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A funny thing happened when I retasted this apple: some flavors changed, and some harshness declined.
Before 2009, Autumn Crisp was still an experimental variety known as NY 674.
A local grower planted some and dubbed them "Early Jonagold." That nickname was how I first knew them in 2011.
Since then, the variety has gone mainstream under its marketing name, Autumn Crisp. I saw plenty of them in supermarkets this spring.
The apple I tasted in 2011, despite its virtues, could never be popular enough for that. So here is a revised review (fresh from a local orchard).
A pretty red blush, slightly orange inflected, is variegated (notice the deep red stripes) and accented by tiny lenticel dots.
I have two attractive Autumn Crisp apples, medium and large, with thick stems. An underlying yellow peeps out where the blush is absent.
The apple itself is basically round, a little broad in the beam, with a very slight taper. A recessed calyx spans several degrees of openness, from partial to full.
It has a sweet aroma.
Somewhat Crisp
Flavors are saturated, beginning with a floral note (violets or lilac) and ending with a savory hit of B vitamin in the aftertaste.
There are bananas and sugar in between, and a little spiciness.
These flavors are the same in both samples, but in the smaller one are stronger and exaggerated. With that apple, sweetness grows with each bite and becomes a bit much for me.
There is also an underlying harshness in both, though stronger in the smaller more-intense sample. It is a dialed-back version of the harshness I noted in 2011.
That persistent savory aftertaste is not winning.
Peak Autumn Crisp
So perhaps I have still not managed to taste a true peak Autumn Crisp, one with the flavor set and the texture.
Nonetheless, I assume today's apples are more generally representative of what people are likely to find. So, I am shifting my "apple review" designation from the older tasting to this one.
Picky reminder footnote: Though I often post multiple columns about a single variety, my rule is only one "official" review per apple.
If you are especially interested in Autumn Crisp, please read
- the original review, originally published as "Early Jonagold" in 2011
- my short post connecting the dots to "Autumn Crisp"
I had some of these a few years ago and again just this week, and both times the dominant flavor was a cooked fruit taste, almost like fruit leather. And then a wallop of acidity. Not bad, but not one of Cornells' better releases.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I am a little baffled how these got into supermarkets last spring.
DeleteI mean, more power to anyone who gets an apple to market that is not a Honeycrisp wannabe, but I don't get it on this one.
Apples from our Autumn Crisp tree have had a similar evolution. Odd that, but I do know that some varieties to take time to produce the qualities they are known for. I lasted commented here on Autumn Crisp in 2013, agreeing about the tartness you observed. By 2016 the apples were much better balanced. In that year Autumn Crisp won our taste test held the second Saturday in October, and it has finished high in subsequent years. I'm not tasting a harshness, and others haven't described it either.
ReplyDeleteIt is a very crisp apple fresh from the tree, but by this time of year, some apples have lost their crunch, but most have actually gone too soft for much use other than baking or sauce.
Thanks, John. Maybe I just need to keep trying this one.
DeleteThe idea of a change in the fruit as the tree matures is a new one on me.
I bought some of these at a roadside stand last week, at a friend's recommendation. As far as I am concerned, it's just a prettier version of a golden delicious. Fortunately golder delicious is my favorite apple. I like 'em soft.
ReplyDelete