# I don't get Honeycrisp apples **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 11, 2020, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791 "2020-02-11T18:35:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791/21 "2020-02-12T02:52:00Z")
> [@neofishboy](#): > > I was at our local grocery store a few years back. Looking around in the produce section and an employee with a handlebar mustache sidles up to me. “Hey, man. Wanna try an apple?” I look around furtively and whisper back “Yeah, man. What you got?” “Envy. It’s new.” _hands me a slice_ “Nice.” > > Apparently it’s a Braeburn/Royal Gala hybrid from New Zealand. I’ve been buying nothing else since. I’ve had those, too. Those are nice. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791/22 "2020-02-12T04:52:09Z")
I love Honey Crisps and am willing to pay extra for them. They’re expensive because they’re seasonal, and while I don’t know how well they keep in long-term storage, I’ve had them find their way to the back of my fridge for a few weeks, and while the skin was a bit shriveled, the flesh was as crisp and juicy as ever. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791/23 "2020-02-12T13:05:44Z")
Our friends/neighbors have a commercial apple orchard. We make a lot of applesauce and it’s cool combining different varieties and coming up with a slightly different tasting product. My favorite apple variety is constantly changing. ETA: they make delicious cider that we go through by the gallon. This year I told my gf the cider was especially good. She thought I was being an apple snob, but when we asked about it, the farmers agreed. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791/24 "2020-02-12T13:15:33Z")
Russets! Russets are the best. Honeycrisps can be nice but I won’t seek them out deliberately. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791/25 "2020-02-12T13:21:30Z")
Honeycrisps have good press and they appeal to people whose main flavor preference is sweet-sweet-sweet. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791/26 "2020-02-12T14:06:03Z")
Remember back when all you could get were Red Delicious and Granny Smiths? And those yellow ones? Yeah. (Shudder) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791/27 "2020-02-12T14:34:05Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > Russets! Russets are the best. Pssst, that’s a potato you’re munching. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791/28 "2020-02-12T14:36:41Z")
HCs weren’t “hype” for me. I bought one with out having any idea they were so popular (hell, they may have not been at the time some 15 years ago) I just new that I freaking loved them from the first bite. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791/29 "2020-02-12T15:09:15Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Pssst, that’s a potato you’re munching. Yukon Golds are the way to go if that is the sort of thing you like munching. The Golden Delicious apples that grow on the tree in my yard are the best apple. Next best is whatever I go pick at the orchards around here, then finally you get to he Honeycrisp and Cosmic Crisp from the store. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791/30 "2020-02-12T15:09:49Z")
I’ve noticed a few people mention they’re expensive. How expensive are they where you’re at? They are pricier than other apples, but they’re still not that expensive – at least not at my grocer. I checked today and they were $1.39/lb for Michigan Honeycrisps. That is a premium over the $0.99/lb Galas, Braeburns, Pink Ladies, etc., at the same grocer, but that’s still not what I would call expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791/31 "2020-02-12T15:21:31Z")
Aldi had them at $1.99 per pound here in NC. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791/32 "2020-02-12T15:44:36Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > They taste the same as most apples and they are higher cost. Is this just a fad? For several reasons, honey crisp apples have revolutionized the apple industry. It’s the first apple that is reliably of good texture and good taste while also being hardy and transportable. Before, red delicious, golden delicious, and Granny Smith apples were the Most common but they represented a compromise. Honeycrisp is also the first name that functions as a brand name (trademark) rather than just as a descriptor. Planet Money did a fascinating piece [The Apple That Changed The World : Planet Money : NPR](https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2018/05/03/607384579/the-apple-that-changed-the-world) ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791/33 "2020-02-12T16:20:37Z")
I give Honeycrisps just an OK. I think they’re overrated. I like the Pink Lady way better. I like to try the new varieties that seem to pop up every month or so. Cameo, Envy, Jazz and Kiku have all been good. But then after having good luck with a certain variety, they’re not so good. I’m sure it’s a seasonal thing. A new one (around here anyway) that I really liked was Sugar Bee. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791/34 "2020-02-12T16:45:42Z")
