A good black tomato?

gryffin · February 1, 2011

Hi all

I'm looking for a black tomato to try. Last year I grew 3- Japanese Black Trifele, Cherokee Purple, and Paul Robeson. Most of the Paul Robeson I tried were really tasty, but a couple of the early fruits weren't. For the JBT and Cherokee Purple I had a couple of good ones, but mostly they weren't so good- it seemed to be a combination of texture and flavor- even though I tried different degrees of ripeness.

In general, I like the rich flavor of a black, but want to find a variety that performs well for me- it's all about taste- production is secondary. I'd do Paul Robeson again, but after reading others posts- it doesn't seem to be a consistent performer.

Any ideas for what I might try?

Thanks!

cottonpicker · February 1, 2011

CARBON.

LarryD

doublehelix · February 1, 2011

If you didn't like Cherokee Purple, then you might not like black tomatoes. It is an across the board liked.

Black From Tula is one of my best performing darks, but I live in the hot humid south. It has a really good taste too.

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Black_from_Tula

TZ-OH6 · February 1, 2011

In my garden, Paul Robeson, Black Krim and JBT, all have a similar Black flavor that I do not find in CP and Carbon. Paul Robeson actually is a bit too "earthy" for my taste, Black Krim is just right followed by JBT. Black Krim also produces better than Paul Robeson for me.

I don't know what you are finding with texture since CP is a pretty standard beefsteak, and JBT is pretty meaty. It might be a soil mineral thing if they are out of the ordinary. BK is a bit more seedy than either one, but a lot of the flavor is in the gel.

fortyonenorth · February 1, 2011

Black Krim is the best black I've grown. In 2009 I grew it side-by-side with Paul Robeson, Cherokee Purple and a few others and had better taste and productivity.

Qweniden · February 1, 2011

The best black tomato Ive tried is Black Pineapple. Amazing depth and complexity of taste. I think this is the same tomato which is often sold as 'Aranas Noir' but Im not sure.

I guess this technically a bi-color and not a black but it had that black tomato flavor.

beefyboy · February 1, 2011

Yes, you are correct Qweniden!
I am a fan of J.D Special C-tex and also like Black Krim. Carbon had no flavor for me here in Florida, but many people love it. I am growing Black from Tula next season. Good Luck everyone!

camochef · February 1, 2011

I've been growing "black" tomatoes for a few years now. I've grown everyone listed in this thread so far and many more that haven't been listed here yet. I agree with some and disagree with many.
Amazon Chocolate has been one of my favorites for a few years now, but this year it was beaten by both Bear Creek as the best tasting of the year and Dana's Dusky Rose which was right on the heels of Bear Creek.
Blackmaster and Gary O'Sena were behind Amazon Chocolate and Swisher Sweet and JD's Special C-Tex behind them.
Indian Stripe was the most productive of them all, although this year they weren't quite the size they were last year.
The biggest disappointment this year in Blacks was Vorlon...they were great sized and looked fantastic but taste was so bland and somewhat watery.
Now both Bear Creek and Dana's Dusky Rose are somewhat smaller than the others, especially Amazon Chocolate and Gary O'Sena and JD's Special C-Tex, but they make up for their medium size with great taste!
Enjoy!
Camo

gryffin · February 1, 2011

I don't think it's that I don't like "black" tomatoes- the best of my Paul Robeson's were rich and melted in my mouth- the best tomatoes I've ever tasted.

A couple of the CPs and the JBT fruits tasted really good, but others were watery and the flesh seemed too firm and "grainy". If I let them ripen longer, they tasted "off".

I had the CP in the same SWC as a Red Brandywine. The Red Brandywine fruits all had great old time flavor.

I'm wondering if the problem is that I'm not good at judging when the fruits are at the best stage of ripeness to eat. I picked all of them at first blush and then let them finish ripening on my counter.

Perhaps I should try to find a black that is good even if it is slightly over or under ripe; or one for which ripeness is easy to judge. Is there such a variety? Do any of those described above meet that criteria?

Thanks!

Tworivers1 · February 1, 2011

Just my two cents but I have never had any luck with Black from Tula or Carbon. Black Krim is easily my favorite followed closely by Cherokee Purple. I did try JBT last year and was not impressed.

Because of space this year I am dropping both Cherokee Purple and Black Krim and am going to try Amazon Choclate, Brad's Black Heart and Indian Stripe.

Mark

Bama mater · February 1, 2011

Black Krim My Fav, Here are some others well worth growing for taste.

Amazon Chocolate
Black & Brown Boar
Spudakee
Indian Stripe
Black Cherry
Big Cheef

Some may not see all these varietys as "Black", In my eyes their dark enough.

OneoftheEarls · February 1, 2011

Spudatula
Amazon Chocolate

kath · February 1, 2011

JD's Special C-Tex was my favorite dark last year and my neighbor's.

newatthiskat · February 1, 2011

I am going to grow a garden full of black tomatoes oh yea and red and yellow and green and pink.....make it stop. I need a loan to buy a farm and then I will need a bigger farm and some farm hands.
So far Black krim has run away with my garden as far as black tomatoes go. I grew it 3 years ago. 2 years ago I tried CP, JD's and paul robeson. Black Krim so far from memory is still my fav. Cherokee purple 2nd and Black and brown Boar 3rd.
Kat

Hilde · February 2, 2011

I love black tomatoes, and some of my favorites are Carbon, Dice's Mystery Black, Black Cherry and Black Sea Man. I have never grown Cherokee Purple, but tasted it and didn't like it enough to grow it.

