Sunchaser:
6/10
- I wish I could know more about this apple. Apparently, it’s a new Walmart exclusive. I know no more. That much is a mystery. Greater still is how they managed to alchemize an entire watermelon directly into the shell of an apple. It has the exact same texture as one near the rind. It even tastes like melon, but with a weird anise aftertaste and even a little caramel. Light, watery, crunchy, and just barely sweet. Like a bland, unripe watermelon. (2026.01.03)
Autumn Glory:
5.25/10
- No apple could bend the moss’d cottage-trees like an Autumn Glory. Painted on its skin is a portrait of the misty season itself. Thick stripes of orange, yellow, and red, like the ridges of a gourd. Mine had a nice crispy texture, a thin skin, and notable juiciness. The flavor was basic, sweet, and otherwise unsatisfying. A standard and middling apple in everything but appearance. (2026.01.02)
Ludacrisp:
7/10
- A round, even, and red apple with a slight orange undertone. It gives off a noticeable aroma when cut, the sweet smell lingering as you expose the apple’s uniquely pale yellow flesh. In the hand, a Ludacrisp is shockingly dense. Take a bite, however, and you get a texture too crisp and dry for the apple’s apparent weight. At the same time, it is quite juicy. Most importantly, Ludacrisp is an intensely tart citrusy flavor bomb, strong enough to give me a headache. (2025.12.31)
Pazazz:
4.75/10
- There is sadly little pizazz to be found in the juicy bite of a Pazazz. Points for good crunch, light skin, and a high level of juiciness. Deductions for a flavor that, although generally balanced, is slightly bitter and lacking in sweetness and depth. (2025.12.27)
Lady Alice:
4.8/10
- I approached this apple with high hopes and higher expectations thanks to the rave reviews that reached me from my tasting advisors. Finally taking it in my hand, the vibrant, striped, red-to-yellow gradient and pleasing matte skin fanned the flames. An excellent crunch continued the wave. Soon after, the rest let me down. The skin was a bit too chewy, the minimal sweetness quickly became bitter and grassy. What decent juice it had felt diluted on the tongue. Maybe next time. (2025.12.26)
Modi:
4.6/10
- All the way from Italy (in development, not growth), there’s Modi. My specimen was small and egg-shaped, dark red, and with splotches of orange. The initial scent would suggest a sour apple, but in reality, this one is purely sweet, not tart at all. It’s mild, floral, and fruity. As for texture, it is crunchy at first but chews into a disappointing mush quickly. Overall, not enough to win me over. (2025.12.25)
Evercrisp:
5/10
- Being a hybrid of the dependable Honeycrisp and the deplorable Fuji, I had uncertain expectations tasting this apple. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at the Evercrisp’s ability to rise above the generational disappointment in its paternal line. Fortunately, it inherits an excellent texture and decent-enough flavor from the other side. Crisp and crunchy, with just enough acid to balance out a familiar, sweet, and still-lingering flavor. (2025.12.14)
Lucy Rose:
6.5/10
-
Spotting this apple in the store was a wonderful surprise. An early Christmas gift from Lucy. I had just reviewed the Lucy Glo and found myself dissatisfied. This was meant to be—a second chance. The first noticeable difference is the intense redness of the skin. Inside, the apple is splotched with red and pink, more so than the Glo. The texture is on the crunchy, chewy side. The skin is as nice as it looks, with a subtle snap that backs away to let the apple through. Mainly tart, but with an aftertaste of subdued sweetness and cherry that lingers on the back of the tongue. Sadly, the second Rose I tasted was garbage. The original review remains unchanged as a gracious demonstration of the benefit of the doubt.
