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I was unimpressed when I tried Akane back in 2010. But a reader told me to sample this variety fresh off the tree for the real story.
Given that my 2010 Akane was on the early side, and from a food co-op in Seattle, a redo seemed like a reasonable item for the apple bucket list. But it's not grown widely here, and this is my first crack at a second bite.
Akane sports a red blush that runs quite dark, but with an underlying
streakiness, over a very pale yellow. The apple features large tan lenticels
that are not obvious in unblushed portions. My samples run medium to large.
Inside is tender-crisp flesh, medium grained and juicy. The apple is quite sweet but is redeemed from banality by a good measure of tart. In this mix are some floral flavors, a little spice, and corn syrup.
This is a better apple than the one I had in 2010, so I will be listing this as my "official" review. But it is still not a great apple, in my view, though (as I noted in 2010) it has a subtle kick that is interesting.
Akane is a modern variety from Japan, crossing Jonathan with Worcester Pearmain. It is in turn a parent of Sansa, which shares some qualities and which I prefer.
Perhaps you ate one that's been stored for some time? At our orchard in southwest Wisconsin we harvested ours this year on August 15th, at the same time as our Sansa. The Akane are quite tart at harvest and only sweeten up after storage. -Chris
ReplyDelete@Unknown: Thanks for your description. I think my 2 Akanes—2010 and this one—probably straddle the peak for this apple.
DeleteThey are just not easy to come by around here, but we have at least gained the benefit of your experience. Thanks!