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Today's apple has attracted an extraordinary amount of attention from growers in Washington State. The state university there developed and is promoting the new variety.
The growers are responding by ordering and planting thousands of trees.
Cosmic Crisp is a very handsome apple, quite big, with a saturated blush of
orange-tinted crimson decorated by lenticel dots.
These run the gamut from tiny and distinct to large and diffuse. Ribbing also
runs a range from moderate to pronounced.
My photo sample is tapered but most of the others are rounder and blocky.
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| The suture line is faint. |
These apples glisten with wax.
Many of these also sport a subtile latitudinal suture line.
The apple has a sweet aroma that is both floral and smokey. Dwell on that:
smokey.
Biting in reveals coarse-grained yellow flesh that is extremely crisp and juicy. It breaks off in great satisfying chunks.
Cosmic Crisp strongly favors pure sweetness, a mix of corn syrup and cane sugar, but there are other flavors of interest.
It's not really enough spice to add up to barbecue sauce, though the sugar and the smoke are there.
The saccharine finish is a little bit cloying
Cosmic Crisp has a great texture and some appealing flavors. The barbecue smoke is really unusual.
The sugar level strikes me as excessive, but that's not exactly going to be a problem with the sweet-toothed public. At least unless tastes change.
Cosmic Crisp is an Enterprise x Honeycrisp cross that has Moma's sturdiness and Papa's crunch. I found it slow to turn brown when cut.
So are those Washington State growers betting on a winner? They've gotten it wrong before by putting all their apples in one basket.
I won't pretend to predict the future, but I will say this. Look out, Honeycrisp: you've got a worthy competitor, and in a few years Cosmic Crisp will be everywhere.
Links:
Apple groupthink
Honeycrisp
Cosmic Crisp's space themed website
The only future prediction I'm willing to make is that you will be doing a head-to-head taste test of Honeycrisp v. Cosmic Crisp.
ReplyDeletePart of me hates being predictable, but that does seem to be in the cards!
DeleteI bought 10 pounds at my local Haggen store this week, just released. for those wanting to taste this I'm willing to send them around. Adam you are spot on. I have always liked the durability of Enterprise-my last apple to eat at strawberry season.
ReplyDeleteI had my first Cosmic Crisp today. There were some interesting flavors lurking somewhere in there, but it was hard to hear them over the continuous shouting of "I'M CRISP! I'M SWEET! I HAVE A BIT OF TARTNESS!"
ReplyDeleteSo, better than Honeycrisp?
DeleteI bought 2pounds shared them with friends none of them liked them no flavor nothing long way to go to best out Snap.Dragon or Honey Crisp.
ReplyDeleteJust tried one of these today.A sign at the strore proclaimed "Quite Possibly the World's Best Tasting Apple" or some such ilk. Quite tasty! I much prefer these over Honeycrisp. Also, I had a few pieces sitting on a plate for a couple of hours - and there was zero browning.
ReplyDelete@Unknown, that squares with my experience! Note that the "Possibly" in "the best tasting" covers a multitude of exaggeration.
DeleteWhere can I get your Adam's apple crisp in CT?
ReplyDeleteHi! I am not much of a baker, and I do not grow apples. "My" crisp does not exist.
DeleteAre you looking for Cosmic Crisp? They are only grown in Washington state, but you may find them in supermarkets.
Hello, Adam.
ReplyDeleteI shall leave this comment here, as Cosmic Crisp is my second favorite apple which happens to share many characteristics of my most favorite apple— one you do not have listed: Red Rome aka Red Rome Beauty.
Would you please add it to your list?
Thank you kindly.
Perhaps it is time for me to review Rome Beauty.
DeleteMy longtime readers probably recall why I have been holding back.
The first batch I had were great, the last 2 tasted soapy.
ReplyDeleteHad my first cosmic crisp today and found it underwhelming. Lots of sugar and juicy but hard to appreciate because of the extremely chewy skin. That skin was like chewing leather. I will try them again but if the skin is always that chewy I'll pass on this variety.
ReplyDelete