tomatoes with flavors all-their-own / unique tasting

[Scooty]

I seem to recall a post by Tormato a while back about SNFLA. In it, he mentions that SNFLA, Prue, AGG, and Sun Gold are among those he would count as having flavor all-their-own. I'm kind of assuming this means that these tomatoes share no major flavor overlap with others. Given Tormato has grown many 'matos, I'm surprised he's able to whittle it down to just 4 with respect to taste.

I'm kind of tempted to go search out and get a few seeds for Prue and AGG. I'm growing SNFLA and Sun Gold, but anything with a unique flavor has me interested. (And by unique I mean unique and palatable. otherwise I'd count the fruit of estamino or some wild type. )

What other tomatoes are like this?

Originally Posted by Tormato

Flavor (my experience and opinion) is unique among many, many, hundreds (about 1,000) of tomatoes I've tasted, with no other tomato being close to this flavor. I've tasted only a few tomatoes that have a flavor all-their-own. Examples are Prue, Aunt Gertie's Gold, and Sungold. The best way I can describe this tomato is that it is tangy. Now, other tomatoes I put in the tangy category have both a sweetness I can taste, and a tartness I can taste, blending into an overall tanginess. With S-N-F L A , I cannot detect any sweetness, nor any tartness, just the balanced tanginess. I consider it having a full, rich, but not complex, flavor. It was the best tasting tomato in my garden in 2012. I've only given seeds to about 10 people in the past few years. And, I've only had one report back on its flavor. The report was that it was the best tasting in their garden, for that year. It is one, of only two, tomatoes that has never disappointed me with its taste, over many growing seasons. The other tomato is Sungold, but even "Sungold" disappointed me once (when it was an imposter). Every other tomato variety I've tried has been a dud, one time or another. So far, extreme weather (hot, cold, wet, dry) has had no effect on its flavor.

[NarnianGarden]

Obviously, I have not tasted every tomato variety available... But I certainly found Blush and Pink Tiger very unique in their fruity-ness. Different from SunGold, better in my opinion.

[Tormato]

Let me whittle it up to five...Aunt Ginny's Purple. And all of those are the great tasting ones (to me) that are unique in flavor (in my garden).

There may be more in the good range, and maybe even more in the non-palatable range.

And, maybe make it six...Brandywine Sudduth. Unfortunately, this one is so erratic in flavor, that it's hard to judge if "the" flavor is unique. In the best of growing conditions, it does have the strongest of flavor (of palatable tomatoes), in my opinion.

[Vespertino]

I'm also not the most experienced taster, but I grew Black and Brown Boar one season and it had a unique, almost rich, salty/gamey flavor- not in a bad way, just different. I wouldn't have called it a sweet tomato. I didn't grow it again since I prefer sweeter tomatoes, but it was the most unique one I have tasted (other than sungold, which are one of my favorites) of the varieties I've grown in my yard. In a blind taste test I could probably pick out BBB because the flavor was so unique.

[carolyn137]

I've grown and tasted about 4,000 plus varieties and about the only one,for me,that has a unique taste is Prue. Actually the aroma of cut fruits gives it away before I even taste it.

Whether or not a variety has a unique taste is not just in the mouth of the taster alone, but also how a person grows their tomatoes,what amendments they use and when,if any, and also the weather in any one season,etc.

So I can't see any consensus on unique tastes with tomatoes.

And it's also good to know that there are human genes related to what tastes we can taste,not all the same for all folks, and that's an additional complication to this subject and a very important one IMO.

I'm having seedlings for 17 varieties being raised for me to be grown here at home for me by someone else since with this walker I can no longer do any outside work, most not known to others and I'll try to let you know if I can add any of them to my Prue one.

Carolyn

[Worth1]

Copia to me tasted like soured baby diaper smells or maybe a soured mildewed wash rag.
Very unique.
It would pair well with mud cat or skunk scent gland etouffee.

Worth

[Tracydr]

I wonder if the cilantro " tastes like soap" gene also effects tomato tastes?
Cilantro is a huge favorite in my family,seems strange people detest it but I guess I don't have that gene.

[nancyruhl]

The one I am sure I can identify by flavor blindfolded is Coyote. I love the sweet flavor with a totally different aftertaste, but I know some who don't.

[Scooty]

I recall that there's a gene largely responsible for the sensation of bitterness, and it's related to why some people really hate brussels sprouts and other brassicas.

Naturally, not everyone is going to agree on what tastes good or even unique. Some people like sweeter tomatoes more than tart ones. Some prefer more earthy flavors. I think there's a variation of a saying in every culture about the visual aspect of food - "eating with your eyes first." That's partly why we have so many different looking tomatoes even if they don't necessarily taste very different from one another.

Still, I'm surprised that Tormato and Carolyn both agree on Prue! Now I want to try it...

[AlittleSalt]

Oranje Van Goeijenbier tastes different for an orange cherry tomato.

[Gardeneer]

There are also "Learned and cultural" factors. How about mental block ? Or self suggestion ?

Let me give you just one example .
Have you heard of something called "Bitter Melon"? Well, the name says it all. It is plain bitter. But the Asians and E.Indians eat it all the time and love it. I tried it couple of times (as recommended by an Asian how to prepare it. It was just bitter.

Gardeneer

[fortheshep]

I have notice that several tomatoes taste different as the season progresses. The most noticeable have been the larger paste tomatoes(opalka(OP) and Pompeii(F1)) Both were fairly tasteless at the beginning of the season and only useful for cooking, but were quite tasty later in the season. Not sure if it is temperature, as we often don't really have spring here and usually jump quickly to highs in the 80's.

[Scooty]

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

There are also "Learned and cultural" factors. How about mental block ? Or self suggestion ?

Let me give you just one example .
Have you heard of something called "Bitter Melon"? Well, the name says it all. It is plain bitter. But the Asians and E.Indians eat it all the time and love it. I tried it couple of times (as recommended by an Asian how to prepare it. It was just bitter.

Gardeneer

Yeah but there are plenty of asians that also dislike bitter melon, just like there are plenty of austrialians that aren't all too fond of vegemite. And not everyone from Minnesota with a Norwegian background likes lutefisk. Any cultural staple regarded as an acquired taste like salty licorice or whatever that fermented shark thing is called in iceland is going to be pretty specific to that region as far as enjoying that taste.

Of course like Tormato was saying about Brandywine Sudduth and Carolyn was pointing out, the taste of a tomato is going to vary by growing environment, so that's another complication. Still, there seems to be at least some baseline consensus for some tastes, especially if a variety is relatively consistent over years (which you'd expect for it to remain a distinct variety).

For example, Sun Gold, everyone at TV seems to know sun gold by taste and smell. Even if not everyone agrees it's unique.

[Gardeneer]

Scooty, I was saying that there are factors that can affect people's perception of taste and liking, IN GENERAL. Sure not all Chinese love bitter Melon and not all Italians low Parmegiano cheese and pasta every day. What I was/am talking about is "acquired" taste and liking. Thats all.

Gardeneer

[Scooty]

Ah gotcha.