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This rankings site [1] was shared on HN a couple years ago [2], and since then I’ve switched to Honeycrisp. While I agree they aren’t always the most tasty, th
by jader201 2y ago
This rankings site [1] was shared on HN a couple years ago [2], and since then I’ve switched to Honeycrisp.
While I agree they aren’t always the most tasty, they are almost always (like 98%) crisp and never mealy to the point I want to stop eating it, unlike nearly every other breed I’ve tried (which admittedly is only about 7-8 or the most common ones).
I will take a less flavorful crisp apple 100% of the time over a mealy apple.
So even a mediocre Honeycrisp is, to me, still way better than nearly all the other ones.
[1] https://applerankings.com/ https://applerankings.com/
[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33639206 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33639206
- Tomte 2y agoI don‘t care much for Kanzi and Fuji and Pink Lady. To me, Braeburn is good, Boskoop is great, and Berlepsch is amazing, but sometimes hard to get outside the apple grow regions.
- eps 2y agoThe list doesn't have Tentation and it has Jazz at mediocre. I wouldn't put much trust in it, at least if you are in Europe.
- onli 2y agoYeah, it goes completely against my taste (and maybe against how apples are over here)? I had only delicious Fuji apples for example, from consistency to taste (if you like sweet at least), which the site describes as utterly awful. Especially the local ones are awesome. Incomprehensible ranking for me.
- acdha 2y agoGrowing conditions really matter. We really like Gold Rush apples and our farmers market has three orchards who grow them but the ones from one of those vendors consistently aren’t as good, even though it’s clearly the same variety. Something about Pennsylvania vs. northern Maryland made more of a difference than I thought.
- quercusa 2y agoBought some Gold Rush apples for the first time yesterday (South Mountain, PA) and really liked them - crunchy, tart, and spicy.
- pvaldes 2y agoIts worse offense is not even mentioning many very good European apples like Cox Pippin or Mingan. Is just a list of commercial apples, many of then unknown or ignored in Europe.
- sharkweek 2y agoAs an apple connoisseur myself I’ve switched from honeycrisp to cosmic crisp over the last three years and I’m never going back. I’m fully aligned I eat apples for the texture above all else, with flavor being important but nothing close to how much crunch eat bite has.
- loeg 2y agoYMMV but I've found Honeycrisps mostly crispier than Cosmic Crisps. (I switched in the other direction -- had Cosmic Crisps first.)
- CarVac 2y agoI find that at my local grocery store in NJ, Cosmic Crisps to be more consistently good than Honeycrisps, despite being less crispy. But the best Honeycrisps are better. Sweetango is also consistently flavorful and crispy and normally better than Cosmic, but the availability is what's inconsistent. (And a Fuji apple I had in Japan was as good as the best Honeycrisps)
- poulsbohemian 2y agoThis is the way... there's research already at WSU for when the Cosmic Crip runs its course and the world is ready for the next apple with the same basic characteristics.
- whamlastxmas 2y agoI discovered cosmic a few months ago and refuse to buy anything other
- flanbiscuit 2y agoI realized I like my apples real sour so Pink Ladies are my favorite at the moment.
- stock_toaster 2y agoSame here! Glad I'm not alone. :)
- mastercheif 2y agoI'm fully on the "SweeTango" hype train, which AppleRankings #1 rated breed: https://applerankings.com/sweetango-apple-review/ https://applerankings.com/sweetango-apple-review/ SweeTango's #1 fault, which the site calls out, is that they do not store well. The recent bags I've taken home are notably less crisp and hardy than earlier in the fall. That said, they'll still be absolutely delicious for another few weeks, highly recommend buying a bag. Trader Joe's usually carries.
- redserk 2y agoSweeTango tastes great. I’ve been buying apple cider made of it for the last two autumns.
- taftster 2y agoSweeTango is a cross between Honeycrisp and Zestar. It would be interesting to know how many highly ranked apples are also crossed with a Honeycrisp on the top of the list. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SweeTango https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SweeTango
- gammarator 2y agoThe SweeTango I had was cloyingly, almost artificially sweet. Can’t tell if it was an unlucky pick or I just have different preferences—I like an Ambrosia.
- hackama 2y agoI just bought a bag from Trader Joe's and it was absolutely disgusting. Completely mealy and flavorless. My family agrees and will probably never trust my apple picking skills again.
- jiqiren 2y agoYou probably got an out of season New Zealand grown version which doesn't make the boat ride... https://applerankings.com/sweetango-apple-review/ https://applerankings.com/sweetango-apple-review/
- ted_bunny 2y agoSo honeycrisp is the Top 40 radio of apples. Simply that which offends least.
- exmadscientist 2y agoMore like the radio edit of your favorite track: was great, got diluted by assholes pushing it on the masses, is still great if you can find the original version you fell in love with.
- david-gpu 2y agoGlad that you've found what works for your you. At the same time, it is worth noting that not everybody likes crisp apples, so the ranking in that website is... daringly interpretive.
- bscphil 2y agoYeah, I find the idea of using a rating site like this extremely bizarre. And after clicking on the link, that opinion is only further cemented by what seems to be a deliberate opinionated and sarcastic tone. I can only assume they want to court controversy for the sake of clicks. For what it's worth, the only apples I buy, when they're local and in season, are McIntosh, which this site helpfully puts in the "pure shit" bin. That's just, well, wrong? Apples can be good without being bred for flavorless crispness like so many are today. And there's a difference between "soft" and "mealy", and good McIntosh apples are firmly (ha) on the soft side. I like pink lady apples too, which this site rates "excellent", and honeycrisp are consistently acceptable - the Starbucks of apples - so it's not that they're making things up, but I think they are only rating apples along one axis and seem to have a thing for recent cultivars over classics and heirloom varieties.