Okay, so I’m an apple snob. My favorite apples are: Ashmead’s Kernal – a small, russeted apple. It’s yellow with a red blush under the russet, but mostly you just see the russet. It’s incredibly sweet, fabulously tart, and has a decent apple flavor. It is also very crunchy. Macoun – they are hard to grow, and apparently are only good in New England. They also don’t keep very well. But a good Macoun tastes like a good Macintosh only it’s sweeter and the flesh “snaps”. It’s softer than the other crunchy apples, but it still has this distinctive snap in your mouth that’s just really satisfying. Crimson Crisp – No, not the much more hyped cosmic crisp, although that’s a decent apple. This one has better flavor, and has the nice feature of staying firm when yhou cook it. So not for applesauce, but terrific for pie. Not the richest of flavors, but quite nice. Jonathan – I like this well enough for eating out of hand, but a fresh Jonathan really shines in pie, where it develops a rich complex apple flavor and holds its shape. As it gets older it loses the firmness, but still tastes pretty good. > [@needscoffee](#): > > Do try the new Cosmic Crisps if you get a chance. They’re juicy and crunchy like Honeycrisps, but have a slightly tarter, more apple-y taste. Yeah, I had some for the first time this year, that’s a nice apple. > [@amarinth](#): > > I prefer Opals, but Honeycrisps are very good. I prefer sweet to tart apples, so most of the tart-ish apples that people like aren’t my style. > > I do find Cosmic Crisp apples overrated. Not bad, but not worth the not-on-sale price. Honeycrisp s a fine apple. Crisp and sweet. It isn’t one of my favorites because I find it bland. Neither tart enough for my preferences nor an especially noticeable apple flavor. > [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Honeycrisp were first developed about 20 years ago, so they are definitely a New Thing. > > My favorite remains the Stayman Winesap. Tart, crisp, late season, and thick skinned. Sweet apples are for pussies. I like Stayman winesaps. I liked them more when I lived in NJ – a lot of apples are regional, and grow better some places than others. I think our season isn’t hot enough for them, and they don’t develop their full potential. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791/35 "2020-02-12T17:02:22Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > They taste the same as most apples and they are higher cost. Is this just a fad? I only like granny smith’s so I hear ya. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791/36 "2020-02-12T18:13:07Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Remember back when all you could get were Red Delicious and Granny Smiths? And those yellow ones? Yeah. (Shudder) It’s nice that we can now buy better apples…but I want to see the same thing happen with potatoes. Currently the common choices are russet (Idaho), round white or red boilers, and, if you’re lucky, Yukon Gold. (These seem to have supplanted the ghastly California long white, which were good for absolutely nothing.) In Maine, where they Respect the Spud, you can find a dozen varieties at a good farm market. I want to be able to cook a tater here in NYC that is comparable to an Irish side dish. In Ireland they serve you a boiled potato the way the Chinese serve rice: an expected addition to the meal, and sometimes the best part. I don’t know how the micks are so good at cooking potatoes, but I’m on the case. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791/37 "2020-02-12T18:55:48Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > It’s nice that we can now buy better apples…but I want to see the same thing happen with potatoes. Currently the common choices are russet (Idaho), round white or red boilers, and, if you’re lucky, Yukon Gold. (These seem to have supplanted the ghastly California long white, which were good for absolutely nothing.) In NYC? Color me surprised. Here in Dallas, we can reliably get the big four potato varieties - russet, gold, white and red. Usually in a small variety of sizes. We can also usually get heirloom purple potatoes and funky little bite-sized ones in variety bags. Apples are similar- we can always get red delicious, granny smith, golden delicious, Gala, Fuji and Honeycrisp. Pink Lady, Braeburn and McIntosh apples are not entirely uncommon either. Sometimes we get interesting varieties like Jazz, Opal or Pinata, but that’s sporadic. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791/38 "2020-02-12T20:27:46Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > …while also being hardy and transportable. I find them to be extremely prone to being bruised. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791/39 "2020-02-12T20:35:38Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > But we’re in a Golden Era of apple varieties compared to my youth, when you had Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Macintosh, Cortland, Empire, and Granny Smith as your only choices. Down here, it was usually only Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smiths. Might have had other ones seasonally. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791/40 "2020-02-12T20:40:05Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Apples are similar- we can always get red delicious, granny smith, golden delicious, Gala, Fuji and Honeycrisp. Pink Lady, Braeburn and McIntosh apples are not entirely uncommon either. Sometimes we get interesting varieties like Jazz, Opal or Pinata, but that’s sporadic. Around here, Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisps and Braeburns are kind of treated interchangeably – it’s like the “fourth apple” next to Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smiths. Maybe half the time, we’ll have a fourth AND a fifth apple option – this differs seasonally, I think. I’ve seen Pink Lady and Jazz apples around, but sporadically. Never have seen Opals, Pinatas, or McIntosh locally. The McIntosh is a pretty famous variety (not just because of the computers) … do they not travel/keep well? Any special reason we never get them in the New Orleans area? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-honeycrisp-apples/847791.md?page=3)