Kanzi apple
Malus domestica
A great modern dessert variety, derived from Braeburn.
Parentage: Gala x Braeburn
Origin: 2004-2007
Introduced: Europe
Season: Late
Apple cultivar ID: 118000
Part of the appeal of the old heritage apple varieties is their good honest names. In the "good old days" apples were named without fuss. A common strategy was the name of the person who discovered them - Pott’s Seedling, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Kidd’s Orange Red, Granny Smith, Chivers Delight and so on. If that didn’t have quite the right ring to it, the name of the local village might suffice: Ribston Pippin, Barnack Beauty, Allington Pippin, Braeburn. Another popular strategy was to borrow the name of a famous person such as Lord Lambourne, Freyberg, Bismarck for example. If you were stuck (or not very inventive) you just went for something really simple like Red Delicious or Golden Delicious. In the 21st century hower the important job of naming (or branding) new apple varieties is no longer left to the happy grower, but has been taken over by marketing departments, who see apples as just another consumer item, and might as well be naming a new car as a new apple. Thus we have Kanzi, a brand new 21st century apple, which means "hidden treasure" in Swahili - of course.
Kanzi, as a name, does not perhaps have the same gravitas as the old heritage apple varieties - yet. Fortunately this is a pretty good apple so we can let the name grow on us. Kanzi has been developed and marketed by Greenstar Kanzi Europe (GKE) and first came on to the market in 2006. It’s not available from US growers yet, and most supplies are from the Netherlands.
The Kanzi apple ticks all the right boxes for a modern apple. It has the modern bi-coloured appearance, and does indeed look very attractive on the supermarket shelf. The marketing literature suggests that Kanzi is a crimson-red but all the examples we have seen are red-orange. It is a good firm fairly crisp apple, with a mild but pleasant apple flavour, slightly sharp rather than sweet and quite juicy.
The obvious comparison is with Jazz. Although Jazz was developed independently in New Zealand and has been available in supermarkets for a few years, it is actually a sibling of Kanzi – they share the same parents, Gala and Braeburn. We have done a number of comparative tastings of these two important new apples and it is difficult to say which is "best" - they are both very good examples of 21st century apple development. Anyone who thinks that only the old heritage apple varieties have any flavour will have to think again with either of these apple varieties. It is true that apple development went through a bit of a bad patch in the mid 20th century, with supermarkets putting supply chain attributes ahead of flavour, but there can be no doubt that modern apples like Jazz and Kanzi are right up there with the old classic apple varieties when it comes to flavour.
The colouration is very similar, but we think Kanzi is arguably the prettier apple. Jazz can look a little bit too tall, whereas Kanzi is more rounded -quite similar to Ariane (although the parentage is completely different).
Looks are important commercially, but for us it is mainly about the flavour of the apple. The flavour of both Kanzi and Jazz is extremely good, but also quite different. The Jazz apple has the stronger flavour, with its distinctive peardrop aftertaste and dense flesh. Kanzi is more delicate, with a less pronounced flavour and lighter flesh. In our tests so far most tasters prefer Kanzi (by a margin of at least 2/3rds to 1/3rd), partly because Jazz can be just a bit too solid to bite into sometimes. The milder flavour of Kanzi is also easier and less demanding, although perhaps a bit less memorable too. However your objective author should here state his own preference: Jazz wins because of its more distinctive flavour.
The photo below shows Jazz (left) and Kanzi (right) apples side by side.
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Relationships to other apple varieties
Parents and other ancestors of this variety:
Siblings of this variety (same parentage):
Discuss Kanzi in our Forums
| 05 Dec 2009 20:54 | Joy | |
| Bought 4 of these apples today from Tesco - odd name for a european apple - husband and I love Jazz (which I mainly use for tarte tatin) - they are absolutely delicious, sweet, firm and very juicy. Shall definitely buy them again. | ||
| 01 Dec 2009 15:19 | Catherine | |
| I am one of the fussiest apple eaters and cannot eat an apple that isn't quite right for me. I like apples to be crunchy, sharp but sweet and not go soft/"clothy". I can tell by the first bite whether I will eat the remainder of the apple, and I can honestly say that every Kanzi I have eaten has been excellent, and I have thrown none away. I only buy English apples at this time of year, and I'm thrilled that Tesco stock them per kilo (there's no way I could eat a whole plastic bag full) and I like to select my own for shape/size etc. A love this apple!!! | ||
| 22 Nov 2009 14:46 | Chris | |
| Just had my first taste of Kanzi. I really enjoyed the flavour and the look of the apple and the price was great at £1.25 for a bag of 7 in Tesco. I actually picked up the Jazz first but put them back as my preference is for a round apple not the longer looking apple. I will try the Jazz just to see which I prefer tastewise but aesthetically I lean towards the Kanzi. | ||
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