I was at the Jewel on Kinzie and Desplaines in the west loop and they had a rep from the Washington growers that produce the Cosmic Crisp. The Jewel was offering 2 new varieties of apples (Cosmic Crisp and SugarBee). From the Washington growers rep she said the Sugar Bee Apple is sweeter than the Cosmic Crisp and more similar to a Honey Crisp. Also mentioned these 2 types of apples produce greater yield and are more shelf stable than Honey Crisp apples.

For those interested in trying these 2 new varieties of apples they are available in all the Chicagoland Jewel-Osco grocery stores at the following price points:

Cosmic Crisp apple - $3.99 / lb
SugarBee® apple - $2.49 / lb

I did not buy any this time as I realized 1 apple is at least 0.50 lbs which seems pretty expensive if I want to try 2 apples (1 of each variety) I would spend at least $3.24+

More Info on Cosmic Crisp® brand apple:
https://cosmiccrisp.com/



More Info on SugarBee® apples
https://sugarbeeapple.com/

The cosmic crisp are $1.99 a pound at Jewel starting tomorrow.

I saw SugarBees at the Elston/Kedzie/Addison Jewel when I had to run in for something last night, but not the Cosmic Crisp.

Maybe they will be receiving them today/last night if they have a promotion starting today.

Am I really gonna have to go to Jewel twice in one week?!?!

ziggy wrote:I saw SugarBees at the Elston/Kedzie/Addison Jewel when I had to run in for something last night, but not the Cosmic Crisp.

Maybe they will be receiving them today/last night if they have a promotion starting today.

Am I really gonna have to go to Jewel twice in one week?!?!

It's not like the apples are going to go bad.

ziggy wrote:Am I really gonna have to go to Jewel twice in one week?!?!

Yeah, I'm eager to try both these new varieties but they're being sold at the two stores that I never shop at, and where I'm least likely to find anything else that I'd actually want to buy. A dedicated stop for apples?! Unprecedented (yet, it's probably going to happen)!

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:A dedicated stop for apples?! Unprecedented (yet, it's probably going to happen)!

=R=

Have you forgotten Apples Are Us and 31 Apples?

I picked up a Cosmic Crisp at Strack's in Valpo and it's definitely a different flavor and texture than the Honeycrisp--I'd describe it as combining the crispness and acidity of the Honeycrisp with a deeper, more "appley" flavor--and it's just a bit denser in texture. I liked it. I didn't $3.49/lb like it. But I'm sure the price will come down as it gets more distribution and at a normal price, I'd certainly buy them along with the Honeycrisps, for a little variety (Up until now, I haven't found any other apples I could say that about).

Ronnie--I'll be in the city on Sunday and would be happy to bring you a few for sampling if you'll be around. Strack's is my regular grocery these days--not a ton of choices out here in the wilds of NWI

I tried them. It's fine, crisp and juicy, but too sweet for me. I have one more that I am planning to leave in the fridge for a while - part of their appeal is supposed to be long keeping? So we'll see. And they were $2.99 a pound in Portland OR yesterday, $4.99 on launch day. Big apples, so two were more than a pound.

boudreaulicious wrote:I picked up a Cosmic Crisp at Strack's in Valpo and it's definitely a different flavor and texture than the Honeycrisp--I'd describe it as combining the crispness and acidity of the Honeycrisp with a deeper, more "appley" flavor--and it's just a bit denser in texture.

Great description, although the few I've tried make me think they are more than just a bit more dense ("denser" doesn't sound right to me - it sounds like a German pet's name, or a foreign country's reindeer...sorry...So sorry, but that's funny as shit to me - I JUST had a long, absolutely hilarious argument with one Asian friend, and one Mexican friend, and they both have have VERY strong accents - tmi, I know)

Anyway, we are a split household on these. After the initial trial, I think I like Honeycrisps and Everisps better than the Cosmic. Jr likes the Cosmic more - his quote was, "this is what an apple SHOULD taste like." I agree with him in that the Cosmic definitely has a more pronounced apple flavor. BUT, I like the Honey and Ever a little more because they are lighter. I'd say that the Cosmic crisp would be my first "go to" if their season extends beyond the other two, without question.

