The Lowdown: The result of a cross between Honeycrisp and Braeburn, the cutely named Juici lives up to its name, though its juice isn’t that much more abundant than that of many other new varieties.

What’s not to love?īest Uses: Like Honeycrisp, Cosmic Crisp will be priced as a premium apple, so it’s best enjoyed in fresh preparations: on its own, in a salad, on a cheese platter. It also keeps its flavor and texture for months in climate-controlled storage. Cosmic Crisp is super crunchy, sweet-tart in flavor, and slow to brown. And when word got out to Washington farmers there was a new easy-to-grow apple with all the appeal of the not-so-easy-to-grow Honeycrisp, they all wanted in. Why all the fuss? The apple was bred at Washington State University, and that state happens to be the largest apple-growing region in the country - 70 percent of American apples are grown there. It’s the largest American launch of any new item of produce, ever. In fact, no other new apple variety has sparked so much excitement (and had such an enormous marketing budget) in its inaugural season.

The Lowdown: Think of Cosmic Crisp as the “It” apple of the moment. The 5 Best New Apple Varieties Cosmic Crisp (Personally, I want more than honeyed sweetness in my apples, so the following picks reflect my own preference for apples with good acidity and structure.) The most successful new varieties offer a honeyed sweetness, just enough acidity, lots of juice, and a pronounced crunch. While heirloom apples were often named for their breeder or discoverer (see Ashmead’s Kernel, Cox’s Orange Pippin, and Granny Smith) or their hometowns (Westfield Seek-No-Further, Hudson’s Golden Gem), modern apples tend to have names that reflect consumer preferences: Honeycrisp, Cosmic Crisp, SweeTango, Juici. Some are hitting the market for the first time, while others have been around a few years but are only now reaching critical mass.įirst, a quick note about apple names.

Here’s our guide to the best new apple varieties you’ll be seeing in your market in the coming months. It’s fairly dizzying, but the apple industry has to compete even harder against all the other fruits clamoring for your attention, so they’re betting the house on novelty.

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