'The Braeburn That I Ate Today'

A few years ago, Mike, a reader, proposed a blog called "The Braeburn That I Ate Today."

He was reflecting on the variability of his favorite apple.

Until he follows through with this noble plan, I am filling in with a report about a dozen different Braebs I've eaten this year.

The three apples in my lead photo are all Braeburn, purchased on the same day from the same supermarket (January 26, Burlington (Massachusetts) Market Basket, "batch 'A'").

From left, striped and blocky; orange, striped, and conical; solid red, broad, and tapered.

The apple

Braeburn is one of several imports from New Zealand, available these days in supermarkets across the U.S.

It is not especially a favorite of mine (not that I have a problem with it), but it is not hard to enjoy either.

The investigation

There is something to Mike's point of view, in that Braeburn varies. When I started tasting in the winter, the samples were similar, and kind of insipid. The greatest variation was in texture rather than taste.

With the arrival of summer, and apples from New Zealand and other points south, I started to find other variations in quality. Some of those apples just tasted better. 

Based on that, I appreciate Braeburn as an apple that can have an appealing mix of floral and spicy flavors, with (sometimes) a distinctive orange note. 

Too much overpowering sweetness was sometimes detrimental, but not always.

The variability is illustrated by two New Zealand apples I bought on June 10. These bore PLU stickers from the same grower. One of them was really good, and the other had inferior texture and only mild flavors.

Of course handling is an issue, but I wonder if Braeburn is not a good traveller or keeper, by modern standards.

Perhaps the wholesale-retail distribution system is not able to give the Braeb the TLC it deserves.

Another thing I noticed was that the Braeburns from their native New Zealand looked really different from the others.

I also learned that Braeburn is out of favor, at least among retailers! I could only find them in a few places. They were easier to find a few years ago.

The data

I've put this last on the assumption that it's not very interesting, but here are my apple-by-apple observations.

In my 2009 report I said the apple

is satisfyingly crisp and juicy, with a mild, sweet flavor. Although the tastes are mostly generic, there is some complexity and a hint of oranges.

In this experiment, I was looking for some additional flavors and qualities. To avoid repetition, I only note differences from my 2009 review.

A1) Tasted on January 29 (conical, orange and red stripes over yellow, moderately ribbed) Floral aroma. Closed calyx. Breaking crisp, juicy, mild, attenuated, a little bland. Very like 2009.

A2) Jan 30 (tapered, saturated deep red covering nearly all, moderately ribbed, calyx mostly open) Slightly less crisp; flavor slightly less attenuated

A3) Jan 31 (tapered, striped, moderately ribbed, calyx closed). Right in the same zone.

A4) March 5 (tapered, a little blocky, striped, calyx slightly open) Past prime though still good to eat: a little soft and on the road to mealy. An orange note elevates the flavor profile of this one.

The next batch are from the same source, purchased on May 20. I was hoping for some fresher samples from New Zealand or Chile, but it was not to be.

B1) May 22 (on the blocky side, still tapered, good stripy color, cider aroma, prominent lenticels, open calyx, ribbed). Good quality, on the dense side, sweet, spice and a hint of oranges. Yellow flesh is tinged with a little green.

B2) May 29 (Tapered, leaning. Clenched calyx, so less ripe? Painterly color, red brushstrokes.) Hard, dense, breaking, but also a little bit of granular disintegration; sweet; flavors a tad less clear and assertive, but some spiciness. Maybe orange, maybe not.

Batch "C," also from Market Basket, was Chilean, but disappointing. I only recorded one of these.

C1) June 5. (Handsome, tapered, good color, ribbed, calyx mostly closed.) Light-yellow flesh definitely a step on the long road to mealy, though still good. Generic spice and fruitiness melded. If this is what a Chilean is like, I'd hate to have a domestic. Disappointing.

June 10 purchases are group "D." All from New Zealand, and different! These are blocky and big. They are more ribbed and have closed calyxes

Check out the broad shoulders, asymmetry, and ribbing of these NZ Braebs:

D1) June 11 (wide and very ribbed;  blush is streaky and calyx is closed). Firm and breaking crisp w light yellow flesh and great flavors of flowers, orange, and spice. There are some green streaks in the flesh and a little graininess but probably the best Braeburn I have ever had. Moderately juicy.

D2) June 12 (squat, very ribbed, and lopsided, leaning to one side; streaky blush pretty full on the sunward side, and a bit of russet in the stemwell). Crisp but, again, granular, with the floral and spicy note, but also something a little sour in the background and even a touch of banana. Not really much orange this time, never strong to begin with.

I bought the next batch on June 20 from Idlewild in Acton. These are also from New Zealand, but a different grower than the previous batch.

They are also blocky, lopsided, and very large. Although they look similar, their quality differs.

E1) June 23 (tall and tapered with a closed calyx and streaky blush, asymetrical, and ribbed) This one is hard—it is jaw work to get the first bite. Great crunch, sweet with corn syrup and spice, and a floral note. There is a little orange or tangerine present, but it is nearly overpowered by the sweetness.

E2) July 3 (broad, lopsided, ribbed and with a streaky red-orange blush, calyx closed). I should mention that these wide apples are very large. The texture is not nearly as good, it's a little soft and granular, and the flavors are blurred together and unremarkable. Could this be a result of just 10 days in the fruit drawer of my refrigerator?

Finally, for my study in contrasts, on July 2 I found these two Braeburns in the same bin at a supermarket in central Massachusetts (another Market Basket, this one in Athol).

These look so different I would not have pegged them as the same apple. (Would you?)

The tall skinny fellow came from Chile, and the broad-shouldered one from New Zealand.

F1) July 7 (Chile, less blushed, and over yellow only barely tinted green; moderately ribbed, tall, tapered, calyx closed). Chile's flesh is slightly granular but still crisp and juicy, and presents with the strongest floral taste so far. A little spice and citrus is also present.

F2) July 9 (NZ, ribbed, big, broad, thick stubby stem, dark streaky blush). This is another Braeburn with grainier flesh and flavors that are melded and more subdued. I found some floral qualities near the Calyx end. Though good to eat, there is nothing distinctive about this sample.

I also ate other Braeburns from these batches, but did not record them.

Obviously missing from this investigation: a fresh local Braeburn. That will have to wait until the fall. 

In the meantime, it seems like a good time to wrap this thing up!

Mike, the next move is yours.

Update: here is the fresh local report, "Batch G." A fitting conclusion!

Also

• apple variability (it varies!)