Apple review: Juici

I found FOUR new apples at Sprouts this weekend. They only had a few of each kind, though, and some of them look a little peaked, so I moved them up the queue. First up: JUICI(TM)



The things I do for you.

I am far more interested in old heirloom-type apples than modern corporate buzzword stuff, but I eat what I find. This is a new Honeycrisp cross, and is spoken of largely in comparison to Honeycrisp, which is not promising. Plus, my samples weren't in good shape -- I bought two, and one is already inedible. So much for the grower's claim that it holds up great in storage. My remaining apple is hard, but weirdly lumpy in texture. I do not find it appealing. But let's give it a try.



Verdict: Well, I was hungry, and this was definitely an apple. The dominant taste is generic apple, which isn't the worst thing -- a lot of apples sort of neglect it -- but it's disappointingly dull. It's sweetish, a bit melony, somewhat watery, with a hint of tanginess but not enough to add real interest. It tastes a lot like the pre-cut apple slices at Subway.

Buy again? I'm not seeing anything in this apple that merits a second look. It's possible, even likely, that my sample has been handled badly, but I think it's also just not a very exciting apple.

Apple review: Lucy Glo

These apples looked weird and sickly at first glance when I saw them in Sprouts, but the color grew on me -- yellow with a hint of almost neon orange. Then I looked them up online:



Whoa, cool.

Lucy Glo is one of two new "Lucy" apples, the other being Lucy Rose. Says their website:

Lucy™ Apples are grown in the heart of Central Washington by a small group of pioneering growers who are passionate about developing new varieties. Through countless years of research and development, they discovered they could grow a great tasting, pink-red interior apple.

Lucy™Apples are part Honeycrisp, which give them their sweet, tangy flavor and crunchy texture we all love. Lucy™Rose has a red skin and sweet berry notes in the flavor profile. Lucy™Glo has a gorgeous yellow skin that allows the red interior glow from within and is tangy with a hint of sweet.

Sounds great! I couldn't wait to try it.



I cut it in half first -- yep, it's pink inside! Neat.



Verdict: NEVER HAVE I BEEN SO BITTERLY DISAPPOINTED BY AN APPLE. "Tangy with a hint of sweet" should be right up my alley. Unfortunately, what it actually tastes like is "nothing, with a hint of watery apple." The dominant impression is bland and watery, faintly sweet. There was a barely detectable hint of tartness at the start, but it was gone before the apple was. The aftertaste isn't terrible -- it actually leaves a little lingering tanginess -- but that's the best I can say for it.

Buy again? Are you kidding? I got two, and I don't even want to eat the second one. Maybe they were handled badly -- this is another one from the beat-up stragglers bin at Sprouts. I suppose I'll try the other to see if it shows any more promise. But... meh.