Kingston Black

Kingston Black is famous!

But not for eating.

My Kingston Black is a large and very conical apple with a streaky red blush, saturated and dark in places, over what I take to be yellow. In any case, there is an orange tinge in the red.

The fruit has small brown lenticel dots that are more obvious in the photo than real life, and this sample has a russet-blasted crown. There is moderate ribbing and an open calyx.

I know Kingston to be a cider apple and its reputation is not great for eating. Let's see what it has to tell us.

Sweet...cotton?

The bite is soft, into spongy white flesh that is fine-grained and on the dry side, yet sweet. 

Fermentation turns sugar to alcohol, so this is not a surprising quality in a cider apple, though I confess I was braced for a tannic spitter.

The flavor is intensely fruity, with lychee and cane sugar notes and something floral. There is a quick flash of bitterness in the peel, though.

Were Kingston Black crisp and hard rather than cottony, the flavor might make it appealing, if a little too sweet for my tastes.

Cider

Kingston B really comes into its own in hard cider. It is a "bittersharp," and whole new orchards of flavor emerge with fermentation. 

Also known as Taunton Black, it is originally from the area near Kingston St. Mary in Somerset, England. 

There's not much online about eating this apple, but the internet sings its praises for cider.