These are good, really good.

seebee wrote:These are good, really good.

Yep. Cosmic crisps have dethroned Honeycrisp as my favorite.

They had lots of the cosmic crisp and the Sugar Bees at the Chicago Ave. Jewel. I got four of the cosmic crisps and two of the Sugar Bees. Has anybody tried the Sugar Bees yet? I haven't tried either one of them yet. I am waiting until this weekend when I go to my sister's in Michigan so we can all try them. She said she had not seen any yet at Meijer's but she was not looking for them either. Ronnie when you pick up your apples you can get the Rao's that is on sale B1G1F through Tuesday. There is a limit of four on the Rao's.

NFriday wrote:Ronnie when you pick up your apples you can get the Rao's that is on sale B1G1F through Tuesday. There is a limit of four on the Rao's.

Thanks, Nancy. That's very helpful.

=R=

NFriday wrote:They had lots of the cosmic crisp and the Sugar Bees at the Chicago Ave. Jewel. I got four of the cosmic crisps and two of the Sugar Bees. Has anybody tried the Sugar Bees yet?

I tried SugarBee this past weekend and its very sweet (sweeter than a honeycrisp) with a crispy flesh. I think some who don't like overly sweet apples might not like it while those you enjoy desert like apples this one will be in your wheelhouse. Consequently I have not tried the Cosmic Crisp yet but do have 1 at home that will be tried this week.

Cosmic Crisp, lightly sweet/tart, juicy, nice crunch. I liked it, bought three, ate one, wish I bought seven.



Cosmic Crisp, count me a Fan!

Cosmic Crisp is still on sale for $1.99 at Jewel, and the Sugar Bee is still $2.49.

I love this thread.

All of these disciples of Eve evident.

I had the Sugarbee b/c the produce guy at Local Foods Suggested it. I find it's flesh crisper than honeycrisp and I detect more acid. It is a lovely apple to eat.

Now to head downstairs and see if I have any left in the fridge.

I like both of these new varieties. I also like Honey Crisp, Granny Smith, Fuji, Pink Lady, etc. It's just about impossible for me declare any one variety superior over the others. As for these n00bs, Cosmic Crisp are nicely acidic. I enjoy the intense sweetness of the Sugar Bees. The best attribute of these two new varieties may be their later season, which makes it easier to enjoy excellent varieties of apples over a greater portion of the year.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:I like both of these new varieties. I also like Honey Crisp, Granny Smith, Fuji, Pink Lady, etc. It's just about impossible for me declare any one variety superior over the others. As for these n00bs, Cosmic Crisp are nicely acidic. I enjoy the intense sweetness of the Sugar Bees. The best attribute of these two new varieties may be their later season, which makes it easier to enjoy excellent varieties of apples over a greater portion of the year.

=R=

I like a similar flavor profile, and after finding Cosmic Crisp at Trader Joe's (in Schaumburg...a failed furniture shopping trip) it will join my short list of go-to apples. My only complaint is the size. While I could eat an entire one in one sitting, I'd prefer a half-sized one.

Bought Cosmic Crisp at Marianos in Western Springs at $1.99 lb. I,ll stick to Honeycrisp,it is denser but not sweeter.Not worth the premium pricing.

I'm a grape breeder, and know a bit about apple breeding. Some of you might be interested in what's going on behind the scenes in this apple proliferation. I'll be a bit pedantic--sorry!--but you might find it interesting anyway. Hope so!

Honeycrisp was developed at the University of Minnesota. UMN is also deeply involved with breeding wine grapes, which is how I'm connected to this scene. Breeding fruit requires various, but always enormous, amounts of work, depending on the variety. Apples are pretty work intensive: you need to cross female varieties and male varieties, and then nurture the offspring for years until they fruit. Then you need to sample the fruit, make preliminary selections on the basis of ease of growth, disease resistance, fruit quality, etc. Finally, you send the qualifying selections out to various regions to be tested under different terroirs.

