Blueberry Taste Test

[PharmaChad]

The results are in!
Had a taste test today with my family. We tested 10 different varieties with 5 people with a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 being best.

Emerald 8.6
Scintilla 9
Gulf Coast 8.8
Jewel 8.3
Biloxi 6.7
Springwide 9.5
Windsor 7.8
Sharp 9.3
Misty 7.8
Sweetcrisp 9.6

Biggest surprise? Sharp- oldie but goodie
Springwide- my favorite
Biggest loser? Biloxi- tart flavor, mushy
No surprise? Sweetcrisp
Biggest range between testers:
Gulf coast 7 to 10
Misty 7.5 to 9.5

PharmaChad

[m5allen]

Springwide surprises me. I had one a while ago and wasn't a huge fan.

[Gina]

I've never done a side by side taste test with my blues, but I know from eating on the hoof which ones I go to first. But it's more than taste - size and texture play a role too. I have tasted all but 4 of the berries on your list (scintilla, gulf coast, springwide and windsor) I also have star and abundance. I can't rank all of mine, but I too would put sweetcrisp at the top, as much for texture as taste. It's sweet, but does not have as strong a blueberry taste as it might (in a perfect world).

Sharpblue also tastes good, as long as the fruits are fully ripe. Many can be small, and they ripen over a long season.

Biloxi can be OK, but it also is near the bottom of favorites here. Grows and fruits well in my zero chill area.

Abundance, an interesting one. When large, it can have both an interesting and dryish fruit. But others are better and it does not fill a need.

Star, mild but good.

To name my two flavor favorites thus far - sweetcrisp and Emerald. Bottom two - Biloxi and abundance. But there are still others I want to try, notably Scintilla and Springhigh.

[WillsC]

I have tasted a bunch of varieties and my 4 favorites in order would be Sweetcrisp, Windsor, Jewel and Star. My 4 least favorites Gulf Coast, Millennium, Emerald and Southmoon.

[m5allen]

My faves are Sweetcrisp with a strong lead, Springhigh and then a tie for third between Sunshine Blue and Snowchaser.

Sunshine Blue is the best looking blueberry bush IMO and the berries are delicious, but they are small and take forever to turn sweet once they turn blue. Snowchaser berries are great when first ripe and larger than SB, but this variety is a pathetic grower right now.

Least favorite is Emerald, but this variety is such a strong/healthy grower and so darn productive, so I can't let this one go.

[PharmaChad]

Wills, don't you think Windsor is a bit mushy?
Flavor is ok but just don't care for texture.

[WillsC]

I really am starting to think either the soil or cultural conditions affect the taste and texture. I love Windsor, so big and taste great. Yes they tear at the scar but for us home growers that is fine. To me I have never noticed it to be mushy. My Windsors are old 15+ years old and in fact last year just added 14 new Windsors.

[PharmaChad]

Wills, I agree with you. I know you say Emerald is bland, but over here not bad. Do you think the extra chill hours we get here have anything to do with it?

[WillsC]

It's possible. Not really sure. I know this year my sweetcrisps were not as crisp as in previous years, I think the reason was our wet spring.

[Gina]

There are probably several factors at play. I've never tried a Windsor, but Emerald is one of my favorites. It has a very pleasing taste to me. And is nice and firm and with large berries. And it's often first to ripen. Jewel? far too tart for me. I'm planning to get rid of some of those.

I wonder if humidity plays a role. Or perhaps how late in the season fruits ripen. Here it's in the middle of picking season, and as the season continues, the fruits get sweeter. Probably because of both the longer, warmer days, and fewer fruits on the bushes so the last ones get all the sugar from photosynthesis.

[m5allen]

Well Chad has the same humidity problem we do in FL, but probably not quite as bad. I just wonder if you guys got some good strains of Emerald. If so, you are lucky because you have a vigorous, healthy, highly productive, big berry producing plant that tastes good. Mine just don't taste that good. And we went blueberry picking with my sons at a local farm and their Emeralds didn't taste too good either.

[PharmaChad]

Well Chad has the same humidity problem we do in FL, but probably not quite as bad. I just wonder if you guys got some good strains of Emerald. If so, you are lucky because you have a vigorous, healthy, highly productive, big berry producing plant that tastes good. Mine just don't taste that good. And we went blueberry picking with my sons at a local farm and their Emeralds didn't taste too good either.

I was thinking the same thing. You know I have one Emerald bush that taste better than all the others. Maybe it's a propagater?

[PharmaChad]

Update: The Misty blueberries have really come along as far as taste. You must leave them on the bush a lot longer to get the best flavor possible. Abundance was not on my original list, but are producing now and would rate them between 8 and 9. Prince would also fall in this range.

[Gina]

My blues are tasting better now in general. In part because there are fewer on the bushes and all the sugars the leaves produce are going to fewer berries. And because the days are getting longer for more photosynthesis. And perhaps mainly because the plants are now in a bird enclosure so they now can get fully ripe.

My Mistys are also tasting better, as well as getting larger as they hang on the plants longer. Even the Biloxis which I've not valued as much as others, are tasting better.

As for Sweetcrisps, I really like them for their excellent texture, but taste-wise, they are sweet, but not as complex. I'm glad I have a full array of varieties for a good taste mixture.