Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - The Ultimate Cherry?

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The Ultimate Cherry?

To me, the ultimate flavor is from Sungold, but, with our intermittent downpours, the splitting stops me cold. Sunsugar is a bit better in cracking, but has pretty small fruit. Maybe Sunchocola will solve this for me and still provide that sweet, tangy taste that I love. Maybe Esterina, although from my plants thus far, I get sweet, but pretty much no tang -- kind of "shallow." (Season is still pretty early, though, so that may change.) Esterina is maybe an 8.5 with me -- certainly a very good cherry and ranks very high.

So what say you, Tomatoville -- what is your favorite cherry (ies), and what do you like about it that sets it above others?

-GG

I grow a circa 2011 variety sold by Franchi seeds (it's not the same as the red cherry they have now). I grow it every year because it has a big, bold tomato flavor in a small package. Sweet cherries have zero appeal to me.

From our breeders here next to Lake Ochochobee(spelling varies),bhn624,tough,robust,the explosive pop when eating off the vine.Going back to originals,black cherrys from the famous breeder here in fla.Bratka?(spelling on these pads drive me crazy).Tried those fancy designer oranges here in10b,they just won't hold up.

Ron's Carbon Copy, hands down. Produced well with a lot of neglect, taste is just sublime and no disease down here in hot dry Texas for me. It's a must have every year now.

[QUOTE=imp;655206]Ron's Carbon Copy, hands down. Produced well with a lot of neglect, taste is just sublime and no disease down here in hot dry Texas for me. It's a must have every year now.[/QUOTE]

I've missed reading about that one -- sounds very interesting. (But don't they all!) ;)

-GG

Japanese Pink Cherry is my favorite sweet tomato.

Porter is my favorite old-time balanced tasting cherry tomato.

If you like sweet flavor, anything with "Ambrosia" in the name is a winner.

I like "sweet", but it must be intense too, and most of the red cherries don't do it for me. Of course I love Sungold at first, but as the season wears on I find that the flavor changes and I don't like it as much. It seems to get more acidic and puts my teeth on edge, but maybe that's just me.

I thought I had found the best-tasting cherry in Carbon Copy, but last year I grew Rosella, a purple cherry which is fruity and sweet. I liked it better than CC at first, but CC came into its own later in the season.

Linda

I am growing out an orange cherry in the dwarf project, it is f3 now, and to me, tastes nearly identical to the f2 from last year, and to sungold f1. If allowed to at least blush before picking, it ripens from yellow to deep golden orange. I had to prune off a branch that had many fruit on it and I left the fruit on the branch and brought it inside and 90% of the totally green tomatoes ripened, they just didn't have the sweetness of the ones that blushed on the vine, but they still had the fresh flavor.

Very cool Carrie!

Will be watching for that one. Are we allowed to know the name?

Linda

orange zinger has been a good one for me for the past 2 years. firm round and a little zip. nor does it tend to split like sungold (which I have quit growing because of. they attract the SWD and I don't want to keep them picked off at the just blush stage. too many other ones to grow in its place.)

obviously I am not as promiscuous as ya'll, but of the 12+ I have encountered, I do like the sungold the best. it is highly prolific and tasty - my one SG is in full GO mode right now.

I have a rogue/volunteer "cherry" that I let grow this year, and the thing has gone wild with the july rain, but the fruit is the size of a perfectly round Ping-Pong ball - very red in color. seems like a grew a 4th of july in that bed one year, but this plant has the fruiting pattern of a cherry and I can't remember if 04Jul has that trademark.

[QUOTE=Greatgardens;655196]To me, the ultimate flavor is from Sungold, but, with our intermittent downpours, the splitting stops me cold. Sunsugar is a bit better in cracking, but has pretty small fruit. Maybe Sunchocola will solve this for me and still provide that sweet, tangy taste that I love. Maybe Esterina, although from my plants thus far, I get sweet, but pretty much no tang -- kind of "shallow." (Season is still pretty early, though, so that may change.) Esterina is maybe an 8.5 with me -- certainly a very good cherry and ranks very high.

So what say you, Tomatoville -- what is your favorite cherry (ies), and what do you like about it that sets it above others?

