Apple Review by Sean Merone

Back again with yet another apple, it’s me, your favorite apple reviewer! Though now, I bring to you info and a review of one of my beta brother’s favorite apples, the fruit behind Apple’s signature laptop, and Canada’s national apple, the McIntosh.

The McIntosh was discovered by and named after John McIntosh, after he found a sapling of the tree in an uncleared section of his farm in Upper Canada in 1811. Surprised but opportunistic of his discovery, McIntosh cultivated the sapling to a full tree and harvested the fruit for consumption and sale beginning in 1835 alongside the first grafts of the tree aided by his son, Allan McIntosh. The apple was an incredible hit following its commercialization in 1870 and quickly rose to prominence in Canada and the North- Eastern United States, particularly New England, becoming the single most popular apple for those regions up until the late 20th century where competition from other cultivars–particularly the Gala cultivar– impacted its popularity, dropping it among the 15 most popular apples.

Now to its parentage and qualities, however, since the cultivar dates back so far and was found in a very forested and vegetative area, it is unknown as to exactly what the McIntosh’s parent cultivars are, but it is known to be of European descent as crab-apples among other European varieties were fairly close by. Even so, we have been left with the result and from the McIntosh, there is a bundle of interesting traits to parse through. The McIntosh is an incredibly small apple, short but compact, making it somewhat awkward to hold and eat. Behind its red and yellow skin is a soft and somewhat mushy flesh with a wonderful tart taste to it that even rivals the Granny Smith. It also holds some amount of cooking utility, its tart yet soft flesh complimenting sweeter yet much firmer apples in several dishes, like traditional crisps, or providing an incredible base to apple sauces. While these traits don’t exactly match what I’m looking for in an apple, there is a very strong reason that the McIntosh is one of the most popular apple cultivars.

Crispness: 4/10 Cost Efficiency: 10/10

Texture: 5/10 Cooking Utility: 6/10

Size: 3/10 Taste: 8/10