- Elle Lowe, Visiting Critic: “Tasted like pink and has a perfumey note, sweeter in the pink bits. The girliest of apples.” (2025.12.13)
Kissabel Rouge:
4.75/10
- An apple, red on the inside? If you’ve never seen a colorfully cored specimen in your apple-eating journey, I should warn you, looks can be deceiving. The first of two wild cards, Kissabel Rouge, impressed me with its crimson skin and pink interior. However, despite its flair, the Rouge is unsettlingly crunchy rather than crisp, chewy at the skin, and worst of all, dully sour; a pair that shouldn’t go together. I was no longer impressed. (2025.11.29)
Lucy Glo:
5/10
- As I continue, later and later into the season, I wonder if it’s not their fault? Am I on a losing streak, or are these apples past their prime? Should I feel guilty rating an innocent apple this low? We go on. Lucy Glo was a second chance for apples of color. Certainly, it was better than Kissabel R., but not enough. Just like before, an odd, crunchy, jicama-like texture. This time, a sweeter flavor, not bad. You get delicate notes of white grape and pear. A decent balance of sweetness and acidity. Not a strong apple, I might say bland, but sometimes a bite leaves an impression. (2025.11.29)
Ambrosia:
4/10
- Not quite the godly apple its name might imply. Everything about its muted, can’t-decide-if-red-or-yellow skin, nonexistent scent, mealy flesh, and flat flavor leaves the immortality-seeking apple consumer wanting. Perhaps if you squint your mouth, you might taste just a sprinkle of honey and ambiguous apple. Not a drop of acid to be seen. To be fair, this apple had been sitting in the fridge for longer than any apple deserves. (2025.11.27)
Red Delicious:
3.5/10
- Red? Yes. It has a gorgeous, deep, and consistent crimson hue. Delicious? No. The taste is barely present, only a hint. No depth of flavor, just a whisper of bland apple sweetness. The texture is soft and sad, with a bite more chewy than crispy, and a tough skin. The juciness is a minor plus. But what of it? The red delicious should be left behind in the produce bin. (2025.10.27)
Opal:
6.75/10
- One look at an Opal is enough to know it’s a special apple. Golden Delicious is a pale husk compared to its bright yellow progeny. Whether the russeting around the stem is a gross defect or an expression of natural beauty is up for debate. Sitting in a bag untouched, these apples beg to be eaten with their strong, fresh, and floral scent. Taking a bite, you’ll immediately notice the juicy flesh and unique flavor. It’s sweet, delicate, just a little sour, and noticeably reminiscent of pear. The sweetness takes on an almost creamy quality, like a ripe banana—or is that the yellow getting in my head? The flavor is certainly muted, but not at all bland. There are great notes of other fruits, notably grapes, and a drizzle of honey. If not for the slightly chewy skin and underwhelming texture, this apple would be a top contender, but its depth of flavor is still enough on its own to set the Opal apart. (2025.10.25)
Empire:
5.25/10
- This apple is very small and round, with a dark purple-red hue, striking against the monotony of most grocery store apples. The flesh is light with a slightly yellow-green color. Smells grassy and tart. Tastes like it smells, a standard sour apple with just enough sweetness. Moderately crunchy, a little on the soft and mealy side (no surprise for a McIntosh descendant). The juciness is good, but the skin is very chewy. What it gains on the McIntosh with its firmer flesh, it loses very quickly with its leathery skin. (2025.10.16)
Jazz:
4.75/10
- There’s not much to say about this very normal apple. A tall, orangish-red fruit with small green lenticels. Almost no scent. Overall, very bland, and the little taste it has is grassy and bitter. The texture is mealy, and the skin is tough. Some bites indicate potential for flavor, but hardly enough to be described. It also browns fast. (2025.10.15)
Rave / First Kiss:
6/10
-
Unlike the last review of the Rave apple, the specimen in question is of the First Kiss variety, exclusively Minnesota-grown. The apple has a visibly smooth skin, strong red with patches yellow-orange. Immediately upon cutting the apple in half, everyone in the room will get a smell of cider. It’s easily the strongest-smelling apple I’ve encountered. The skin is slightly tough, and the flesh has an average crunch, slightly chewy. The juciness is good, and the flavor is an okay balance of sweet and sour. None of the chemical taste as in the Rave. Some of the cidery smell makes its way to the flavor, but not much. This bag was a little mealy, but given that this is an early-ripening apple, I might have just been late. (2025.10.13)
-
The Rave is a bit unusual, but the texture is wonderful. Skin not too chewy, with a good crisp bite. But the flavor? It’s slightly tart, but mostly sweet. Almost too sweet. Weird chemical fruit flavor and bitterness. Tastes somewhat artificial to me. It could be so good, but that flavor is not pleasant. (2025.09.29)
Hunnyz:
6.5/10
