Penn's Personal Tomato Critique 10-27-10 - 1-22-13
Notes From Penn
Okay – I wrote this for ME and no one else. I write like I talk but this is really just for me. This is totally informal and probably incomplete. I wrote the critique’s while chewing the tomato. I also wrote them over three years so some have a double critique. Flavors vary from year to year and tomato to tomato so it’s interesting to see two different takes on the same tomato.
I did not think I’d be posting this. However, it turned into fun and people wanted it so I thought I’d share here in tomato seed buying season. Have fun reading it – it’s all true and all the words are mine.
I also have pictures of all I saved if you wanna see.
Aurora
It comes on slow but then it stays for a long time. Full-bodied, just how I like it – tomatoey for sure – deep flavor. It is beautiful, brilliant red and slicer sized. A handful. It might be slightly meatier than juicier, but the flavor is outstanding – a hint of sweet. (Skin is tough here- in a hot tomato box.)
Aussie
Well – it’s a huge, beautiful thing – I was really looking forward to it – it ripens like the sunset too. Anyway – juicy beefsteak – good solid, tomato flavor – I’d even say rich. And juice – did I say juice? Pretty yummy and the color when I cut it open was something to behold – brilliant crimson.
Azoychka
Just like you want it – that old timey deep beefsteak flavor – in a beautiful, bright-yellow small beefsteak. Prolific, early. Slicing size – really good flavor – it delivers.
Bellstar
Fresh tasting – yummy. Really cute – shaped almost like a strawberry. Juicy even though it’s a paste – really good flavor. The plant was prolific too.
Black in the corner – need the map to be sure who it is. Can’t find the map. Hope to find it soon.
Sweet, rich, deep – yummy – just like they say – my guess – Cherokee Purple – yummy – so yummy - complex.
Black From Tula
Sweet first, then rich. Very prolific – large, juicy tomatoes – very good. A balanced finish – but overtones of sweetness. It’s a beautiful thing – dark and earthy looking. I was quite impressed.
Black Pear
Wow – this is what they call, ‘deep, complex, rich’ – all apply but add a touch of sweetness and light as well. It’s a brown tomato – beautiful to cut into – lots of juice, lots of flavor – so good – it really is as good as they say. Strong, prolific plant. So good – long aftertaste. Mmmm.
Black Sea Man
A little strange at first – but it after-tasted well. I tasted another but still – a unique flavor – and not what I expected. It’s easier to tell you what it is not – than what it is. It finished well – I’ll grow it again, plants were slow and not very prolific – so gotta give it another chance.
Caro Rich
This tomato has changed from a deep orange transclucent tomato to a bright orangey-orange – more flat, solid color like Persimmon. The flavor is excellent – rich and full with a tiny tang of something. Beautiful and high in Beta Carotene, Caro Rich likes the cool weather and produced beautifully – in the open!
Ceylon
Surprisingly robust tomato flavor for such a little guy. Very yummy – nicely balanced. This is like a miniature beefsteak – one bite – and it sure packs the flavor – balanced – both sweet and tart lovers will enjoy this tomato – and it won’t stop! Prolific.
Cold Set
A meaty beauty – a little bit pointed on the bottom. Very pretty, uniform ‘maters’, but their meatiness implies a good sauce tomato. Mild-mannered but tomatey – not overpowering and a nice, long, aftertaste.
Costoluto Fiorentino
Yummy! Sweet - yet only as an undertone to the deep tomato flavor. Nice, smooth aftertaste – a very nice balance of sweet and tangy – yum – ee.
Costoluto Fiorentino
Everyone started nodding their heads and saying, “Yep, it tasted like Italy” – whatever that means – but it does! It tastes like whatever makes great sauce great. Sweet too with a rich flavor.
Costoluto Genovese
Wow it’s a lubed dude – almost as fluted as Reisetomate! Each separate cavity is loaded with juice and seeds. I had to sample an over-ripe one first so this is filtered. It’s got that balanced sweet/tang tomatoey thing going on. The aftertaste is long and steady and yummy. This has the beloved Italian flavor – very lubey!
Coyote
Swwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!!! So yummy – like a little tomato-berry. Really good – very different from Honey Pearl which I found rater – this one is pure sweet. But really tomatoey too.
Crimson Sprinter
Beautiful monster tomatoes – heavy bearing. The flavor is nice – not to strong – gentle with a good finish – a nice tomato flavor in my mouth. Good balance.
Crimson Sprinter
Yummy – fresh tasting – bright – almost light but the flavor is good – and the aftertaste – great! Juicy and pink inside. Huge, prolific yields, what a plant! Early – even in the open! So many tomatoes – all perfect – bright pinky-red – and just delicious.
Delicious
Yummy – really good flavor – deep and rich – smooth after taste. It’s quite meaty but juice around the edges – great flavor.
Early Siberian
Okay – the “unique lemony zest” is there – but just – very light. It’s bright but not as full-bodied as I’d like. Half juice. Yellowy reddish fruits – light looking – light tasting.
Floradade
Orange-red with a large blossom end – it’s juicy. Nice and juicy. It is light though – not too strong – but refreshing. I’m spoiled – it’s quite tomatoey – just doesn’t hit as intensely at first. I like the juice.
Galina
So flavorful for such a small tomato! Absolutely delicious – quite complex – great after taste. Leaves you wanting more. Perfect balance. Outstanding – I could go on…
German Red Strawberry
So Yummy! Totally balanced – sweet, dense, ruby red, juicy, juicy – great flavor. A delicious tomato – rock on. Gorgeous – thing truly looks like a big strawberry but tastes so , so good. I will grow this again.
