
Hall of Famer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 8429
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 9:27 pm
Location: San Francisco

Re: An apple a day: My personal ranking of apple varieties

#6 Post by Borealis »

I'm a firm believer in the old "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" adage. Most I munch are Fujis, they seem to hold up best, then golden delicious, but we have a tree in our yard, and there is truly nothing like pulling it off the tree and eating it.

My wife did bring home some Honey Crisp the other day, had never head of them, and found them to be really delicious. I suppose I should pay more attention to Farmer's markets and look into other brands. Here in California I'd think I could find a whole worlds variety.
Michael Topham, President Golden Entertainment & President-CEO of the Aurora Borealis
Image
2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 PEBA Champions
Jim

Re: An apple a day: My personal ranking of apple varieties

#7 Post by Jim »

I love apples, but apparently not as much as you do.

I grew up with Jonathan Red and Golden Delicious. I guess that's what my mom liked. Mostly they were store bought. But in the fall, we made an annual visit to a local orchard to pick our own Johnathan Red and Golden Delicious, because that's what they grew in the orchards. There was a definite quality improvement in apples picked by our own hands over those found in the grocery store. But we usually had several large bags of apples that eventually went bad before we could eat them all. Then it was back to store bought for the rest of the year.

I had tried Granny Smiths as a youngster, but found them too tart for my taste. As an adult, when I did the grocery shopping, I was not thrilled with the Johnathan Red and Golden Delicious, so I did a little experimenting with what they had in the grocery store. I got hooked on Fuji's and Galas. I haven't lost a taste for them yet.

I had no idea there were so many varieties available for purchase. I will definitely now have to visit some local produce stands that I pass by, but have never stopped in. I hope they have some good varieties to try. I have had winesap apples before, though I can't remember where. But I did remember the name and the taste. Not sure if they were Stayman Winesap, but I'll definitely buy any winesap if I get the chance.

An interesting intersection of baseball and apples comes to my mind (this is a PEBA forum in a thread about apples after all). When I played baseball in grade school, the people who owned property over the right field fence had about ten apple trees. Rather than chasing the home-run balls hit over the fence, we would wait until the end of practice (because it was a very short fence and there were a lot of home runs). It was usually a problem trying not to trip or slide on all the apples that had fallen to the ground. But every once in a while, after a long practice, we would head back behind the fence and help ourselves to some of the apples on the trees. I have no clue what the variety was. We called them crab apples. And I'm not sure if they were even meant to be edible. But after a long day of standing on a dry dirty dusty diamond, sweating and running and chasing balls without all that much to drink...a nice tart juicy (warm) apple really tasted good. Usually I wouldn't stop at one. I would have a few. Oh well, so much about memory lane.
Mike Branda

Re: An apple a day: My personal ranking of apple varieties

#8 Post by Mike Branda »

Awesome article John. Great Read.

Now as soon as this was written i thought we all need to get together not because we were worried ,But because we care.

This is An
John.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Mike Branda

Re: An apple a day: My personal ranking of apple varieties

#9 Post by Mike Branda »

Now there may be a few typos but this was done around 5:30-6am. I just could not help myself.
Now you can either do the intervention or talk to my other Option.
richard_simmons.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
John
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 15566
Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2007 10:34 am
Location: A changed 19th-century America
Contact:

Re: An apple a day: My personal ranking of apple varieties

#10 Post by John »

Borealis wrote:My wife did bring home some Honey Crisp the other day, had never head of them, and found them to be really delicious.
Honeycrisp has become all the rage. It's the new fad apple of the moment. Remember how I said every supermarket has the same few varieties, like Fuji and Red/Gold Delicious? Pretty soon, you'll be able to add Honeycrisp to that short list. It's a testament to how much people like their taste that Honeycrisp can succeed at market despite being more expensive than other apples. Factors that drive up Honeycrisp's price include its high demand and the difficulty in harvesting this variety. Some growers will tell you that the patent on Honeycrisp adds to the cost, but that patent actually expired a couple of years ago. I'm sure the University of Minnesota was sorry to see it go, too; it had brought in over $6M for the university.

