Host an Apple Tasting
By Steven Biggs
It Tastes Like What?
We had a couple of pleasant surprises during our apple tasting!
The kids nodded when I asked if they like Pink Lady. “Really good,” declared Emma.
“It is like candy!” said Keaton with a grin. And he was right: It was fruity and tangy like the sour candy he loves.
When we got to a ripe-yet-crisp Mutsu, we were all stumped. We were picking up an unusual but pleasing taste…something familiar. But we couldn’t find a word to describe it. My wife, Shelley, pointed out that it was a bit honey-like.
Then Emma nailed it: “It tastes like the pawpaw fruit we ate this fall!”
That was a surprise!
Describing an Apple
Other things that the family shouted out as we tasted our way around a cutting board with sliced apples were:
Tart
Juicy
Fragrant
“Smells like flowers”
Pineapple
Tropical
Crisp
An Unplanned Apple Tasting
Pieter's Appleyard. This is a great spot, with a scenic lookout.
Our family apple tasting started when I pulled over at an orchard to grab a bushel of my favourite apple variety, Idared.
It was early December. We were near Colborne, Ontario, an apple-growing region. (We were actually getting a Christmas tree…but I had apples on my mind too.)
December is well past the pick-your-own window here in Ontario, but it’s a time of year when well-stored apples are still fantastic. (Actually, well-stored apples can be fantastic much later than that.)
I was hankering for Idared apples. I haven’t seen them lately at my local grocers. (I’m no fan of a lot of the newer sweet-but-bland apple varieties: I like a tangy and fruity apple.)
So we pulled into Pieter's Appleyard. We’ve stopped there before to pick our own. (Note: This is a great spot, with a scenic lookout—I highly recommend it.)
The shop was closed and I was about to turn around and drive away when Shelley, said, “There’s someone in the field.” The guy in the field stopped his tractor, made a quick phone call, and in a moment the owner came out to greet me.
“I’d like a bushel of Idared,” I said.
He motioned for me to follow him.
When we were in the cold storage, he said, “If you like Idared, you might like Enterprise. Take this one home with you.” And then he handed me a Pink Lady. And a Golden Russet. And a Braeburn.
Apple Jackpot
To a horticultural nerd like me, this assortment of apples was a jackpot.
As I thought about how the family could enjoy the apple jackpot together, I was though of what Susan Poizner from Orchard People does: An apple tasting event.
Read about Susan Poizner’s apple-tasting event here.
Fun Holiday Activity
An apple tasting is a fun addition to Thanksgiving, winter solstice, or Christmas festivities.
That’s because late fall is a great time to find locally grown apples at their prime. Stop by roadside stands, orchards, and farmer’s markets. You’ll find a broader selection than at most supermarkets.
Apple-Tasting Checklist
If you’re getting your apples ahead of time, store them properly so they stay crisp. Cool and humid—like the crisper in a fridge—is best.
Try a few varieties of apples (the more the better, I think, but at least 3)
2 of each variety is a good idea if you want guests to see what an uncut apple looks like while they taste slices of it
A cutting board
A knife to core and slice the apples
Labels or cards
A pen and paper to jot down comments and favourites
At wine tasting events there’s often water and bread or crackers to cleanse the palate. We skipped this step, but it might be a nice touch.
Preparing for an Apple Tasting
Make up a label for each apple variety.
You can get set up for an apple-tasting event fairly quickly.
Make up a label for each apple variety
Slice apples right before you begin, as some varieties brown quickly
Don’t forget to shine the apples so they look their best!
Guide Your Apple Tasting
Guide your guests through the varieties (e.g. you could do a quick online search for a history of the variety)
Before everyone tastes a variety, get them to look at the colour of the flesh and the skin
Then get everyone to smell the apple slice and describe the aromas they’re picking up
As they taste each slice, ask about the texture and juiciness
Then get feedback on the flavour (Is it like another fruit? Or floral? Maybe honey – or even herbaceous)
Then debate the merits of the variety!
Apple Varieties
Here are the varieties we included in our family apple tasting. The varieties you’re able to get will depend on where you are and whether the store or orchard you visit has mainly commercial varieties, or some lesser-known, specialty varieties.
Ambrosia
On our tasting notes I scribbled down that it was the most fragrant, had a honey taste, and floral smell. It was crisp and juicy.
It’s a variety I often find at my local grocer, and my kids love it. The skin is red with yellow. The flesh is creamy white. And it’s sweet, crisp, aromatic—and not too acidic. (Not tart enough for me!)
Braeburn
I hadn’t tasted Braeburn until our tasting. It turned out to be my favourite apple! We agreed that it’s firm, tart, crisp, and juicy.
The Pieter's Appleyard website notes that this variety is good for cooking because it keeps its shape.
Cortland
This was Mom’s favourite for apple pie because it’s large and holds its shape when you bake it. I often buy it to make sauce.
It didn’t rank too well for our family tasting—probably because the ones I got from the grocery store weren’t stored in optimal conditions. We noted its soft flesh, mild taste, white colour, and thick skin.
Empire
I often get empire when I make apple cider in the fall because, like its parent the Mcintosh apple, its very juicy. There’s some acidity.
We noted that it’s tangy, fruity, and the skin was on the thick side. Like the Cortland apples I had on hand, our Empire apples hadn’t been optimally stored, so it lost points for being soft.
Enterprise
Enterprise was new for me. It surprised us with a banana-like smell, a tropical taste that Keaton described as pineapple. It was tart and crisp.
This is a newer, late-ripening variety with intense red-coloured skin. The fruit is large.
Golden Russet
This has always been a staple in our fruit bowl in the fall. I love the intense sweetness and acidity. The kids are less excited about it because of the mealy texture.
It’s an old variety, and often recommended for use when making cider. The skin is russeted, giving it a distinct appearance from the other apples in our family apple tasting.
Idared
Sorry Idared, you started out as my favourite, but by the end of the apple tasting you came up as #2—after Braeburn.
Nonetheless, it’s still a great apple, with firm, white, tart flesh, aromatic notes (I’d say a mix of herbaceous and tropical). It’s a good keeper—and has a beautiful colour.
Mutsu (a.k.a. Crispen)
We have a big old Mutsu tree in our yard, and tend to pick them on the green side…before the squirrels pick them.
The Mutsu we got at the orchard was riper—and had changed from the more common light-green colour to yellow. But it was still firm. As I said above, Emma described one of the flavours we picked up as pawpaw-like. We also noted that it had a “green and floral smell,” was crisp, and had a honey flavour. I put a star beside this one on the tasting notes because the kids ranked it as a favourite, with Pink Lady.
Pink Lady
Firm, dense, fruity and tangy. We all loved this apple. It also had very nice colouring on the skin, with a red-pink on a green background.
Along with the Mutsu, it got a star rating from my kids.
Looking for More Apple Ideas?
Hear Susan’s Poizner’s tips on holding an apple tasting — and see an apple flavour wheel!
