Last Apple Standing (Mac vs. Empire)

It is August and I do not need to be mucking about with apples from last year that are just (let's face it) not going to be very good now.

I've already had some great (and fresh!) Pristine and Paula Red this month. There are other early apples about with more on the way.

But McIntosh (left) is a fall icon, and Empire (right) is one of my go-to apples in the impoverished springtime. Supermarkets here have both of them today.

So let's see which of these two old warhorses have fared better over the fall, winter, spring, and half of summer.

McIntosh here is 11 months old, and Empire is perhaps 10. They both look just fine. So, let's eat!

McIntosh

Of the two apples, my Mac is broader and its red truer—that is, Empire's red is a bit more purple. Empire has more prominent lenticel dots.

Still the two varieties have a family look, because they are related. Empire is a McIntosh x Delicious cross, and has kind of sturdy if simplified version of the Mac's vinous fall complexity. (McIntosh, of course, is a found variety, though it is assumed by many to descend from Fameuse.)

The Bite

For an 11-month old apple, this Mac is surprisingly edible. The snowy white flesh is reasonably crisp, if a little elastic, and the flavors are still suitably vinous with a hint of berries.

Empire

By comparison, the Empire's slightly more yellow flesh is, if anything, a tiny bit crisper. Both have very chewy peels. 

Empire's flavors are also recognizable, if in decline: a kind of generic vinousness that is far better than nothing in the spring to someone who misses the true tastes of autumn. It is sweeter than the Mac, and less complex

The Verdict

Of the two, it is Empire's quality that has declined the least, but it has done so from a far lower starting point. In mid August they are very close. Nonetheless to my mind the Mac is still a better apple.

I would not otherwise choose either of these today, but the Mac's quality after all this time in storage is a pleasant surprise.