Best tasting tomato

[realfood]

According to a trailer for the next issue of a gardening magazine, out of 18 varieties, the best tasting tomato is Sioux, followed by Matina and Orkado F1. Has anyone grown these varieties or even tasted them?
Do they taste better than Sungold?

[Jeannine]

I don't know Orkado but I would disagree with Sioux and Matina. It is funny but it seems to depend on who writes the review. Personally I would say Paul Robeson  and for a F1 I would say Big Beef would stand a good chance. Black Cherry might rival Sungold in a tight race but I think Matts Wild Cherry would beat it.

There are many more I would put ahead of Matina.

XX Jeannine

[chriscross1966]

Did they test Sungold?.... I'd agree re: Paul Robeson for open pollinated, and I was glad to see Black Chery turn up in a potluck tomato seed swap I was in cos lat time I had it it was lovely, relishing the chance I've got this year to test a lot of new varieties (or ones I've only trasted in isolation) against my personal faves....

chrisc

[gardentg44]

Its Sungold & Fantasio for me

[Squash64]

I know I'm probably being a bit thick, but surely something that tastes delicious to one person might taste vile to another?

I personally think Sungold is the best tomato I've ever tasted but there must be people who think it's horrible. 

[Deb P]

Sungold is just too sweet for me! I prefer a bit more of an acidic bite, so Kenilworth is one of my favourites from last year...this year I'm trialing a lot of varieites I haven't grown before , plus my usual 'tried and tested' favourites...

[Mortality]

I bought some Matina from a supermarket, still on the vine ones, they were lovely and I saved the seeds from the last tomato. I have 3 of those seeds growing atm.

[no-lottie]

We're a bit restricted here in obtaining Sungold seeds, but we do have some tomatoes that are quite tasty to us. I have a couple that I'm happy with, but like Squash64 has above, we all taste things slightly different to each other. It will be interesting to see what the readers of the garden magazine have to say about their winning selection.

[cleo]

Hey!! want some flavour of the year??

Never mind the media grow what suits you and 20 years later you wil be spoiled for choice

It`s not so much what to grow as what not to grow-MoneyMaker comes to mind??

[saddad]

Sungold and Black cherry for me... although I am partial to the green and white ones too... I personally don't think in terms of a "best" tomato as they can taste so different... 

[goodlife]

Oh...well if would have to pick only one..Sun Belle for me...
No matter how full my greenhouse is I allways grow it and the fruit never leaves the greenhouse other than in my tummy and they are not to share...

[Jayb]

I’ve not grown any of those 3, although Matina is often reported to be the same as Tamina?, which is nice but not fantastic. I’m growing a couple of Sioux (thank you Jeannine) this year though.

I think my overall most favourite is Sungold, it is the one I would miss most if I did not grow it. I can’t get on with Black cherry; it’s just not that nice for me. Although considering the rave reviews it gets, perhaps worth me trying some seeds from somewhere else just in case.

[Squashfan]

This is really crap but we grew a yellow beefsteak variety a couple of years ago (can I remember the name? nooooo) and it was gorgeous.  I am also fond of the ukranian black tomatoes as a variety. Mmmm. We tend to grow a ton of different sorts depending on what I get at seed fairs/catches my fancy in the little catalogues. I would be a crap biologist! 

[SueK]

Not having a GH we are limited to outdoor varieties, but in our south facing wind tunnel in the frozen north we really enjoyed Galina and Latah last year.  Gardener's Delight had been wonderful in our previous garden, but struggled to ripen as well at our new des res.

[realfood]

I now have the full article in which they grew 19 classic or salad tomatoes, both indoors and outside. Best tasting was Sioux, best for growing indoors was Matina, best for growing outdoors was Orlado F1, worth considering was Red Zebra and Stupice.
Those that were rated poor or very poor for taste were, Ailisa Craig, Alicante, Battito, CumulusF1, Fantasio F1, Tango F1, Thalassa F1, Golden sunrise.
That leaves another 6 not named so presumably average.
Slightly puzzled by their use of the term "salad" tomatoes. My choice of a "salad" tomato would be a "cherry" type, such as Sungold, but they seem to consider the larger type of tomato to be a "salad" type.

[Vinlander]

I saw the article in Which?

What's the point of comparing new tomatoes with old ones that everyone knows aren't that great?

Which? usually do better - in every other comparison they mention and rate against previous winners (that would be Gardeners Delight and Sungold) but this time they didn't.

Would a car magazine compare a new supercar with a Triumph Spitfire rather than recent peers?

Weird.

[Jeannine]

The definition of a salad tomato seems to have changed.. it used to mean the middle size tom such as a Moneymaker , bigger than a cherry, smaller than a beefsteak and not a paste.

I agree with them about the poor tasting ones but am surprised to see Stupice  not on that list. I find it has a great use as a very early tomato  and therefore needs to be acknowledged  but  I think  the taste is poor.

 I am also surprised even more than Big Beef is not on the list for indoor growing as it has won many taste tests and has great yield in the greenhouse.

Still, mags are always interesting and bottom line is  it's just an opinion.  Sungold is still one of my favourites and would always grow it, even though there are some pushing it for taste now.

[antipodes]

Taste is quite personal. Resistance to disease is quite a more interesting indicator!!!
I grew Tigerella, they are a bit stripey! And i found that they did have a tough skin but that made them a bit easier to store and keep, but that the flesh was very nice, and they are pretty juicy. But probably other people don't like them!
I know those big yellow beef steak ones, I am trying to grow them this year. here they call them Pineapple tomatoes  They have quite a mild flavour in fact, not so "tomato-ey", but they are juicy and a good balance of sweet and savoury.
Gardener's delight are still a good all round cherry tomato though, aren't they?

[cleo]

What is best??

How many of us have grown/tasted every variety?

Grow what suits you and then be prepared to try something else.

My mission is to ask folks to try and not to grow that awful variety still seen in garden centres.

[Vinlander]

The definition of a salad tomato seems to have changed.. it used to mean the middle size tom such as a Moneymaker , bigger than a cherry, smaller than a beefsteak and not a paste.

I agree with them about the poor tasting ones but am surprised to see Stupice  not on that list. I find it has a great use as a very early tomato  and therefore needs to be acknowledged  but  I think  the taste is poor.

 I am also surprised even more than Big Beef is not on the list for indoor growing as it has won many taste tests and has great yield in the greenhouse.

Still, mags are always interesting and bottom line is  it's just an opinion.  Sungold is still one of my favourites and would always grow it, even though there are some pushing it for taste now.

The full article in Which? Gardening actually gave Stupice an honourable mention as the best early - in fact it got 4 stars for flavour the same as the 2nd choice.

It all makes less and less sense.

Having re-read the intro it is obvious that they meant to exclude cherry toms from the test.

This is crazy - the size of a tomato is largely irrelevant to its use. Maybe it wasn't when they were all equally tasteless, but now we use whatever tastes best.

In our salads, Sungold is halved, Gardeners Delight and/or Green Tiger are quartered and if they aren't available whatever is bigger is sliced and diced.

Cookers are a bit different but all the above are still excellent cooked.

Unfortunately magazines these days are written by journos shamming gardening rather than gardeners who can follow a style book...