My preference would be for the ubatuba. But just for your own information, the grizzly brown is actually a marble called emperador dark.

I like the Dark Mahagony in the close up shots but it really got washed out in the light. I think the Impala is my least favorite.

You know, you can't get too many granite samples. I found that I learned more about what I really wanted after I took the first batch home. It wasn't until the third batch did I fall in love with one.

I was going to say the Dakota till I saw the second pic in which I agree with justmeinsd that it looked washed out. I'd keep looking till you find one you love.

I like the grizzly brown best. I like the impala least. The ubatuba is nice, but more common.

I like the Uba. :)

Good luck choosing!

I agree that if you're not exactly sold on any of them, keep looking. There are so many granites available that I think you should absolutely LOVE yours.

LOL. Of course I like the Grizzly best - it's a marble. That always happens with me.

I agree with the opinion of trying to find the one you love. I'm not wild about any of the samples but if forced to choose, it would be the dark mahogany.

How about absolute black? I think that would look quite nice with cherry cabinets and SS appliances unless you wanted more "wow factor".

I would agree to keep looking until you find something you love. There are lots of different granites that would go with your beautiful cabs and floors.

Out of all of the samples you have, I like the Grizzly the best.

I'm really not sure that that's Emperador Dark, Bill--there are plenty of brown granites...? Could be a Nordic Brown, Labrador Brown, etc.?

Here is a link that might be useful: some brown granites from one site

I liked the mahogany ..sort of salt and pepper but doesn't tint the cherry.

I'm a big fan of both Uba Tuba and Dakota Mahogany. The Dakota is a little less common, usually a bit more money. Your sample [or at least the photo] shows less red than usual with this stone, be sure to look at full slabs. Some Dakota has wonderful ruby inclusions and blue overtones to the dark areas.

IIRC, both are considered very hardy, minimal care granites [if I have that wrong, I'm sure someone will correct me].

For me the choice would boil down to which color-- reds or greens-- worked better with the rest of my color scheme.

If you're not "excited" about any of these, I suggest you keep looking. After our granite was "discontinued" (quarry stopped producing it), we looked at many granite yards trying to find a new granite. We had a couple that I liked well enough but wasn't "excited" about (and one I was but my DH didn't like) so we kept looking. We finally found an Absolute Black (Premium) that was a true black with just a touch of silver inclusions. It took a long time to find one as most ABs were coming in gray when we were looking. [The one I liked that my DH didn't was a very dark green w/light green veins, btw!] You might also look at soapstone if your kitchen isn't too formal...but be sure you're OK with a patina of scratches (see the recent "soapstone patina" thread.)

Our cabinets are also cherry, but a little darker with SS appliances.

I think this gives you a good idea of what the AB looks like with SS sinks/appliances as well as cherry cabinets. (Hopefully you're not sick of seeing my pictures!)

I think there are two kinds of granite people in this world - those who like granites with "movement" and those who don't. I am of the former camp, who likes granite with movement. I noticed that none of your samples is the type with movement. Is that on purpose, or is that cause the granite yard didn't have a selection of granites with movement?

So, I didn't really like any of the ones you pictured (sorry, but you asked!). But that's just me. But what is the real crux of this is that you are not "sold" on any of them. When I was looking for granite, I went to about 4 or 5 yards, and saw some granites that I "kinda" liked. But then I saw "MY" granite, and fell in love. No hesitation, no second guessing, and a lot of excitement. I think that needs to happen to you, before going ahead with this expensive and fairly permanent purchase. You'll know it when you see it!

I recommend you go to more granite yards. They all carry different stuff; you'll be surprised at the variety. Make sure to bring your cabinet sample with you.

Hi Cat

Have you considered using Maron Cohiba/Antique Brown?
{{!gwi}}

or Platinum Pearl

{{!gwi}}

Both these stones are gorgeous with cherry cabinets and pretty much bulletproof. They are very dense and easy to care for. Of the two, the Maron Cohiba probably will be the more expensive choice, but it is, in my opinion, also the prettier one of the two.