German Red Strawberry
Yummy – good tomato flavor – and a nice balanced aftertaste. Beautiful – pinky – and definitely in the shape of a strawberry. The aftertaste was so long and luscious it helped me remember to make sure and write this down. Good tomato – meaty – few seeds.
Glacier
Quite yummy - robust tomato flavor. A hint of sweet – and fruitiness. Quite tomatoey. Great aftertaste. Smallish – red and bright. Very prolific.
Glasnost
1st tomato – skin is a little tough but flavor is good – I’d say leaning to the sweet. A little meaty but this one was small-ish. 2 bites. The aftertaste is good – pleasant, not tart.
2nd Critique
More beautiful than tasty I’m afraid. It’s fast, and beautiful – with little points on the bottom. The flavor is mild – not sweet, not tangy – and not as tomatoey as I’d like. It’s mild though for mild-tomato lovers. It is pleasant tasting for sure. Skin was fine on this group.
Golden Grape
Powerful flavor – good juice to meat – steady tomatoey flavor – again a yellow that is full flavored.
Golden King of Siberia
Light, refreshingly juicy even though it is dense with meat. It is huge – a crazy lemon-yellow oxheart – heavy in the hand. Surprisingly light and fresh. Buffy called it ‘refreshing, like a summer day”. Prolific – I’ll grow this Big Daddy again.
Gold Nugget
Oh this is such a tasty tomato. Full-flavored but bright – maybe even fruity – but not too much. This could give Sungold a run for it’s money. Super tasty treats. Nice, long aftertaste.
Gregori’s Altai
Full-bodied flavor – deep and tomatoey. It is orangey in color which doesn’t match it’s description. However, the flavor is Russian and yummy. Wes loves this one too.
Grushovka
Hmmm – very meaty indeed – great for sauce or canning. So much meat there was no room for seeds! Flavor is full – a bit sweet-ish – but slightly light. The aftertaste is great though. Skin is delicate, it’s a beautiful rose color and in the shape of an oxheart, also fairly large. Nice stocky growth habit. Ripening early for the group it’s in.
High Country
Robust flavor – tomatoey – nice juice too for a canner-type. You could just pop them in your mouth. But they are fast and delicious – they would make a great sauce.
High Country
Bright, juicy tomato flavor. Juicier than you think. Good aftertaste.
Honey Pearl
Full-bodied tomato flavor in a tiny currant tomato. Usually whites are sweet but Honey Pearl is almost translucent but tastes like a full- blown tomatoey tomato. YUM! It is full of seeds and packs a flavor punch. Nicely done – early too. Born in clusters.
Indigo Rose
Delightful! “grapey then tangy, then sweet, then grapey again” We both had surprised looks on our faces as these flavors happened – yummy! Juicy enough even though the seed cavities are small. Really good.
Ida Gold
Bright yet light – interesting –not as powerful as I thought it would be. The aftertaste is awesome though – richer than the actual flavor. They are beautiful – and almost lumpy shaped – a deep golden orange – gorgeous color. Refreshing.
I tasted it again – deeper flavor to start this time – still awesome aftertaste.
Isis Candy
Oh yeah – this is reminiscent of the thing that makes Sungold so yummy – fruity, sweet but complex. The aftertaste is AWESOME! This tomato is beautifully colored too – it could so give Sungold a run for its money. I really like the flavor of this one.
Isis Candy - So good – surpirisingly good. This time I tasted it when it was fully ripe and almost pure red – so good – full flavor – no slouch in the cherry department.
Japanese Oxheart
The last time I grew this I was not impressed – this time I like it much better – and for you sweeter than tangier lovers – you will like this tomato. It is almost all meat but the juice is delightful and it somehow comes off not dry. I mean – it’s almost all meat. Very beautiful and large sized – like strawberry’s – lacy foliage too. Sweet but tomatoey.
Kotlas
YUMMY! A funny plant – little and a bit weird. But so yummy – a long tomato aftertaste – oh yeah! I’m still liking it. Tasty.
It got better and better by the third year – the plants exploded in 2012 and were first to ripen in the open! It got my attention in it’s third year – this thing is ready to rock.
Market Miracle
Well. The first word for flavor was ‘weird’. That’s not good. However, it does have a nice aftertaste. I thought the taste was foreign, like metallic – or tin or something – so I cut another one and tasted it – same thing but a little less. So I had Cord taste it. He did not say weird, he said, “I’d say mild with light tomato tang.” So that was better. I want to love this tomato – it’s huge and cracky and glorious – heavy and luscious to look at. I will try it again because Wes recommends it.
Moscow
Love it!!! Love the plant – meaty, meaty large tomatoes.
2012 – Less meat and more juice this year – absolutely delicious! It wowed us as the first tomato this year - in Cord’s greenhouse – direct seeded – it just keeps on bearing. The flavor this year was outstanding – it surprised me. One of our all-time fav's.
Mother Russia
Yummy again, it’s a bit dense so I – for some reason, didn’t expect the long, deep flavor of this one. Really good – beautiful pinky red – big too. Delicious.
Mother Russia
You hear about “that famous Russian flavor” – and this is it – this thing is deep, rich, well-balanced, and just – tomatoey – ahhh. When that kind of flavor hits - you know it’s the indescribable flavor you want in a tomato.
Mt. Roma
Refreshing – yummy out of hand. Meaty but juicy and the juice is great. This is a versital tomato – nice and smooth.
