Method
How editorial guide ratings work
Inherited editorial browsing orientation from an earlier edition of this guide. They help place the eight profiles against one another while browsing. They sit apart from each profile's cited evidence and are never shown as part of it.
Editorial guide ratings
- The 1–5 dot scale is relative editorial orientation for browsing these eight profiles against one another.
- It is not culinary consensus, a lab measurement, or a source-backed cultivar fact.
- Cited evidence is kept separate, and its source, scope, and date govern it.
- No result here proves suitability, availability, health, or storage outcome.
The scale and the fields
Relative position among these eight profiles: 1 is lowest, 5 is highest. A dot row always states its number in text beside it.
- Sweetness
- A relative 1–5 position among the eight profiles: 1 is the lowest sweetness in this guide, 5 the highest.
- Tartness
- A relative 1–5 position among the eight profiles: 1 is the lowest tartness in this guide, 5 the highest.
- Crispness
- A relative 1–5 position among the eight profiles: 1 is the lowest crispness in this guide, 5 the highest.
- Juiciness
- A relative 1–5 position among the eight profiles: 1 is the lowest juiciness in this guide, 5 the highest.
- Aroma
- A relative 1–5 position among the eight profiles: 1 is the lowest aroma in this guide, 5 the highest.
- Keeping class
- Short, medium, or long, relative to the other seven. It is not a storage time and not storage advice; conditioned storage appears only as a cited claim on a profile.
- Rarity
- Within-guide obscurity: how unfamiliar the name is relative to the other seven profiles, 1 the most familiar. It is never availability, scarcity, or where or when an apple can be bought.
- Use tags
- Editorial groupings for browsing: fresh, lunch, kids, cheese, pie, and cider. A tag does not show that an apple suits the use; stated uses appear only as a cited claim on a profile.
What a guide rating is not
- Not culinary consensus.
- Not a lab or panel measurement.
- Not a source-backed cultivar fact.
- Not a statement about availability.
- Not nutrition or health information.
- Not storage advice.
- Not proof of suitability for a use.
- Not a cultivar recommendation.
How cited evidence differs
A profile's cited evidence is quoted or summarized from a named source. Each claim carries that source, the region or conditions the source gives, and an access date, and it applies only within that scope. A category no source covers is left out rather than filled in.
Guide ratings carry none of that. They never fill in a missing cited category, and a cited claim never changes because of a guide rating. Where the two appear on the same page, they sit under separate headings.
Where the ratings are used
- Browse by editorial guideCatalog filters for guide flavor balance, guide crispness, and use tag.
- Editorial taste mapGuide sweetness minus guide tartness across, guide crispness up.
- MatchmakerThe three profiles nearest four preference answers, with the rule shown.
- Quick picksSeven editorial starting points, each one stated ordering rule.
Every result from these tools is a starting point for reading the cited profiles.
Every guide rating
All values the tools read, in one place.
Editorial guide ratings table, scrolls sideways on narrow screens
| Profile | Sweet | Tart | Crisp | Juicy | Aroma | Keeping | Rarity | Use tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honeycrisp | 4 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | Medium keeping class | 1 | fresh, lunch, kids, cheese |
| Fuji | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | Long keeping class | 1 | fresh, lunch, kids |
| Gala | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | Medium keeping class | 1 | fresh, lunch, kids |
| Granny Smith | 1 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | Long keeping class | 1 | fresh, pie, cheese, cider |
| Golden Delicious | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Medium keeping class | 1 | fresh, pie, kids, cheese |
| McIntosh | 3 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 3 | Short keeping class | 2 | fresh, kids, cider |
| Cortland | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | Medium keeping class | 3 | fresh, lunch, pie, cider |
| Arkansas Black | 2 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | Long keeping class | 5 | pie, cheese, cider |