As you see, Honeycrisp rates well on my list (#18 overall, tops in the third tier). As a tier-three apple, it's one that's good enough to be a regular buyer for me. However, I've always felt Honeycrisp was a little overrated by the public. It's definitely good, but given the price premium, I'd rather focus on other apples and supplement with Honeycrisp. Plus my preference is for tartness, and Honeycrisp is a sweet apple. I will say that if you prefer sweet apples, Honeycrisp can be considered the gold standard.
Cliff Hangers wrote:I grew up with Jonathan Red...
This is one of the things that makes apple hunts so much fun; the different names people give to similar apples. I red what you wrote there - "Jonathan Red" - and thought, "Hmmm, is that some kind of Jonathan sport?" You see I rank Jonathan on my list (#10 - an awesome tart apple) but nothing called "Jonathan Red". Well, a little research turns up the fact that "Jonathan Red" isn't any kind of widely used name. However, "Red Jonathan", which is what I'm guessing you've tried, is a widely used alternate name for Jonathan (same apple, different name). So you might have been eating what were called "Red Jonathan" apples and got the name reversed, or your local seller may have reversed the name himself (by accident or on purpose), or it's even possible that you're eating an honest-to-God Jonathan sport like "Jonnee Red Jonathan". Hunting down this stuff is fun. :D
Cliff Hangers wrote:I have had winesap apples before, though I can't remember where. But I did remember the name and the taste. Not sure if they were Stayman Winesap, but I'll definitely buy any winesap if I get the chance.
Another example of what I was talking about above. The likelihood is that you had an apple called "Winesap" and that it's identical to what I call "Stayman Winesap". However, there's some debate on that issue, even amongst apple historians. Some argue that "Stayman" and "Winesap" were two distinct varieties, and "Stayman Winesap" is a combination of those two.
Cliff Hangers wrote:I had tried Granny Smiths as a youngster, but found them too tart for my taste.
I probably should have described my tastes in my original post. There are a lot of factors I judge apples by, but overall, there are two things in particular I'm seeking:
  • Crunchiness: I like my apples hard. You can keep your soft Macouns, Empires or Red Delicious. Give me an apple like Braeburn that is going to give my jaw a workout.
  • Tartness: I like my apples tart. I said tart. As in "make your lips pucker and your eyes squint" tart. It's why I simply adore apples like GoldRush. In truth, I appreciate sweet apples, too, but tart will always be my preference. And though it hardly confirms my preference, I will say that there's an almost universal truism amongst apple growers: They gladly sell you those sweet, bland, oh-so-popular McIntoshes and Red Delicious with a smile on their face, but as soon as you're gone, they roll their eyes and grab a tart apple for themselves. ;)
Crushers wrote:Now as soon as this was written i thought we all need to get together not because we were worried ,But because we care.
Your sympathies are appreciated. Unfortunately, when it comes to my apple love, I'm afraid I'm a lost cause. :*)
John Rodriguez
Hard at work...
User avatar
Bill
Hall of Famer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 2760
Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2007 1:14 pm
Location: Raleigh, NC
Contact:

Re: An apple a day: My personal ranking of apple varieties

#11 Post by Bill »

Our own little Johnny Appleseed, eh?

(/rimshot - sorry, I couldn't resist :grin: )

We used to go to here as a kid and get apples. Looks like quite a hike for you I would imagine; maybe it's already on your quest list. Best of luck on the NY leg of your quest. My in-laws live near the Finger Lakes region and have brought some tasty apples on occasion.

NC isn't a particularly great apple state, except a little in the mountains. So we do not get to enjoy your favorite fruit as much as you northerners (peaches and berries are a different story however). We do get some pretty decent Pink Lady apples through the summer, even in the stores.

I will admit, I prefer my apple in pie form. Kinda defeats the purpose though.
User avatar
Jason
All-Star
All-Star
Posts: 1952
Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2007 1:23 pm

Re: An apple a day: My personal ranking of apple varieties

#12 Post by Jason »

I actually prefer Red Delicious apples -- your last place finisher lol...

Although Granny Smith has a very high pectin count - which helps bind fat!
Jason Warnke
Former Omaha Cyclones GM
Hartford Harpoon Founder


Forum: 200+
June 8, 2011-2020: 847-800 (Omaha Cyclones)
2021-June 5, 2023: 179-202 (Hartford Harpoon)
Warnke ERA: 1026-1002 (.506)
2015 SL Champions (OMA)
Mike Branda

Re: An apple a day: My personal ranking of apple varieties

#13 Post by Mike Branda »

I am not sure if anyone read the Picture of Intervention, Its not the same as the webpage, I edited it in adobe illustrator :P
User avatar
Bill
Hall of Famer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 2760
Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2007 1:14 pm
Location: Raleigh, NC
Contact:

Re: An apple a day: My personal ranking of apple varieties

#14 Post by Bill »

Crushers wrote:I am not sure if anyone read the Picture of Intervention, Its not the same as the webpage, I edited it in adobe illustrator :P
I did notice at least one apple reference.
User avatar
John
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 15566
Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2007 10:34 am
Location: A changed 19th-century America
Contact:

Re: An apple a day: My personal ranking of apple varieties

#15 Post by John »

Warriors wrote:We used to go to here as a kid and get apples. Looks like quite a hike for you I would imagine; maybe it's already on your quest list.
Now you see, this is why I post these things. I have a new potential target to hit next year! It's not too far at all for me to travel to. They don't advertise having any varieties that I haven't sampled yet, but I can give them a call and see if they carry any heirloom varieties in small quantities.
Cyclones wrote:I actually prefer Red Delicious apples -- your last place finisher lol...
Lord save us from Red Delicious! I try to be a pretty positive person. I try to find nice things to say whenever I can. I cannot for the life of me think of something nice to say about Red Delicious. Honestly, I should have created a special ninth tier (the Ninth Level of Hell) and placed Rome and Red Delicious into it. Red Delicious is the single most hideous apple on God's Green Earth. There is simply nothing redeeming about it, unless you count looks, which I don't (I kinda like my apples russeted and ugly). It is soft, mushy and oh-so-bland. I have never met a single grower who eats Red Delicious, but oh boy, do they sell 'em. There's not a more popular variety in existence. For the life of me, I couldn't tell you why.

All I can say to you is that if you currently feel that Red Delicious is your favorite apple, do yourself an enormous favor: Visit a local orchard or farmer's market and buy another variety. Any variety. Try it. If you still feel Red Delicious is your favorite, fair enough... but I'm betting you won't. }:-)
John Rodriguez
Hard at work...
Post Reply

Return to “Off-Topic General Discussion”