Nepal
Pretty mild – but hard to tell since it ripened in a bag. It seemed well balanced though – which gives the best aftertaste. I liked it. I want to love it cause it grew and ripened in the open!
New Big Dwarf
Surprise, surprise – I liked this tomato! The plant is a chunky monkey and the tomatoes are classic beefers but the flavor was snappy and refreshing. Plenty juicy and nice and firm. I started out not approving – based on the chunky-monkey looking baby greens – but they became full-blown reds and proved out. This plant also did well outside – it stayed short and produced nicely. Containers. Det.
Ninety Wonder
Oh Yeah – this is a yummy tangy tomato – just how I like them. They burst with flavor and leave that tangy tomatoey thing happening in your mouth – Yum – Me.
Ghost Cherry
Strong, tomato flavor –really intense – yummy – surprising for a white. Nice and big too.
Odessa
Just how I like it. Tangy, tomatoey – instantly – my mouth waters. Love this tomato. Very fast – ping-pong sized and a very compact growth habit. I put these in late in the open – and got seed. Very happy – aftertaste is tangy and leaves you wanting more.
Olga’s Smallest
Rich taste – nice, strong flavor – the aftertaste goes perfect with the piece of bacon I just had. Yes, this little version of the long-lost Olga’s Biggest is just as delicious. A perfect slicing tomato – we are just going to have to eat these in quarters – really great taste.
Olga’s Yellow Chicken
Yes, it looks just like an egg. It is golden yellow and about the size of a large egg. The taste is full, sweet and fruity. Cord said “Sweet and tomatoey” – but he had just tasted a very mild, not so great tomato – so this one was tomatoeyer than the other one – which was Topaz. Olga’s is fruitier, and very sweet – a pleasant experience. The skin was a little tough – could be from leaving them too long on the vine. Juicy and meaty.
Opalka
Good solid tomato flavor – juicy too. Wildly prolific – large, long tomatoes that ook like chili peppers. The aftertaste is rich.
Oregon Spring
Good flavor – and very juicy. Nice and round – red and fast – not bad. A good even aftertaste.
Peacevine
Little and tart – very yummy – I like them snappy. Bright red – flavor comes through.
Perestroika
Huge, prolific, huge. Fully loaded with meat and juice. They are heavy because they are a meaty tomato but still stuffed with juice. Very cool. The taste – full-blown tomato flavor – no problem there. You can get a massive load with this tomato. It is fine for fresh eating and fine for sauce. I will grow this again.
Persimmon
Great tomato – absolutely gorgeous and so tangy and delicious. I love tangy tomatoes and when I took the first bite of this one, I checked my fingers for some hot spice like cayenne because it tasted spicy! Yummy! I had to stop myself from eating more and more to identify the taste. The point is – I’m still going on about it – it’s rich and tangy in my mouth right now – yum – again. Full-flavored – so beautiful too.
Pink Brandywine
Sweet – rich – deep – pinky. Very juicy although much meat – deep beautiful pink – pretty yummy.
Pop’s Tomato – Secret Heirloom from Pueblo
Delicious! Juicy – lots of seed cavity – deep, rich tomato flavor. The taste stays in your mouth a long while after. Just right balance of sweet and tart – with a bit more on the tart side – just how I like it. Deep flavor. Excellent!
Prairie Fire
Yummy – great, prolific and beautifully round guys – a great tomato – it tasted kinda firey. We loved this tomato – helpers liked it – full-flavor and a little kick.
Red Fig
Quite vigorous growing – sets lots of delightful clusters. Skins are snappy, it’s juicy and it’s nice – very good. A bit of sweet to be sure – quite yummy and tomatoey.
Red Robin
Light and refreshing, juicy and tangy – yummy and pretty. Cord said lightly refreshing with a mildly bitter after-taste. Then he said he thought the bitter came from the skin.
I like it a lot – this is the dwarf - pot tomato – great for containers – stocky and dark green – lots of cherry tomatoes on top.
Reisenstraube
Zingy – juicy – yummy – bright – snacky.
Reisetomate
Woohoo!!! What fun – Zingy! It said, “It tastes like sour lemons” – it’s WAY better than that. The skin is the zingy part – the rest is quite tomatoey. They break off easily and are juicier than I’d hoped. I love them – I love the tangy end of tomatoes so this is all I wanted and more – very tomatoey and the sour part is only while you are crunching the skin. Love it! I’ll grow this again and truly use them as snacks. Fresh-tasting.
Rio Grande
Once again – a tomato that has a better after taste than real taste. It took a while for it to come too. Pretty mild. Very beautiful, prolific and I like the amount of juice for a Roma type. It’s pointy little butt is cute too but the flavor was not as strong as I’d like.
Red Alert
A nice balance – the sweet is very smooth – tomatoey – yummy.
San Marzano
Okay – I understand. Wow. The Italians use this tomato to make their paste. This is the flavor of every great sauce you have ever tasted – and beyond expectations. You’ll know why they love this tomato – it’s such a combination of bold, tomato flavor, followed with a sweet, incredibly delicious finish. Fully complex, I am in. The plant grows vigorously and is prolific! The tomatoes are big!
Santa Clara Canner
Robust!! Wowsers! Oh Yeah – intense flavor – well-balanced – kapow!!! Who’da thunk? It’s really good – killer aftertaste – perfect balance – super good – I really like this pretty, fluted tomato.
