Adam's Apples

I have been feasting this month on Pacific Rose, Opal, and Piñata apples. These three millennial varieties bring something long absent to the table: flavor. They are part of the leading edge of what I hope will prove to be a long-term trend towards taste . Don't get me wrong: You could always get flavorful varieties at orchards, if you know where to go. Here's what I mean in terms of supermarket apples (North America version).

I revere the old heritage apples. I love the idea of apple-as-time machine. Just bite to experience the flavors that were in vogue 200 years ago. But lately I have also been hopeful about a trend in the newer apple breeds: taste. Now comes the New York Times with a bushel of new “full flavored” apples, such as Opal , Junami , and Kanzi , all from Europe.