-GG[/QUOTE]
I've only eaten one ripe Esterina F1 so far, but I have to agree with your sweet, no tang, kind of "shallow" opinion. Maybe it will improve as the season goes on, but I doubt it. Esterina was more like Sunsugar F1, in my opinion. I keep falling for some of the "good as Sungold" hype, but nothing yet comes even close to that unique fruity acid zing. The splitting is a nuisance, but the splitters are eaten first, save the whole ones for later. I don't like thick skinned crunchy cherries, so I'll live with it. For a red, I really like Iva's Red Berry.

My dad bought plants at Menards (instead of letting me give him plants) and the tags on them were wrong. I looked at the plants yesterday, and they are all obviously Sungold. He said they are sweet, but he doesn't like the thick skins.

I had Ambrosia Orange for the first time this year, and I think it easily beats Sungold on flavor. The whiteflies agree that it is tasty, too. They like it a lot more than my other varieties.

[here is an internet opine I came across] for thread fodder

[I do not know what bx % is....]

[B]Top 10 Cherry Tomato Varieties[/B]

1. [URL="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/vegetables/tomatoes/grape-tomatoes/golden-sweet-f1-tomato-seed-2622.html"]‘Golden Sweet[/URL]‘: Touted as the sweetest and best-tasting yellow grape tomato, the indeterminate vines produce lots of glossy gold fruits that are crack-resistant, firm and meaty.
2. ‘[URL="http://www.rareseeds.com/isis-candy-cherry-tomato/"]Isis Candy[/URL]‘: This is a very pretty cherry tomato with golden fruits streaked with red. They are equally delicious and sweet with a 8-9 °Bx. The vines are high-performing and indeterminate.
3. ‘[URL="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/vegetables/tomatoes/heirloom-tomatoes/matts-wild-cherry-tomato-seed-732.html"]Matt’s Wild Cherry[/URL]‘: This is one of the sweetest of the currant tomatoes with an 11.5 °Bx. The large vines produce lots of bright red, pungent fruits so one is all you need.
4. [URL="http://parkseed.com/fantastico-tomato-seeds/p/52600-PK-P1/"]‘Fantastico’[/URL]: Slightly elongated grape tomatoes still fall into the cherry tomato category, and the bright red, AAS-winning ‘Fantastico’ is one of the best. The glossy sweet tomatoes have a 12 °Bx and are firm, crack-resistant, and sweet. The bushy, determinate vines are also high-yielding and resistant to late blight.
5. ‘[URL="http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/tomatoes/tomato-sun-gold--hybrid-prod001012.html"]Sun Gold[/URL]‘: This is the classic for cherry tomato lovers because it offers both remarkable sweet, tangy, delicious tomato flavor. The golden-orange fruits have an 8 °Bx, are borne on long trusses, and taste best when growing conditions are slightly dry. Vines are indeterminate.
6. ‘[URL="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/vegetables/tomatoes/cherry-tomatoes/sunpeach-f1-tomato-seed-3084.html"]Sunpeach[/URL]‘: This pink-fruited relative of ‘Sun Gold’ has super long trusses of slightly oblong fruits with excellent sweet, well-rounded flavor. The fruits are crack-resistant, and the high-performing vines are indeterminate.
7. ‘[URL="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/vegetables/tomatoes/cherry-tomatoes/favorita-f1-tomato-seed-2854.html?cgid=cherry-tomatoes#sz=18&start=19"]Favorita[/URL]‘: The glossy, deep red, fruits have a 8.8 °Bx sugar rating and produce early. The indeterminate vines resist Fusarium wilt, Tobacco Mosaic Virus, and nematodes.
8. ‘[URL="https://bonnieplants.com/product/sun-sugar-tomato/"]Sun Sugar[/URL]‘: The tangerine-orange fruits of ‘Sun Sugar’ are some of the sweetest, tartest, and best tasting around. The disease-resistant, indeterminate vines will stand up to fusarium wilt and tobacco mosaic virus, and they produce long trusses of crack-resistant fruits.
9. ‘[URL="http://parkseed.com/candyland-red-hybrid-tomato-seeds/p/52696-PK-P1/"]Candyland Red[/URL]‘: Large, rambling vines produce lots of super sweet, firm, currant fruits that are tiny and deep red. Of all the currant tomatoes available, it’s the sweetest with 12 °Bx. It is also a 2016 All-America Selections winner!
10. ‘[URL="http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/tomatoes/tomato-super-sweet-100-hybrid--prod001013.html?cid=PPC&gclid=CLX1hOTI4NMCFZuIswodOTULAw"]Supersweet 100[/URL]‘: The super-sized, disease-resistant, indeterminate vines can reach over 12’ and produce loads and loads of bright red and very tasty. The fruits are the least sweet of the bunch, with a 6 °Bx, but they are still very good and super prolific.