Sasha’s Altai
Oh Man Oh Man – YUMMY – this is SO GOOD – insane good! I love Sasha’s – pretty – red - perfectly juicy and just right. Tomatoey (The BEST tomato in the world – hands down!)
Silvery Fir Tree – Russian
Tart – strong tomato flavor. Meaty and juicy – could be used fresh or for sauce. I love this plant – heavy producer – lacy leaves and full-sized tomatoes. Containers. Det.
Snow Fairy
Very cool plant – stocky and dark green – beautiful fruits - medium and blocky. Flavor is good – sweet - and mild. Great container plant.
Stump of the World
I’m mad at it for being such a weenie. It grows a little weak for my taste. However I have been proven wrong many times before by saving seeds and seeing a huge difference quickly. It only produced two tomatoes before it failed to neglect and abuse – to be sure. They were big and beefsteaky – well-lobed. I let them get too ripe to taste or so I thought. I was able to taste once section of lobe – juicy, delicious. There it was – the promise of Brandywine flavor – as it is a cousin. It had great flavor and I imagined it sliced on a sammy. I’ll grow it again and give the seeds a chance to do better.
Sunset - another secret tomato from the 70's
I think it was too ripe to taste properly as I tasted a bit of bitter in the finish, but it had a full-bodied tomato flavor – plenty good – again – it was overly ripe. A beautiful thing – and it does turn all the colors of the sunset before ending on an orange-red – gorgeous, prolific and nice, large tomatoes.
Super Beefsteak
Well – such a shame – a beautiful tomato – nice and round – but the flavor is flat to non-existent – especially in the face of a Russian – it doesn’t even come close. It has a nice balance of meat and juice which makes it a good slicing tomato but I didn’t like the texture much either. I waited and the tomatoey flavor just didn’t come – it was washed out and to pale to be called ‘mild’. Now the aftertaste is the best part and pretty common – so if you are willing to wait to like it until after you’ve eaten it – go right ahead.
Tommy Toe
Sweet – mild, but tomatoey. A bit meaty but nicely firm. Sweet was the first word but it’s gentle – not sweet like a “sweet” tomato but sweet in a mild-mannered way.
Topaz
1st tomato: Skin is tough, tough, tough. Flavor is mild, I was chewing skin a while after I swallowed. Very beautiful, sets fruit early but flavor is ordinary except for the exceptionally tough skin. Hmmm. 2nd. Tomato – Better but the skin is so touch it actually crunches like another vegetable. You can hear it crunch in your ears. The flavor was sweeter with this one. Not bad but still not too exciting.
Tumbler
Nice, rich taste for a cherry. Not too sweet. They are beautiful – a bright orange-to-red ending with a rosy hue on the little pointy tips. The plant branches out and makes multiple clusters. Great for containers as it trails over. Easy to grow – even in the open.
Urbikany
Not a good sample but tomato flavor came through – somewhat tart.
Valencia
This is such a great tomato! Yummy – I was loving it – very tomatoey – full-bodied and the after taste was just how you like it – long and yummy.
Virginia Sweets
Wow – yummy or what? It is sweet – but rich and deep and full and tomatoey and delicious! Wow – I really liked that tomato – and it ripened on the table – forever too – and held its flavor – wow! Great tomato. Great flavor. Oh yeah..,
Wayahead Super
A fastie to be sure – and now I must say – a good tasting tomato. It delivers a tangy tomato taste immediately which mellows after a minute. I like tang and this thing is juicy and tangy and then finishes with a nice tomatoey flavor. I wouldn’t call it rich or bold – it’s fairly like – but punches you with juicy tang. Nice.
Wendy
She is sweet – and fast – very productive. Round and lemon yellow – I love the way the plant grows too. She has very small seed cavities and thick walls yet you can taste the sweet even in the carcass.
White Cherry
Yummy – tomatoey – mild but not. So – smooth. Great aftertaste and pretty, pretty.
White Queen
It took me a minute to get it. It has a good rep. but at first I thought the flavor was too mild. It gained strength as time went on and I was in my greenhouse later when the aftertaste hit and lingered for a long time- quite nice. Not too bold at first but juicy, beautiful, large and sliceable. Outside it grew salad sized tomatoes – in the greenhouse – huge old cracky beefsteaks.
White Queen
Well – very nice – the word soft comes to mind but that’s the attitude it has. It is slightly sweet – yet tomatoey – not too strong but still full-flavored. The aftertaste is sweet. I like tangy tomatoes but this sweet is very good – not too sweet or I wouldn’t like it as much. Juicy, tender yet firm. Good seed cavities for juice.
Zaryanka Sunrise
I expected to love the flavor of this prolific beauty but my first bite was a bit too meaty. I tried a larger tomato and it was much better – juice and meat – but definitely meat – sauce – here we come – right? If you like meat – this is for you.
Zaryanka Sunrise
Kinda flat until later – clean and fresh though.
Mystery Tomatoes:
These are tomatoes that were not who they said they were. So I shall try to figure it out – I probably just got them mixed up but they were still so good – they are ‘mystery’ tomatoes..
Fake Gem State – round yellow cherry – probably Wendy
It wasn’t sweet though – tart and tomatoey – could be the later tomatoes – or that they ripened indoors – it can affect the flavor.
I liked it though – not as sweet as Wendy.
Fake VR Moscow – probably Yellow Reisenstraube
A bright yellow grape tomato – not as big as golden grape but boy did I love the taste of this tomato! Smooth but bold, deep and rich – very tomatoey – very surprising for a yellow – much richer than I expected. Balanced with a sweetness too – delicious.
