For years, Honeycrisp apples have reigned supreme—the advent of Honeycrisp apples in the grocery stores was the produce equivalent of Le Beaujolais est arrive in the wine stores.
This year, there’s a challenger. Behold the SweeTango. SweeTango Apples are being hailed as the successor to the mightyy Honeycrisp. I was sent a sampling of six SweeTango Apples, wrapped and cushioned as carefully as a package from Tiffany’s.
There are about 2,500 known varieties of apples grown in the U.S.—in the world, 7,500. American grocery stores commonly carry five or six. For the past few years, Honeycrisps have been the darling, but like everything else, apples are fads.The new SweeTango is challenging Honeycrisp. I tried them both and here’s my assessment, apple to apple.
- Honeycrisp: Sweeter, with that honey tone implied by its name
- SweeTango: Sharper acidity, that mellows after a few chews, slightly citrusy
- Honeycrisp: Beautifully colored red with yellow blushes
- SweeTango: Almost a glowing red
- Honeycrisp: Nice first-bite crunch
- SweeTango: Better first-bite crunch
- Honeycrisp: Softer texture
- SweeTango: Amazingly juicy
- Final call: Until the next best brand comes along, I’m a SweeTango fan. It’s an apple with a little more attitude.
We want you to compare apple to apple—who gets your vote as the Big Apple? Honeycrisp or SweeTango? Go to our Facebook poll and cast your vote.
See all of our food and drink coverage here.
