The Great Tomato Taste Test Challage

14 years ago

I did my own tomato taste testing just for fun. First I picked tomatoes from six hybrid varieties I am growing. Put post it notes on them so I could not get them confused!!!

Superfantastic is new to me this year and so was Beefmaster. Whoppers I have grown on and off for nearly 16 years. Skip some years but they always return. Big Boy was the tomato I grew up with as my mom grew these when I was a kid. Again I have some most years and lately have the Better Boys most years also. Early Girl is an old standby here.

Results are-

1- Beefmaster

2- Big Boy

3- Better Boy

4- Early Girl

5- Whopper

6 - Superfantastic

Those first three I can definately taste a difference on but really, really like the flavor of all three. Early Girl is good and I am very dissapointed in the flavor of the Whoppers this year. I remember them being much better. So I don't know if my memory is wrong or they just don't have as much flavor this year. Superfantastic is not so super since it is deffinately, definately last in my taste tests.

I also have PATIO and BETTER BUSH new this year. Have already determined that neither has much flavor and neither of this two will be back next year. Also I have 4th Of JULY which I have had once before. Too bland for me and I do not like that the fruits are so small. The size of golf balls. Not coming back. Joining them on the not to return next year will be the Whoppers and Superfantastic.

Those first three, Beefmaster, Big Boy and Better Boy are the true winners to me. Early girl I want to grow but would like to cut back the number of plants in order to try another early variety. Not that I know what that will be.

Featured Answer

emcd124

14 years ago

I'm always skeptical of superlatives in naming. its like they are trying too hard. I mean, if it really WAS superfantastic, would it need to declare it? Its like all those old time migrants who were shocked upon arriving that Greenland does not so much have lots of green land, as it has lots and lots of ice. Too much markting in a name makes me suspicious. :)

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Comments (7)

Nunyabiz1
14 years ago
I went to Tomatopaloza this year, was just a few days ago.
Tasted about 100+ tomatoes.

My favorites also were 2 of the of the top 3 picked as best tasting by everyone else.

To ME best all around was actually a "Ground Cherry" Tomatillo type so not technically a tomato.
It was called "Cossack Pineapple" and tasted remarkably like Pineapple with maybe a bit of cherry/apricot and tomato thrown in. VERY tasty.

The best tasting actual "Tomato" was the Mexico Midget.

This was the voting results.

Best tasting tomato results:
Shannon's and Mexico Midget (tied at 5 votes each)
Cossack Pineapple and Dester Amish (4 votes each)
Black Cherry, Cherokee Purple, and Sungold Hybrid (3 votes each) Anna Russian, German Queen, Orange Heirloom, and Strawberry Margarita (2 votes each)

this is what the Cossack Pineapples look like.

These are the Mexico Midgets, about the size of a Blueberry.
newyorkrita
Original Author
14 years ago
That sounds like fun, getting to try all those varieties. I could only compair ones I am actually growing in my garden.

I want to try new to me varieties next year so really needed to be sure of which ones I liked the taste of and which I did not.
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Nunyabiz1
14 years ago
Yeah that's the reason I went this year was to taste a bazillion of them so I know exactly what I want to plant next year.

So far going to plant 1 Mexico Midget since it supposed to get about 8' tall and produce over 1000 tomatoes per plant I think 1 will be plenty.

Then 2 Cossack Pineapples.

1 Cherokee Green or maybe a Summertime Green Dwarf.

Then probably 2 other Dwarfs I haven't decided on yet.

I wish they had a Mexico Midget Dwarf.
newyorkrita
Original Author
14 years ago
Superfantastic is a great plant and fuss free. But not much good that does me as I don't care for the flavor. There is a tomato named Fantastic, this I think is the improved version, therefore the name.

I give lots of tomatoes away to neighbors and friends as I am growing way to many to use. I found the taste challange useful for myself as I now now which are my preferred tomatoes to pick for myself.

And I want to try new to me varieties next year and now know which I don't want to bring back. That opens up room to try new ones. New to me at least!
DonB
3 years ago
Congratulations on being the first or one of the first to ever consider a hybrid tomato to taste better than ANY Heirloom ! It's simply never done. In all of my 55+ yrs of growing tomatoes, no one has ever thought of any hybrid, particularly the mass produced mass market, big box varieties found at Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, etc (Big Boy Better Boy, Early Girl, etc) I beg to differ but about half of what you have listed here are not REAL tomatoes ! If you'll do a bit of searching for "taste test winners of tomatoes" you'll find names like Cherokee Purple, Carbon, Kellogg's Breakfast, Mortgage Lifter, Black Krim, etc to be far, far ahead in rankings of ANY hybrids. Big difference in tomatoes bred for 'taste" and tomatoes bred for riding in trucks !
docmommich
3 years ago
Don, Do you realize this post is 10 years old? I don't even know how people find these old posts.

Martha