Written by Penn Parmenter
Copyright © 2013 All rights reserved.
Okay – I wrote this for ME and no one else. I write like I talk but this is really just for me. This is totally informal and probably incomplete. I wrote the critique’s while chewing the tomato. I also wrote them over three years so some have a double critique. Flavors vary from year to year and tomato to tomato so it’s interesting to see two different takes on the same tomato.
I did not think I’d be posting this. However, it turned into fun and people wanted it so I thought I’d share here in tomato seed buying season. Have fun reading it – it’s all true and all the words are mine.
I also have pictures of all I saved if you wanna see.
Aurora
It comes on slow but then it stays for a long time. Full-bodied, just how I like it – tomatoey for sure – deep flavor. It is beautiful, brilliant red and slicer sized. A handful. It might be slightly meatier than juicier, but the flavor is outstanding – a hint of sweet. (Skin is tough here- in a hot tomato box.)
Aussie
Well – it’s a huge, beautiful thing – I was really looking forward to it – it ripens like the sunset too. Anyway – juicy beefsteak – good solid, tomato flavor – I’d even say rich. And juice – did I say juice? Pretty yummy and the color when I cut it open was something to behold – brilliant crimson.
Azoychka
Just like you want it – that old timey deep beefsteak flavor – in a beautiful, bright-yellow small beefsteak. Prolific, early. Slicing size – really good flavor – it delivers.
Bellstar
Fresh tasting – yummy. Really cute – shaped almost like a strawberry. Juicy even though it’s a paste – really good flavor. The plant was prolific too.
Black in the corner – need the map to be sure who it is. Can’t find the map. Hope to find it soon.
Sweet, rich, deep – yummy – just like they say – my guess – Cherokee Purple – yummy – so yummy - complex.
Black From Tula
Sweet first, then rich. Very prolific – large, juicy tomatoes – very good. A balanced finish – but overtones of sweetness. It’s a beautiful thing – dark and earthy looking. I was quite impressed.
Black Pear
Wow – this is what they call, ‘deep, complex, rich’ – all apply but add a touch of sweetness and light as well. It’s a brown tomato – beautiful to cut into – lots of juice, lots of flavor – so good – it really is as good as they say. Strong, prolific plant. So good – long aftertaste. Mmmm.
Black Sea Man
A little strange at first – but it after-tasted well. I tasted another but still – a unique flavor – and not what I expected. It’s easier to tell you what it is not – than what it is. It finished well – I’ll grow it again, plants were slow and not very prolific – so gotta give it another chance.
Caro Rich
This tomato has changed from a deep orange transclucent tomato to a bright orangey-orange – more flat, solid color like Persimmon. The flavor is excellent – rich and full with a tiny tang of something. Beautiful and high in Beta Carotene, Caro Rich likes the cool weather and produced beautifully – in the open!
Ceylon
Surprisingly robust tomato flavor for such a little guy. Very yummy – nicely balanced. This is like a miniature beefsteak – one bite – and it sure packs the flavor – balanced – both sweet and tart lovers will enjoy this tomato – and it won’t stop! Prolific.
Cold Set
A meaty beauty – a little bit pointed on the bottom. Very pretty, uniform ‘maters’, but their meatiness implies a good sauce tomato. Mild-mannered but tomatey – not overpowering and a nice, long, aftertaste.
Costoluto Fiorentino
Yummy! Sweet - yet only as an undertone to the deep tomato flavor. Nice, smooth aftertaste – a very nice balance of sweet and tangy – yum – ee.
Costoluto Fiorentino
Everyone started nodding their heads and saying, “Yep, it tasted like Italy” – whatever that means – but it does! It tastes like whatever makes great sauce great. Sweet too with a rich flavor.
Costoluto Genovese
Wow it’s a lubed dude – almost as fluted as Reisetomate! Each separate cavity is loaded with juice and seeds. I had to sample an over-ripe one first so this is filtered. It’s got that balanced sweet/tang tomatoey thing going on. The aftertaste is long and steady and yummy. This has the beloved Italian flavor – very lubey!
Coyote
Swwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!!! So yummy – like a little tomato-berry. Really good – very different from Honey Pearl which I found rater – this one is pure sweet. But really tomatoey too.
Crimson Sprinter
Beautiful monster tomatoes – heavy bearing. The flavor is nice – not to strong – gentle with a good finish – a nice tomato flavor in my mouth. Good balance.
Crimson Sprinter
Yummy – fresh tasting – bright – almost light but the flavor is good – and the aftertaste – great! Juicy and pink inside. Huge, prolific yields, what a plant! Early – even in the open! So many tomatoes – all perfect – bright pinky-red – and just delicious.
Delicious
Yummy – really good flavor – deep and rich – smooth after taste. It’s quite meaty but juice around the edges – great flavor.
Early Siberian
Okay – the “unique lemony zest” is there – but just – very light. It’s bright but not as full-bodied as I’d like. Half juice. Yellowy reddish fruits – light looking – light tasting.
Floradade
Orange-red with a large blossom end – it’s juicy. Nice and juicy. It is light though – not too strong – but refreshing. I’m spoiled – it’s quite tomatoey – just doesn’t hit as intensely at first. I like the juice.
Galina
So flavorful for such a small tomato! Absolutely delicious – quite complex – great after taste. Leaves you wanting more. Perfect balance. Outstanding – I could go on…
German Red Strawberry
So Yummy! Totally balanced – sweet, dense, ruby red, juicy, juicy – great flavor. A delicious tomato – rock on. Gorgeous – thing truly looks like a big strawberry but tastes so , so good. I will grow this again.