Honeycrisp from the start was a startling improvement on previous apples in terms of texture, sugar levels, ease of growing, etc. It passed all the tests, and was released by UMN to commercial production. Growers all over the country rushed to plant the new wonder apple. It soon became available everywhere, as far south as Virginia, as far east as NY and Vermont.

Unfortunately, once Honeycrisp was grown in terroir much different from its breeding grounds in the upper midwest, its quality plummeted. Here in the apple districts of upstate NY, Honeycrisp's quality level was not much better than locally grown Macs--softer texture, less sweet, less flavour. Growers were disappointed to say the least. A couple of weeks ago I was talking to a grower in Winchester VA--which is a huge apple-growing district--and he told me "Honeycrisp is sh*t". It just doesn't work in the northern Virginia terroir.

So, what to do? Well, if you can only breed for your own terroir, then breed for your own terroir. Breeders, both private and at universities, got busy trying to breed a Honeycrisp offspring that would work for their area. Washington State came up with the Cosmic Crisp; NY State's Cornell Fruit Station came up with Snapdragon, both of which are excellent, great improvements for their terroir over the Honeycrisp parent.

And, in order to prevent the Honeycrisp disaster--allowing planting the variety anywhere and everywhere, which tarnished the brand--the new varieties were tightly controlled as far as release to growers is concerned. You can plant the new "-crisp" varieties only where the breeders think they will be 100% true-to-type.

Look for more and more new apple releases of this type. And finer apples.

Geo

I tried the Cosmic Crisp, (sorry can't remember where I bought them)
a few weeks ago, and I really like them
My other current favorite is Ginger Gold,
which I usually only see in Farmers markets.
I like honeycrisp OK, but just don't think they are worth that much more $$
Another variety I just LOVE that I see from time to time is Smitten!

We tried them earlier this week. None of us care for the Sugar Bee's, too sweet. Everyone liked the sweet/tart/acidic/crisp Cosmic Crisp, but we didn't think they were significantly better than Pink Lady's or good Honey Crisps.

G Wiv wrote:Cosmic Crisp, lightly sweet/tart, juicy, nice crunch.

Just ate a Cosmic Crisp and Honeycrisp back to back.

Cosmic Crisp, audible crisp crunch, flesh denser than Honeycrisp. Sweet, tart, juicy, delicious. While I preferred Cosmic Crisp Honeycrisp was no slouch, just slightly less, all categories, in relation to Cosmic Crisp.

Honeycrisp expensive, Cosmic Crisp ridiculous. I spent $397.43 on 6-apples. Looks like the Koalas will not get their New Years Eve eucalyptus leaf treats. ~sigh~

G Wiv wrote:I spent $397.43 on 6-apples.

Please see me next time you want to buy apples. I can definitely beat that price.

In the next few years the Cosmic Crisp should become less expensive than Honeycrisp as it was bred to be easier to grow, less fragile and easier to store.

The Cosmic Crisp quickly became my favorite super market apple. Unfortunately, a month or so after it's debut it disappeared from the stores I go to. Anyone still see these being sold?

Jonah -
We are well past high apple season, and on the tail end of citrus season. California Navels are still pretty good right now, however. I'd be VERY surprised if you found a Cosmic that wasn't a "mislabeled" Honeycrisp. I'm still seeing Galas, Fujis and Honeycrisps in stores that are still pretty decent eaters. I'm seeing Pink Crisps as well, but I've never favored those as being worthy of the "Crisp" family name. My guess would be you need to be on the lookout for the Cosmics mid August / fall. Whether the Cosmic Crisp supply chain people are taking measures to have acceptable product damn near year round like Honeycrisps and Fujis remains to be seen, but I think from a previously linked story in this thread, they are a$$uming it will be a game changer, and know that production need$ to be bumped.

Be very careful with some of these new apple varieties. I have tried a couple of the newer ultra-juicy apples. When you bite into them, they are very juicy and quite a nice experience. However, try to bake with them and they disintegrate into mush.

I wish that I could be more specific but honestly, there are so many apples out there right now that I cannot keep them straight.