- axpy 2y agoI lived for some time in eastern Canada and I have very fond memories of freshly picked McIntoshes and I even dare to say they were my favorites. Fresh and crisp with a good amount of acidity that balances the sweetness beautifully. That being said, they don't age super well.
- djur 2y agoIt's the personal opinions of a comedian, and he does explain his rankings. I don't agree with all of his takes, but there's no such thing as an objective review, anyway.
- fma 2y agoThe site has SugarBee sweetness of 3 out of 5...The author of the site is a comedian, so I guess one can't anything on that site seriously, at all. "SugarBee® apples emit a sweet aroma and have high sugar content, generally reaching 14.6 Brix, compared to their parent variety honeycrisp, that reaches 13.8 Brix. " https://specialtyproduce.com/produce/SugarBee_Apples_18673.php https://specialtyproduce.com/produce/SugarBee_Apples_18673.p...
- acchow 2y agoI’ve eaten many mealy honeycrisp apples. Just let it sit on your counter for 2 months then try it. Discount grocery stores are often selling many-months old apples.
- echelon 2y agoWhat is the most sour apple? I really like granny smith apples for the sour flavor profile, but most review websites rate it poorly.
- slothtrop 2y agoEmpire is my favorite because of it's crisp texture and semi-tartness. Granny Smith is probably next, it's the most sour one I can reliably find. Pink lady's texture is not great and I find it too sweet.
- BoxFour 2y agoGranny Smiths are probably the most tart generally available apple, but any cooking apple in general is usually sharper. You might also like McIntosh or even Pink Lady. You could also go down the cider apple route or even crabapples if you really want, though they often tend to be more bitter than tart.
- bpye 2y agoI'm a big fan of a McIntosh, and pretty easy to find in BC. The apple ranking site also rates them poorly, with which I disagree.
- dmoy 2y agoGranny Smith is ubiquitous. It's often difficult to get a more sour apple than a Granny Smith. Pink Lady is less sour IIRC. McIntosh or Braeburn are definitely less sour. If you're in the Midwest (especially MN, WI, Iowa, etc) you can get Haralson, which are kinda like Granny Smith but more just straight sour. Haralson is probably my favorite. But disclaimer, I also like eating straight lemons, so ... yea. Many people will use Haralson only for baking. I hear that in Europe they have a few types that are more sour, idk.
- pvaldes 2y agoCrabapples, and all the fancy ones with red meat And a lot of cider apples
- mmanfrin 2y agoCan't trust a site that has Fuji 39 points lower than honeycrisp when they are extremely similar.
- seattle_spring 2y agoI've never had a Fuji that's anywhere near as delightful as a Honeycrisp.
- snowwrestler 2y agoI have, but only from the farmers market. Their Fujis are noticeably different (way better) from Fujis in the grocery stores.
- CarVac 2y agoI have... in Japan.
- edaemon 2y agoThis is my take as well and I've tried a ton. A childhood friend's dad is one of the people who developed the Honeycrisp and SweeTango (and Rave/First Kiss, Zestar, etc). We always had access to the latest and zaniest variants, but the Honeycrisp was just consistently very good. Yeah, sometimes you'd find an incredible fruit punch thing, but the next day you'd try another and it was gross and mealy. Honeycrisp was always reliable. SweeTango is also excellent and reliable but it's harder to find and more expensive.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- lotsofpulp 2y agoRock it apples have been the most consistently good for me.
- Tagbert 2y agoI’ve been very fond of yellow Opal apples recently. Very firm with a good taste.
- beala 2y agoThis site has come up in conversation multiple times as if it's some sort of serious resource, but iiuc this is just one guy's opinion, and if you read the reviews, it's clear he's mostly just writing these for entertainment. Also, it's not clear how many times he's even tasted these apples and when those tastings occurred. Sometimes an apple just has a bad year! Anyway, I'm mostly just salty that he panned the cosmic crisp. They're good this year!
- jader201 2y agoTo be clear (to respond to a few people panning the legitimacy of applerankings.com), I didn’t actually take the site super seriously, it just made me take more notice of the Honeycrisp and try it out. That’s when I realized that they were very rarely mealy, something I’d been in search of for years. But agree that the site is mostly intended to be a more humorous take on apples. (And, to be fair, it is quite funny.)
- snowwrestler 2y agoWeird, there’s a variety at my local farm market called Crimson Crisp that is my new favorite because it is tasty and extremely crisp. But it’s not even listed on that ranking site… maybe it’s regional? And I’ve never heard of the Cosmic Crisp, which is showing up in a lot of comments. Again, maybe regional?
- Blackthorn 2y agoEmpire has this problem. Fresh off the tree they are some of the ideal apples. After a couple weeks of storage though, they lose all that crispness and become a sad experience.
- quickthrowman 2y agoI live in MN and my preferred apple depends on the time of year, I try to get locally grown apples whenever possible by visiting orchards, or Lunds if I can’t get to an orchard. I like First Kiss (Rave) apples in August and early September, SweeTango in September and October, and Honeycrisp at any other time. SweeTango is my favorite, you can still get them as flavorful tennis/baseball size apples in MN vs the monstrous grapefruit sized flavorless Honeycrisp apples that seem to be everywhere these days. There are still fantastic Honeycrisp apples available with lots of flavor, just ignore the gigantic ones.
- insane_dreamer 2y agoIt also depends on when you get them. Here in the PNW, Honeycrisp apples in the fall are delicious because they're grown locally and not stored long. Just eat it as seasonal fruit and it lives up to its promise.