German Red Strawberry
Yummy – good tomato flavor – and a nice balanced aftertaste. Beautiful – pinky – and definitely in the shape of a strawberry. The aftertaste was so long and luscious it helped me remember to make sure and write this down. Good tomato – meaty – few seeds.
Glacier
Quite yummy - robust tomato flavor. A hint of sweet – and fruitiness. Quite tomatoey. Great aftertaste. Smallish – red and bright. Very prolific.
Glasnost
1st tomato – skin is a little tough but flavor is good – I’d say leaning to the sweet. A little meaty but this one was small-ish. 2 bites. The aftertaste is good – pleasant, not tart.
2nd Critique
More beautiful than tasty I’m afraid. It’s fast, and beautiful – with little points on the bottom. The flavor is mild – not sweet, not tangy – and not as tomatoey as I’d like. It’s mild though for mild-tomato lovers. It is pleasant tasting for sure. Skin was fine on this group.
Golden Grape
Powerful flavor – good juice to meat – steady tomatoey flavor – again a yellow that is full flavored.
Golden King of Siberia
Light, refreshingly juicy even though it is dense with meat. It is huge – a crazy lemon-yellow oxheart – heavy in the hand. Surprisingly light and fresh. Buffy called it ‘refreshing, like a summer day”. Prolific – I’ll grow this Big Daddy again.
Gold Nugget
Oh this is such a tasty tomato. Full-flavored but bright – maybe even fruity – but not too much. This could give Sungold a run for it’s money. Super tasty treats. Nice, long aftertaste.
Gregori’s Altai
Full-bodied flavor – deep and tomatoey. It is orangey in color which doesn’t match it’s description. However, the flavor is Russian and yummy. Wes loves this one too.
Grushovka
Hmmm – very meaty indeed – great for sauce or canning. So much meat there was no room for seeds! Flavor is full – a bit sweet-ish – but slightly light. The aftertaste is great though. Skin is delicate, it’s a beautiful rose color and in the shape of an oxheart, also fairly large. Nice stocky growth habit. Ripening early for the group it’s in.
High Country
Robust flavor – tomatoey – nice juice too for a canner-type. You could just pop them in your mouth. But they are fast and delicious – they would make a great sauce.
High Country
Bright, juicy tomato flavor. Juicier than you think. Good aftertaste.
Honey Pearl
Full-bodied tomato flavor in a tiny currant tomato. Usually whites are sweet but Honey Pearl is almost translucent but tastes like a full- blown tomatoey tomato. YUM! It is full of seeds and packs a flavor punch. Nicely done – early too. Born in clusters.
Indigo Rose
Delightful! “grapey then tangy, then sweet, then grapey again” We both had surprised looks on our faces as these flavors happened – yummy! Juicy enough even though the seed cavities are small. Really good.
Ida Gold
Bright yet light – interesting –not as powerful as I thought it would be. The aftertaste is awesome though – richer than the actual flavor. They are beautiful – and almost lumpy shaped – a deep golden orange – gorgeous color. Refreshing.
I tasted it again – deeper flavor to start this time – still awesome aftertaste.
Isis Candy
Oh yeah – this is reminiscent of the thing that makes Sungold so yummy – fruity, sweet but complex. The aftertaste is AWESOME! This tomato is beautifully colored too – it could so give Sungold a run for its money. I really like the flavor of this one.
Isis Candy - So good – surpirisingly good. This time I tasted it when it was fully ripe and almost pure red – so good – full flavor – no slouch in the cherry department.
Japanese Oxheart
The last time I grew this I was not impressed – this time I like it much better – and for you sweeter than tangier lovers – you will like this tomato. It is almost all meat but the juice is delightful and it somehow comes off not dry. I mean – it’s almost all meat. Very beautiful and large sized – like strawberry’s – lacy foliage too. Sweet but tomatoey.
Kotlas
YUMMY! A funny plant – little and a bit weird. But so yummy – a long tomato aftertaste – oh yeah! I’m still liking it. Tasty.
It got better and better by the third year – the plants exploded in 2012 and were first to ripen in the open! It got my attention in it’s third year – this thing is ready to rock.
Market Miracle
Well. The first word for flavor was ‘weird’. That’s not good. However, it does have a nice aftertaste. I thought the taste was foreign, like metallic – or tin or something – so I cut another one and tasted it – same thing but a little less. So I had Cord taste it. He did not say weird, he said, “I’d say mild with light tomato tang.” So that was better. I want to love this tomato – it’s huge and cracky and glorious – heavy and luscious to look at. I will try it again because Wes recommends it.
Moscow
Love it!!! Love the plant – meaty, meaty large tomatoes.
2012 – Less meat and more juice this year – absolutely delicious! It wowed us as the first tomato this year - in Cord’s greenhouse – direct seeded – it just keeps on bearing. The flavor this year was outstanding – it surprised me. One of our all-time fav's.
Mother Russia
Yummy again, it’s a bit dense so I – for some reason, didn’t expect the long, deep flavor of this one. Really good – beautiful pinky red – big too. Delicious.
Mother Russia
You hear about “that famous Russian flavor” – and this is it – this thing is deep, rich, well-balanced, and just – tomatoey – ahhh. When that kind of flavor hits - you know it’s the indescribable flavor you want in a tomato.
Mt. Roma
Refreshing – yummy out of hand. Meaty but juicy and the juice is great. This is a versital tomato – nice and smooth.
