My Red Apple Quest...27 and Counting

So, for the past year or so I've been on a quest to try as many different red apples as I can, and note the differences between them. Keep in mind, this is based on my personal opinion, and I prefer tangy apples over sweet ones, so make of this what you will. I also write these as I am eating them, it leads to interesting things. Here, in order of trying them, is my list...

Cripps Pink

Crisp and a little tart, just a hint, but it adds a good twang to it. It is pleasantly sweet without being over powering like a yellow apple.

Fuji

Juicy, but tastes pretty much like a standard red apple, maybe a tiny bit sweeter. The texture is firm without being too hard. The more I eat it though, the more the tiny bit of sweetness stands out, making it a little better than a normal red apple.

Honeycrisp

Juicy with a mild sweet taste. Pleasant to eat and doesn’t have the tough peel that dries out and gets stuck in your teeth. The abundance of juice is refreshing. The texture is pleasant as well, not too soft, not too hard.

Ambrosia

Very firm texture to the insides, crunchy without being hard, has a nice snap to it. Sweeter than a typical red apple, but not as sweet as a yellow. It is juicy, but not as juicy as the honeycrisp. I thoroughly enjoyed the texture of this one.

Envy

Tastes like a combination between an apple and a pear. Very sweet. VERY. The peeling is a little thick.

Snow Apple

The texture is super soft. Like I can’t bite a chunk, because it won’t break, it’s too soft to form pieces. It’s sweet without being overpowering, but the texture is too soft for me. It’s better if you eat it with a knife. 

Kiku

It’s sweet without being too sweet, mid range on firmness, and juiciness. It kinda just tastes like an average apple, but with a bit of extra sweetness and juice. The more I eat it, the more it tastes different from a Red Delicious, but it still tastes mostly like an average red apple.

 Koru

This one is tangier and a bit firmer. I like this one a lot. The texture is smooth, no grain, but the taste is amazing. It’s not too sweet, not bland at all, just the right amount of twang. It has a good snap to it when you bite it. It is juicy, but without being super drippy wet. This might be my new favorite.

Gala

Very sweet, and on the firm side. The peeling isn’t thick or dry, and it’s a medium on the juicy scale.

Jazz

Stiff, sweet without being too sugary. The peeling is a bit dry, but the inside is juicy. This apple is very stiff, but the taste is good. The more I eat this, the drier it seems while chewing it. I don’t care for this one.

Red Delicious 

The standard red apple. Not very sweet, and the peeling is a bit dry. Mid range on juice, stiffness, and texture. It’s not bad, just average. It makes good bites, not too stiff, not too soft.

Sweet Tango

Tangy, but also pleasantly sweet without being too sweet. Has a very nice tang to it. The texture isn’t grainy, it’s not too soft. Firm, but not hard, crisp. Juicy without being drippy. The more I eat this one, the more I enjoy the tang of it. The taste doesn’t get tiring.

Pacific Rose

Stiff. The peeling is a bit dry, though not as dry as a Red Delicious. I don't know if rose came from its color or not, but there is a bit of a flowery hint in the taste. This one leans more towards the sweet side, but it's not over powering. It's like someone took the essence of apple, condensed it a little, sweetened it a bit, and put it in apple form. It also smells really nice.

Lady Alice

Tangy, and delicious. Not dry, but not overly moist either. Has a very nice taste to it, sweet, but not too sweet. It's a firm apple, but the peeling isn't dry like most hard apples are. Mid range on grainy, not very noticable. Easy to bite. I like this one a lot. It's middle range on most things, but doesn't taste like an average apple. 

JCT

I believe this is a Chinese Fuji apple. Got it at the Asian Market. First impressions, firm, sweet without being too sweet, not a lot of juice but not dry. It’s a mild apple, mildly sweet, mildly tangy, mildly juicy. All around, not bad, but a bit boring to me. Better than a red delicious though. Almost has the texture of a pear without the grit.

Red Rome

Soft, with a very crumbly texture. Mildly juicy, very easy to bite because of its softness, almost melts in your mouth. It’s hard to get a good chunk out of it because of the crumble. A bit mild in taste without being boring. This would be a good apple for kids or those with teeth troubles. Beware, super easy to bruise.

Rave

Mid range as far as soft/hardness, juiciness, and sweetness. Easy to bite and the peeling is not dry. It has a pleasant texture, but it isn’t very sweet, almost a savory or salty taste while not being quite that. It’s hard to explain this one’s taste.

Johnathan

Soft. Hard to bite a chunk out of because of the softness, but not crumbly. Mildly juicy, with a great taste. It has a very nice tang to it. I like this one a lot.

Paula Red

Super soft, like a Rome, but without the graininess. The peeling is almost plasticy, but I think it might just be the contrast between the soft apple inside and the peeling. Sweet, without being too sweet, with just a hint of tang to balance it. This would probably make good apple sauce because it is so super super soft.

McIntosh

Juicy, mid range on firmness. Tangy. It doesn’t bite off in chunks like a super firm apple, but it’s firmer than the soft ones. The peeling isn’t dry or thick, but it does need a bit of chewing. I do like the amount of tang this apple has with just a bit of sweet to balance it out. One of the better ones on this list I’d say.

Yakima Fresh

Very firm and crisp, makes good bites. Mid range as far as juiciness goes. Kinda tastes like a Red Delicious and a Fuji had a baby. Sweet, but not overpowering, no tang to it. The juice has a nice taste to it, but overall, kind of boring as far as apples go.

Ambrosia Gold

Firm, and very sweet. Juicy without being drippy. Not grainy, and the peeling is pleasant and not too tough. A little too sweet for me. I personally prefer the normal Ambrosia apple. For some reason it reminds me a little bit of a pear, without the grain.

Autumn Glory

Very firm, peeling is a little dry, but the apple almost tastes like candy, without it being too sweet. It makes good bites because of the firmness. Mid-range juicy, not dry, not wet. It’s very hard to describe the taste of this one, it doesn’t quite taste like an apple. Not sure of my feelings on it. It gains a little bit of tang the closer to the core you get.

Ruby Frost

Very firm. Has a pleasant tang to it. Juicy and makes nice bites. I like this one because it’s not too sweet. It’s not as tangy as say, a Koru or Sweet Tango, but very nice. 

Snap Dragon

Firm but sometimes hard to get a decent bite, the peeling isn’t tough or dry. Very juicy, mildly sweet, kinda reminiscent of a red delicious but not quite. Very little tang (acidity) All in all, not bad, a little boring, but the juice is plentiful and refreshing.

Opal 

For my first non-red apple, I chose a yellow Opal. I dislike yellow apples because they are so sweet and have a strange texture, but here we go. Firm with that weird texture yellow apples have, almost pear like without grit. Sweet, but with a mild tang. This one isn’t quite so icky sweet as a normal yellow

Pink Lady

A little soft, but not overly soft, sweet with a bit of a taste of a yellow apple. Got a tiny bit of tang to try and balance out the sweet. Hard to get a decent bite because of the texture, but then again, I lost this apple in my fridge for a good minute. If I find another Pink Lady I’m going to redo this review. Overall, sweet, mildly tangy, mid to soft in texture

Pink Lady 2.0?

This looks completely different from the last Pink Lady and seems to be a different brand as well. Stiffer than the fridge lost Pink Lady, and tangier as well. I like this much better than a month old wrinkly one, who knew? Makes good bites, the juice is refreshing without it being drippy. Tangy, but not overly so, mildly sweet, with a mild aftertaste I can't place.