Good luck with finding some you like!

February 1, 2011	#1
gryffin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 229	A good black tomato? Hi all I'm looking for a black tomato to try. Last year I grew 3- Japanese Black Trifele, Cherokee Purple, and Paul Robeson. Most of the Paul Robeson I tried were really tasty, but a couple of the early fruits weren't. For the JBT and Cherokee Purple I had a couple of good ones, but mostly they weren't so good- it seemed to be a combination of texture and flavor- even though I tried different degrees of ripeness. In general, I like the rich flavor of a black, but want to find a variety that performs well for me- it's all about taste- production is secondary. I'd do Paul Robeson again, but after reading others posts- it doesn't seem to be a consistent performer. Any ideas for what I might try? Thanks!

February 1, 2011	#2
cottonpicker Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: SE PA..near Valley Forge Posts: 839	CARBON. LarryD __________________ "Strong and bitter words indicate a weak cause". Victor Hugo

February 1, 2011	#4
TZ-OH6 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mid-Ohio Posts: 848	In my garden, Paul Robeson, Black Krim and JBT, all have a similar Black flavor that I do not find in CP and Carbon. Paul Robeson actually is a bit too "earthy" for my taste, Black Krim is just right followed by JBT. Black Krim also produces better than Paul Robeson for me. I don't know what you are finding with texture since CP is a pretty standard beefsteak, and JBT is pretty meaty. It might be a soil mineral thing if they are out of the ordinary. BK is a bit more seedy than either one, but a lot of the flavor is in the gel. Last edited by TZ-OH6; February 1, 2011 at 02:21 PM. Reason: typos

February 1, 2011	#14
newatthiskat Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: texas Posts: 1,451	Reply I am going to grow a garden full of black tomatoes oh yea and red and yellow and green and pink.....make it stop. I need a loan to buy a farm and then I will need a bigger farm and some farm hands. So far Black krim has run away with my garden as far as black tomatoes go. I grew it 3 years ago. 2 years ago I tried CP, JD's and paul robeson. Black Krim so far from memory is still my fav. Cherokee purple 2nd and Black and brown Boar 3rd. Kat

February 1, 2011	#3
doublehelix Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Central Arkansas Posts: 190	If you didn't like Cherokee Purple, then you might not like black tomatoes. It is an across the board liked. Black From Tula is one of my best performing darks, but I live in the hot humid south. It has a really good taste too. http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Black_from_Tula

February 1, 2011	#5
fortyonenorth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: NW Indiana Posts: 1,150	Black Krim is the best black I've grown. In 2009 I grew it side-by-side with Paul Robeson, Cherokee Purple and a few others and had better taste and productivity.

February 1, 2011	#6
Qweniden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Sacramento, California Posts: 267	The best black tomato Ive tried is Black Pineapple. Amazing depth and complexity of taste. I think this is the same tomato which is often sold as 'Aranas Noir' but Im not sure. I guess this technically a bi-color and not a black but it had that black tomato flavor.

February 1, 2011	#7
beefyboy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Pt. Charlotte fl Posts: 330	Yes, you are correct Qweniden! I am a fan of J.D Special C-tex and also like Black Krim. Carbon had no flavor for me here in Florida, but many people love it. I am growing Black from Tula next season. Good Luck everyone!

February 1, 2011	#8
camochef Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Posts: 707	I've been growing "black" tomatoes for a few years now. I've grown everyone listed in this thread so far and many more that haven't been listed here yet. I agree with some and disagree with many. Amazon Chocolate has been one of my favorites for a few years now, but this year it was beaten by both Bear Creek as the best tasting of the year and Dana's Dusky Rose which was right on the heels of Bear Creek. Blackmaster and Gary O'Sena were behind Amazon Chocolate and Swisher Sweet and JD's Special C-Tex behind them. Indian Stripe was the most productive of them all, although this year they weren't quite the size they were last year. The biggest disappointment this year in Blacks was Vorlon...they were great sized and looked fantastic but taste was so bland and somewhat watery. Now both Bear Creek and Dana's Dusky Rose are somewhat smaller than the others, especially Amazon Chocolate and Gary O'Sena and JD's Special C-Tex, but they make up for their medium size with great taste! Enjoy! Camo

February 1, 2011	#10
Tworivers1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ballwin/St Louis, MO Posts: 35	Just my two cents but I have never had any luck with Black from Tula or Carbon. Black Krim is easily my favorite followed closely by Cherokee Purple. I did try JBT last year and was not impressed. Because of space this year I am dropping both Cherokee Purple and Black Krim and am going to try Amazon Choclate, Brad's Black Heart and Indian Stripe. Mark

February 1, 2011	#11
Bama mater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Huntsville, AL Posts: 269	Black Krim My Fav, Here are some others well worth growing for taste. Amazon Chocolate Black & Brown Boar Spudakee Indian Stripe Black Cherry Big Cheef Some may not see all these varietys as "Black", In my eyes their dark enough.

February 1, 2011	#12
OneoftheEarls Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Up North Posts: 660	Spudatula Amazon Chocolate

February 1, 2011	#13
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	JD's Special C-Tex was my favorite dark last year and my neighbor's.

February 2, 2011	#15
Hilde Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Pendleton, NY Posts: 256	I love black tomatoes, and some of my favorites are Carbon, Dice's Mystery Black, Black Cherry and Black Sea Man. I have never grown Cherokee Purple, but tasted it and didn't like it enough to grow it. Good luck with finding some you like!