Nepal
Pretty mild – but hard to tell since it ripened in a bag. It seemed well balanced though – which gives the best aftertaste. I liked it. I want to love it cause it grew and ripened in the open!
New Big Dwarf
Surprise, surprise – I liked this tomato! The plant is a chunky monkey and the tomatoes are classic beefers but the flavor was snappy and refreshing. Plenty juicy and nice and firm. I started out not approving – based on the chunky-monkey looking baby greens – but they became full-blown reds and proved out. This plant also did well outside – it stayed short and produced nicely. Containers. Det.
Ninety Wonder
Oh Yeah – this is a yummy tangy tomato – just how I like them. They burst with flavor and leave that tangy tomatoey thing happening in your mouth – Yum – Me.
Ghost Cherry
Strong, tomato flavor –really intense – yummy – surprising for a white. Nice and big too.
Odessa
Just how I like it. Tangy, tomatoey – instantly – my mouth waters. Love this tomato. Very fast – ping-pong sized and a very compact growth habit. I put these in late in the open – and got seed. Very happy – aftertaste is tangy and leaves you wanting more.
Olga’s Smallest
Rich taste – nice, strong flavor – the aftertaste goes perfect with the piece of bacon I just had. Yes, this little version of the long-lost Olga’s Biggest is just as delicious. A perfect slicing tomato – we are just going to have to eat these in quarters – really great taste.
Olga’s Yellow Chicken
Yes, it looks just like an egg. It is golden yellow and about the size of a large egg. The taste is full, sweet and fruity. Cord said “Sweet and tomatoey” – but he had just tasted a very mild, not so great tomato – so this one was tomatoeyer than the other one – which was Topaz. Olga’s is fruitier, and very sweet – a pleasant experience. The skin was a little tough – could be from leaving them too long on the vine. Juicy and meaty.
Opalka
Good solid tomato flavor – juicy too. Wildly prolific – large, long tomatoes that ook like chili peppers. The aftertaste is rich.
Oregon Spring
Good flavor – and very juicy. Nice and round – red and fast – not bad. A good even aftertaste.
Peacevine
Little and tart – very yummy – I like them snappy. Bright red – flavor comes through.
Perestroika
Huge, prolific, huge. Fully loaded with meat and juice. They are heavy because they are a meaty tomato but still stuffed with juice. Very cool. The taste – full-blown tomato flavor – no problem there. You can get a massive load with this tomato. It is fine for fresh eating and fine for sauce. I will grow this again.
Persimmon
Great tomato – absolutely gorgeous and so tangy and delicious. I love tangy tomatoes and when I took the first bite of this one, I checked my fingers for some hot spice like cayenne because it tasted spicy! Yummy! I had to stop myself from eating more and more to identify the taste. The point is – I’m still going on about it – it’s rich and tangy in my mouth right now – yum – again. Full-flavored – so beautiful too.
Pink Brandywine
Sweet – rich – deep – pinky. Very juicy although much meat – deep beautiful pink – pretty yummy.
Pop’s Tomato – Secret Heirloom from Pueblo
Delicious! Juicy – lots of seed cavity – deep, rich tomato flavor. The taste stays in your mouth a long while after. Just right balance of sweet and tart – with a bit more on the tart side – just how I like it. Deep flavor. Excellent!
Prairie Fire
Yummy – great, prolific and beautifully round guys – a great tomato – it tasted kinda firey. We loved this tomato – helpers liked it – full-flavor and a little kick.
Red Fig
Quite vigorous growing – sets lots of delightful clusters. Skins are snappy, it’s juicy and it’s nice – very good. A bit of sweet to be sure – quite yummy and tomatoey.
Red Robin
Light and refreshing, juicy and tangy – yummy and pretty. Cord said lightly refreshing with a mildly bitter after-taste. Then he said he thought the bitter came from the skin.
I like it a lot – this is the dwarf - pot tomato – great for containers – stocky and dark green – lots of cherry tomatoes on top.
Reisenstraube
Zingy – juicy – yummy – bright – snacky.
Reisetomate
Woohoo!!! What fun – Zingy! It said, “It tastes like sour lemons” – it’s WAY better than that. The skin is the zingy part – the rest is quite tomatoey. They break off easily and are juicier than I’d hoped. I love them – I love the tangy end of tomatoes so this is all I wanted and more – very tomatoey and the sour part is only while you are crunching the skin. Love it! I’ll grow this again and truly use them as snacks. Fresh-tasting.
Rio Grande
Once again – a tomato that has a better after taste than real taste. It took a while for it to come too. Pretty mild. Very beautiful, prolific and I like the amount of juice for a Roma type. It’s pointy little butt is cute too but the flavor was not as strong as I’d like.
Red Alert
A nice balance – the sweet is very smooth – tomatoey – yummy.
San Marzano
Okay – I understand. Wow. The Italians use this tomato to make their paste. This is the flavor of every great sauce you have ever tasted – and beyond expectations. You’ll know why they love this tomato – it’s such a combination of bold, tomato flavor, followed with a sweet, incredibly delicious finish. Fully complex, I am in. The plant grows vigorously and is prolific! The tomatoes are big!
Santa Clara Canner
Robust!! Wowsers! Oh Yeah – intense flavor – well-balanced – kapow!!! Who’da thunk? It’s really good – killer aftertaste – perfect balance – super good – I really like this pretty, fluted tomato.
Sasha’s Altai
Oh Man Oh Man – YUMMY – this is SO GOOD – insane good! I love Sasha’s – pretty – red - perfectly juicy and just right. Tomatoey (The BEST tomato in the world – hands down!)
