Apple Guides
Tart to sweet,
all 19 apples.
Sweetness is the first thing anyone asks about and the hardest thing to describe. So we scored every variety we grow.
How to Read It
Every apple on one scale.
We scored all 19 varieties from 1 to 10, tartest to sweetest, based on how they actually eat. Not lab numbers, not sugar content on paper. How the apple tastes when you bite it.
Jonathan sits at the tart end and holds its acid through baking, which is why it turns up in so many pie recipes. Fuji anchors the sweet end and is the one kids reach for without being asked. Everything else falls in between.
The interesting part is the middle. Most of the varieties people argue about, Honeycrisp, Gala, EverCrisp, Jonagold, cluster in the 7 to 8 range where sweetness meets crunch. That crowding is the whole reason apple preference feels so personal.
The Scale
Tart to sweet.
Tap any variety to see its full flavor profile, harvest window and best uses.
What the Numbers Mean
Four ranges, four jobs.
1 to 3
Tart
Sharp and acidic. These hold their shape and their bite through heat, which makes them the backbone of pies, sauce and cider blends. Eaten fresh they wake you up.
4 to 6
Balanced
Sweet with real acid behind it. The most versatile group. Good for snacking, good in a salad, and they will not turn to mush in a crisp.
7 to 8
Sweet and Crisp
Where most modern varieties land, and where the crunch lives. Bred for eating out of hand. This is the range retailers move the most of.
9 to 10
Sweet
Low acid, high sugar, dense flesh. The kid-friendly end of the scale and the one that keeps well in a lunchbox.
One Caveat
The same apple is not the same every year.
Sweetness moves with the season. A warm September with cool nights builds more sugar than a cloudy one. Fruit picked later in its window eats sweeter than fruit picked early. Storage matters too, and a Honeycrisp in November is not a Honeycrisp in March.
Treat the scale as the shape of each variety, not a guarantee. It tells you Fuji will always sit sweeter than Jonathan. It does not promise an exact number in your hand.
Keep Going
Find the one you are after.
Filter all 19 varieties by best use and season, or read the full profile on any single apple.
Browse all 19 varieties
Filter by baking, snacking, sauce, cider and season. Every variety we grow, with photos and specs.
Where to buy them
Our apples reach stores under a lot of different labels. Here is how to spot Michigan fruit whatever the bag says.
Questions
Sweetness questions, answered.
Which apple is the sweetest?
Fuji, at a 10 on our scale. Ambrosia and Red Delicious follow close behind at 9. All three are low acid with dense flesh, which is why they read as sweet even when the sugar content is similar to a tarter apple.
Which apple is the most tart?
Jonathan, at a 1. It keeps its acid through heat, which is why it shows up in pie and sauce recipes and in cider blends where you need something to push back against the sweet varieties.
Which red apples are sweet?
Fuji, Ambrosia, Red Delicious, Gala and Honeycrisp all sit at 7 or above. If you want a red apple that is not sweet, look at Jonathan, Rome or McIntosh.
What apple is most like Honeycrisp?
EverCrisp, which is a Honeycrisp and Fuji cross, scores close and has a similar dense crunch. Jonagold and Gala are also nearby on the scale.
Does sweetness change from year to year?
Yes. Growing conditions, harvest timing and storage all shift sugar levels. A warm September with cool nights builds more sugar than a cloudy one. The scale shows how varieties compare to each other, not an exact number in any given season.
Are sweeter apples better for baking?
Usually not. Tart apples hold their structure and their flavor through heat, while very sweet varieties can go flat and soft. Most good pies use a tart apple or a mix of tart and sweet.
Building a set and not sure which varieties to carry?
Our sales team does this all season.