I have a new one this year called Pink Princess. It is excellent, in the range of Sungold. Different but also sweet and zingy.

I grew a called Cseresznye Alaku (Hungarian for cherry shaped) and it has been one of my favorites this year. It has a great old fashion tomato flavor, not too sweet. It can be seen here mixed in with other tomatoes I grow (the yellow ones are Sungold & the others are Chocolate Cherry):

[IMG][IMG]http://www.tomatoville.com/picture.php?albumid=446&pictureid=2664[/IMG][/IMG]

[QUOTE=Labradors2;655256]Very cool Carrie!

Will be watching for that one. Are we allowed to know the name?

Linda[/QUOTE]

I haven't really thought of a name for it yet, but when I do, I will certainly share!

I am enjoying this thread, I am going to have to take notes to decide which cherries to grow next year!

big meaty cherries with a thin skin and sweet-tangy flavor are coming folks :) The Karma project will have F7 seed for trial in the spring of a potato leaf pink cherry with, to quote Marsha, WOW flavor.
stay tuned... no seedy thick skinned splitters that rupture when picked. I hate that.
KarenO

[QUOTE=KarenO;655469]big meaty cherries with a thin skin and sweet-tangy flavor are coming folks :) The Karma project will have F7 seed for trial in the spring of a potato leaf pink cherry with, to quote Marsha, WOW flavor.
stay tuned... no seedy thick skinned splitters that rupture when picked. I hate that.
KarenO[/QUOTE]

And where does the line begin? :D

I can hardly wait to get some Karma in my 2018 garden!

Where's that line again? :)

Linda

I'm growing Isis Candy for the first time so hoping it's sweet. Back with SunGold and I'm giving Sweet Million a shot. Did not like Ron's Carbon Copy and passed on Black Cherry this year. It's the smallest amount of cherries I've ever grown. Oh well there is always next year, Karen!! Karma just sounds so delish!

Isis Candy had a nice flavor for me, and good yield, but almost all of the fruit cracked.

[QUOTE=jmsieglaff;655470]And where does the line begin? :D[/QUOTE]
Behind me, LOL!!!

I've only had 3 so far, but the first 3 off my Garnet cherry have really impressed me. Sweet, rich tomato flavor, and a nice acidic tang. Texture is very good too. I'm excited to try more, like most cherries the plant is loaded. I'll post some pictures. I can see this becoming a favorite of mine.

I am growing 4 different varieties of cherry/grapes, including Sungold.
But my ultimate cherry is ESTERINA.
The only advantage of SG is that it is just a bit sweeter.
But Esterina beats it in more fronts : More productive, meatier, less prone to splitting even if you delay harvesting few days. And the fruits are in average 50 -100% bigger.
Next year Just ONE Esterina should be enough for us. No more SG

Sungold is hard to beat. I like Matt's Wild Cherry - for me it has a big, complex tomato flavor in a little package. Tami G is my favorite grape tomato for flavor. Rancho Solito is my best-tasting red cherry, but it splits at any hint of moisture, so I only grow it successfully under cover. I like Esterina a lot, but my favorite yellow right now is Russian Mini Yellow - same size as Matt's Wild Cherry, but with a much sweeter taste with a pleasing finish. Then there's Blush, for real fruitiness, and Lucky Tiger, for a great tasting GWR, and Sunshine Bumblebee, my favorite bumblebee, and...and...and...

Well, Galina is for me, mostly there. I have a better tasting one but it's just not productive enough. Galina is sensitive to everything, but if you can keep it happy, it will be quite productive. Great tangy taste (best not to let overripen, it will become sweeter but also odd tasting). Doesn't split, skins are not tough, not too meaty or too seedy.