Silvery Fir Tree – Russian
Tart – strong tomato flavor. Meaty and juicy – could be used fresh or for sauce. I love this plant – heavy producer – lacy leaves and full-sized tomatoes. Containers. Det.
Snow Fairy
Very cool plant – stocky and dark green – beautiful fruits - medium and blocky. Flavor is good – sweet - and mild. Great container plant.
Stump of the World
I’m mad at it for being such a weenie. It grows a little weak for my taste. However I have been proven wrong many times before by saving seeds and seeing a huge difference quickly. It only produced two tomatoes before it failed to neglect and abuse – to be sure. They were big and beefsteaky – well-lobed. I let them get too ripe to taste or so I thought. I was able to taste once section of lobe – juicy, delicious. There it was – the promise of Brandywine flavor – as it is a cousin. It had great flavor and I imagined it sliced on a sammy. I’ll grow it again and give the seeds a chance to do better.
Sunset - another secret tomato from the 70's
I think it was too ripe to taste properly as I tasted a bit of bitter in the finish, but it had a full-bodied tomato flavor – plenty good – again – it was overly ripe. A beautiful thing – and it does turn all the colors of the sunset before ending on an orange-red – gorgeous, prolific and nice, large tomatoes.
Super Beefsteak
Well – such a shame – a beautiful tomato – nice and round – but the flavor is flat to non-existent – especially in the face of a Russian – it doesn’t even come close. It has a nice balance of meat and juice which makes it a good slicing tomato but I didn’t like the texture much either. I waited and the tomatoey flavor just didn’t come – it was washed out and to pale to be called ‘mild’. Now the aftertaste is the best part and pretty common – so if you are willing to wait to like it until after you’ve eaten it – go right ahead.
Tommy Toe
Sweet – mild, but tomatoey. A bit meaty but nicely firm. Sweet was the first word but it’s gentle – not sweet like a “sweet” tomato but sweet in a mild-mannered way.
Topaz
1st tomato: Skin is tough, tough, tough. Flavor is mild, I was chewing skin a while after I swallowed. Very beautiful, sets fruit early but flavor is ordinary except for the exceptionally tough skin. Hmmm. 2nd. Tomato – Better but the skin is so touch it actually crunches like another vegetable. You can hear it crunch in your ears. The flavor was sweeter with this one. Not bad but still not too exciting.
Tumbler
Nice, rich taste for a cherry. Not too sweet. They are beautiful – a bright orange-to-red ending with a rosy hue on the little pointy tips. The plant branches out and makes multiple clusters. Great for containers as it trails over. Easy to grow – even in the open.
Urbikany
Not a good sample but tomato flavor came through – somewhat tart.
Valencia
This is such a great tomato! Yummy – I was loving it – very tomatoey – full-bodied and the after taste was just how you like it – long and yummy.
Virginia Sweets
Wow – yummy or what? It is sweet – but rich and deep and full and tomatoey and delicious! Wow – I really liked that tomato – and it ripened on the table – forever too – and held its flavor – wow! Great tomato. Great flavor. Oh yeah..,
Wayahead Super
A fastie to be sure – and now I must say – a good tasting tomato. It delivers a tangy tomato taste immediately which mellows after a minute. I like tang and this thing is juicy and tangy and then finishes with a nice tomatoey flavor. I wouldn’t call it rich or bold – it’s fairly like – but punches you with juicy tang. Nice.
Wendy
She is sweet – and fast – very productive. Round and lemon yellow – I love the way the plant grows too. She has very small seed cavities and thick walls yet you can taste the sweet even in the carcass.
White Cherry
Yummy – tomatoey – mild but not. So – smooth. Great aftertaste and pretty, pretty.
White Queen
It took me a minute to get it. It has a good rep. but at first I thought the flavor was too mild. It gained strength as time went on and I was in my greenhouse later when the aftertaste hit and lingered for a long time- quite nice. Not too bold at first but juicy, beautiful, large and sliceable. Outside it grew salad sized tomatoes – in the greenhouse – huge old cracky beefsteaks.
White Queen
Well – very nice – the word soft comes to mind but that’s the attitude it has. It is slightly sweet – yet tomatoey – not too strong but still full-flavored. The aftertaste is sweet. I like tangy tomatoes but this sweet is very good – not too sweet or I wouldn’t like it as much. Juicy, tender yet firm. Good seed cavities for juice.
Zaryanka Sunrise
I expected to love the flavor of this prolific beauty but my first bite was a bit too meaty. I tried a larger tomato and it was much better – juice and meat – but definitely meat – sauce – here we come – right? If you like meat – this is for you.
Zaryanka Sunrise
Kinda flat until later – clean and fresh though.
Mystery Tomatoes:
These are tomatoes that were not who they said they were. So I shall try to figure it out – I probably just got them mixed up but they were still so good – they are ‘mystery’ tomatoes..
Fake Gem State – round yellow cherry – probably Wendy
It wasn’t sweet though – tart and tomatoey – could be the later tomatoes – or that they ripened indoors – it can affect the flavor.
I liked it though – not as sweet as Wendy.
Fake VR Moscow – probably Yellow Reisenstraube
A bright yellow grape tomato – not as big as golden grape but boy did I love the taste of this tomato! Smooth but bold, deep and rich – very tomatoey – very surprising for a yellow – much richer than I expected. Balanced with a sweetness too – delicious.
Written by Penn Parmenter
Copyright © 2013 All rights reserved.
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