Looking at your sample of the Grizzly Brown, I have to disagree with Bill on it being Dark Emperador

Dark Emperador (a dolostone) , as an aside, would actually be a decent choice for counter tops, if you have it honed in stead of polished. It is not as sensitive to acids as most marbles, and it is very, very dense. It is also very, very gorgeous!

I liked the dakota mahogany the best - but when I saw the antique brown that stonegirl posted above =that one is amazing. I don't think I ever saw anything like that in my quests and "lawd knows" I saw much and spent mega time looking!!
I don't care for the platinum pearl with the cabs though.

Hi Catamount -
I have cherry cabinets about the same shade as yours and have Dakota Mahogany. I cannot tell you how rich and beautiful that countertop is with the cherry cabinets! You do have to keep in mind that you need to see your actual slab before you make a final decision on any granite. Your sample is only that - a sample. Be sure to go to the stoneyard to choose the slab that will be used for your home. You'd be surprised how different the slabs can be from each other.

By the way, our Dakota Mahogany is so dense it does not need to be sealed.
Good luck.

side note: I love your forum name! Are you associated with cougars in any way? (We are--we've been involved in cougar protection out here in the PNW in a tiny way over the last couple of years)

Thanks for your help everyone! The suggestions have been tremendous. It sounds like I need to keep looking.

Fiesta, could I bother you for a photo of your kitchen in dakota mahogany?

(My forum name is a nod to the University of Vermont... close to where I live... We used to have Catamounts in Vermont until the early 1900s).

Is it true that all Dakota Mahogany does not need to be sealed? HD sells the Stonemark brand that they call Dakota Bordeaux that they claim does not need to be sealed for 15 years.

I'm looking at Dakota Mahogany for my cherry cabinets. I like that it is from the U.S. too.

Ah, what do you know--another reason to love Vermont :)

I liked the Dakota Mahogany.

Dakota Mahogany has a water absorption weight of 0.15%-0.2%, so it is extremely dense and will most likely not require a sealer. It is also a true granite, and it is rumored, that if you should polish Mt Rushmore, it would look like Dakota Mahogany :)

The "Stonemark" stones being sold by HD is in my opinion mostly a clever bit of marketing hype. More than two thirds of the stones they sell (Black Galaxy, Back Absolute, Tropic Brown, Baltic Brown, Ubaruba, Verde Butterfly, Wild West Green, Verde Jewel, Verde San Fransisco, Mahogany Blue Eyes, Dakota Mahogany and a few others too, all called by Stonemarks' fancy, exclusive sounding names) do not require sealer anyway. The salespeople selling it to you would not know a piece of natural stone from chunk of Silestone either. All they have done at Stonemark is to take a common misconception - namely that all stones need to be sealed, found a good sealer and then made a pretty website saying that for the next 15 years, you do not need to worry about sealing your stone because they have solved your "problem" for you.

In most of the cases there never was a "problem" to begin with.

I like the Dakota Mahogany (darker view) of the ones you've posted. Kerala green would also be very pretty.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kerala Green example

Catamount - Here is a photo of my Dakota Mahogany with cherry cabinets. Hope this helps.
Fiesta

Personally -

I like the timeless look of EITHER Dakota Mahogany
OR Uba Tuba with the cherry cabinets -

either will look terrific for decades!!! They never
loose their classy appearance IMHO that is..

kevin

Catamount90, when you say Impala, is it Impala Black or just plain Impala? We have Impala Black and it looks great with our Cherry cabs.

Here is what our Impala Black looks like and below that, our kitchen.

{{!gwi}}

Jodi-

are there different grades of Dakota mahogany? I got a quote from one place for $5370 and another for $3150. What could be the difference?

Of your choices, I prefer the uba tuba. Have you seen the sapphire blue or sapphire brown which have similar tones?
http://www.italianstones.com/GRANITE-SapphireBlue.HTM
http://www.naturalstoneindia.com/indian-brown-granites.html.

The ones I have seen have less red than the dakota mahogany.