Rubens (Civni) (Red Rubens)

My samples are large tapered apples with a variable orange-red blush.

Probably, these Rubenses are well-colored sports, hence the "red." If so, I imagine the blush is weaker on plain old regular Rubens. 

Also, there is an older variety that is also called Rubens. No relation.

Here's what my Red Rubenses look like.

The underlying flesh is a green-tinted yellow, or yellow-tinted green, right there on the border between the two. 

Lenticel freckles are small and numerous, with what could be a tiny bit of russeting in the blush. One of my samples has a seam or suture down one side:

(Actually, there is part of a second suture near the one shown.)

Rubens has a deeply recessed calyx basin. On my samples, one is mostly closed and the other is partially open. They are wicked firm.

Eating

The flesh of my Rubens is moderately coarse grained, a gold-tinged white, breaking crisp, and very juicy. 

Flavors are balanced, though on the sweet side, and moderate, lacking distinction. Nonetheless, there is a little bit of a savory quality at the end of the chew and in the finish.

Other flavors are mild: floral notes, corn syrup, weak melon, and a whisper of cream soda. The best thing about Ruben is its juicy crunch. 

A little more bracing tart might have woken this apple up.

Research

Rubens is a trademark for the Civni apple developed in the 1980s in Italy. The older variety also named Rubens is Dutch; I have yet to try it out, but it sounds different.

This one is a Gala x Elstar cross. It has a sort of 80s vibe, as though it were developed to take on Red Delicious rather than to shift the post-Honeycrisp needle.