Jazz. vs. Kanzi smackdown

Jazz, at left, has the same parents as Kanzi.

Today's match pits Jazz (left), a Gala x Braeburn cross, against Kanzi, a, um, Gala x Braeburn cross.

So strap yourself in for some real sibling rivalry.

But wait, how is it that the same parents produce different offspring? The same way that human parents do.

Like us, apples are heterozygous. Every cross is unique.

Nonetheless, Jazz and Kanzi seem closely related.

Both are glossy, though in Jazz's case (and maybe Kanzi's too) I suspect with more-than-natural wax or lacquer.

Both varieties are large, though mine are not huge. Both are only slightly ribbed, both partially blushed over a yellow tinged with green. Both have light lenticels that tend to shrink and fade in the most-saturated part of the blush.

The two apples are modern varieties, bred for durability and to satisfy modern tastes for sugar.

So, similar. But compared to Jazz, Kanzi is more tapered. Jazz's peel is a little dimpled around its lenticels.

Kanzi's blush has a bit more orange in it, though the two shades are quite close in the most-saturated parts.

Jazz's calyx is open, while Kanzi's is shut tight. And Jazz's sweet cider aroma is more pronounced.
The beauty contest is a dead heat, but it's what's inside that really counts.

There Kanzi is sweet balanced by tart, crisp but not hard or dense, with coarse-grained juicy yellow flesh.

Jazz is denser, harder, and more crisp. Its flesh, though also yellow and coarse-grained, is perhaps finer than Kanzi's and not quite as juicy.

Jazz's flavors are stronger, better, more assertive, and fuller. Kanzi is slightly more acidic.

These are similar, but not identical, choices, making Kanzi a Jazz alternative for those averse to hard dense apples.

However, Kanzi suffers in this comparison, at least when both are eaten together.

Returning to Kanzi after a mouthful of Jazz makes Kanzi seem thinner of taste and emphasizes its extra acidity in a way that is not appealing.

This isn't really fair. Kanzi solo is nicely balanced, even sweet, and quite good.

But Jazz is better.