- Hunnyz stand out at first as a very prominently dotted apple. The lenticels pop against its red-yellow skin. Take a bite, and at first, it’s crunchy and crisp. But then it gets chewy, almost as if the entire apple was core. As a core eater myself, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing, but it’s not great either. The skin is background noise next to the texture of the flesh. A good comparison is Jicama, or a raw potato. To add to its uniquness, the Hunnyz tastes much like red grape, and the aftertaste lingers pleasantly. (2025.10.13)
Honeycrisp:
7.5/10
- While at first I found the Honeycrisp overrated, underwhelming, and not as sweet as the name would imply, Later honeycrisps have changed my mind. A solid sweet-sour apple, and mostly consistent in quality. Only its basic flavor keeps the honeycrisp from achieving a greater ranking. (2025.10.06)
Cortland:
5.75/10
- The Cortland has a wide, flattened shape, similar to the McIntosh. The skin is smooth with vertical stripes in hues of red, ranging from a deep crimson to orangish pinks on a canvas of yellow-green. Cutting through its tough skin, you’re met by remarkably pale white flesh. It’s a juicy apple, although it inherits the mushy flesh of the McIntosh. The flavor is mostly tart, though notes of orange and cranberry are present. Its sweetness comes through at the end of the bite. In this particular specimen, one quarter stood out significantly sweeter. It tasted of honey, and the flesh was chewier and less pale. (2025.10.05)
Golden Delicious:
4.5/10
- An average, boring apple. Not much to say for flavor. Slightly sweet, slightly tart, mostly just mild overall. Tastes like unsweetened applesauce. Similar to the Fuji but without the disgustingly overpowering, in-your-face sweetness. Thick skin but not too chewy. The texture of this one was unique. Somewhat mealy and grainy, but the bite starts snappy. Not one I’d buy unless you like apples with ignorable flavor. (2025.10.04)
Fuji:
2/10
- Bland, mushy, horrible flavor. Tastes like a bomb of white sugar with no depth. FAR too sweet. Aftertaste lingered for nearly an hour. Makes me sad. (2025.10.03)
Snapdragon:
6.75/10
- This is a really good sweet apple, but it still has enough tart flavor to keep me interested. Super crispy and snappy, like the name suggests. No weird aftertaste. Has some pleasant flavors in the back that I can’t place. (2025.10.02)
Sugarbee:
3/10
- Super bland apart from an off, sickening taste, like honey if you took away all the sweetness. Tastes like a bland, unripe pear. Also has an odd bitter and chemically flavor. The texture is average, skin is fine. The flesh is oddly yellow. (2025.10.01)
McIntosh:
5.5/10
- Not bad, not great. Average. Too mushy for my taste, and the skin is a
little chewy. Redeemingly, the skin does have a pop when you bite, as if
it were stretched tight over the apple. The flavor is predominantly tart, but
it has a decent amount of sweetness. Would be great if it weren’t so soft
and the skin weren’t so tough.
- Elle Lowe, Visiting Critic: “It tasted like green apple candy, and transported me to Halloween.” (2025.09.28)
Sweetango:
9/10
- An amazing and very flavorful apple. I had two today, and there was a lot of variation. The first one was punchy and tart with a decent sweetness. Crispy and very tasty. A new favorite for sure. The second one was even more crispy, but the sour flavor was almost completely gone and replaced wholly by sweet. A very good apple. Also, a pretty apple. I preferred the intense first apple, but the second one was still on par with some of the better sweet apples I’ve had a chance to taste. (After finishing the bag, I can say that the rest were as good as the first.) (2025.09.27)
Kanzi:
6.5/10
- It’s alright. Moderate crunch. Very dense and juicy. Sweet in some bites, bland in others, and occasionally bitter, maybe from the skin. The skin is also slightly tough. (2025.09.21)
Sweetie:
4.5/10
- Not good. Mushy with a tough skin. Not very sweetie. Bland. (2025.09.20)
Envy:
6.25/10
- A decent choice for sweet apple fans. Not so much if you like flavor. Excellent styrofoam crunch and okay skin. Delicate sweet flavor, which can be too delicate, often bland. A honey aftertaste if you’re lucky. Not narly as tasty as it is beautiful. For the price, I find the Envy slightly underwhelming. (2025.09.20)
Pink Lady:
7.25/10
- Probably what Granny Smith was like before she turned an old sour hag. (2025.09.19)
Cosmic Crisp:
7/10
- Very crisp indeed. Extra points for consistency. It has nearly the perfect juicy and crispy texture, but I just wish it would pack a little bit more flavor. It needs more sour flavors and more depth with the sweetness. Still my stable staple. Extra points for browning resistance. (2025.09.19)
Gala:
5/10
- You know what a Gala tastes like. Eh. Soft and boring. (2025.09.19)
Apples are evaluated only by their quality as a snack. Plain, uncooked, sometimes refrigerated. Unless otherwise noted, all specimens were purchased from grocery stores in Texas.
The birth of this page may be in response to judgement of my once-uneducated apple preferences. Never should the apple consumer consume apples blindly. Genuine apple criticism is the only true path to a riper age.
— Eric Moore, 2025.10.04