Cosmic CrispTM apple

USDA identification images for Cosmic Crisp

The identification paintings in the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection span the years 1886 to 1942.

Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705.

Visitor reviews

• 16 Mar 2022  Chad O'Brien

  Crisp and juicy with a sweet-tart flavor. Amazing how it doesn't brown! Easily my favorite apple.
• 24 Feb 2022  Mason Smtih

  The Cosmic Crisp was easily one of the best apples I have ever eaten. The flavor was a good balance of sweet and tart. The bold claim of a year of shelf life in the fridge would be superb, however the apples tend to be higher priced at the store. That's to be expected considering the development cost and the expense of growing the apples. Overall, I think worth a purchase, and will become a regular in the rotation of apples in my home, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, and now Cosmic Crisp.
• 28 Jul 2021  Mike A.SOUTH DAKOTA/BROWN, United States

  Judging by the one Apple I’ve had … Amazing. Crisp, juicy, snaps when you bite it. Haven’t seen them here yet, this one was given to me. I’ll watch for them.
• 09 May 2021  MadgeMD, United States

  When I first had these, they were CRISP and tangy. This year they are easier to find and < 2.50/lb, but the crunch is gone and they are somewhat bland. Not as tangy, crispy or juicy.
• 14 Feb 2021  LingolnCALIFORNIA, United States

  I had two opportunities to taste this apple. The first was early in 2020 when this variety first became available. After that tasting, I would have rated it at 5 out of 5 stars, hands down. It was by far the best-tasting apple that I'd bought from a grocery store in many years, blowing all of the other commercial varieties out of the water. The texture was extremely crisp and juicy as promised, and the flavor was very sweet, very tart, and a tad more complex than the watery storebought apples. I would have still picked a good farmer's market apple over this, but that's not the class these apples fall under. HOWEVER.... I bought a few this year (early 2021) when I saw them available again, expecting them to be just as good as last year. I was extremely disappointed with the apples I got. They tasted completely bland with no tartness, just moderate single-note sweetness, absolutely no complexity, and a texture that was technically still crisp but not at all enchanting. The skin even felt a bit soft and when squeezed the apple seemed slightly spongy and wilted. In short, they tasted exactly like an apple that has been sitting in storage for over a year that's lost all of its flavor and appeal. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if the apples I'm seeing in stores now are from the same harvest as the apples I bought last spring. This was my biggest concern with this variety, and what I suspect may be its downfall: they're most likely a delicious, reliable apple when sold fresh off the tree, but since they were specifically bred to have an exceedingly long shelf life, most of what you can find in stores will have been stored for many, many, many months. I would still happily buy this apple fresh from a farmer's market or even grow it in my yard when they become available, but I won't be buying any more from the grocery store.
• 30 Jan 2021  WayneWA, United States

  I bought three and each had a section that was bitter. About a third of the apple. It is not a pleasant taste and I spit it out. I am very sensitive to food - will not buy again.
• 25 Jan 2021  PeterOKLAHOMA, United States

  Bitter! Bitter is not a taste I have ever experienced in an apple. It is so odd one thinks of it as a poison apple. Although the apple is juicy and crispy, the apple taste is mild and nothing special. Cosmically odd.
• 15 Jan 2021  RachelWA, United States

  Terrible bitter taste that lasts for minuets after eating, particularly in the skin. It was like eating an apple that was injected with soap or some other bitter chemical. Threw it away after 3 bites. Perhaps it was smoke damage from the 2020 fires.
• 14 Jan 2021  SteveWASHINGTON., United States

  Rather ordinary with odd aftertaste. Won't buy anymore at any price. Not sure what to do with the other two in the fridge.
• 29 Dec 2020  Wayne HowellONTARIO, Canada

  strong chemical taste that i thought might be harmful. after paying 5.46 for 2 apples as a Christmas treat I threw them in the garbage.
• 17 Feb 2020  Ken GatesUT, United States

  Eat them on the way home from the store before they go bad.
• 16 Jan 2020  DaveFL, United States

  I consider myself somewhat of a apple connoisseur, if been eating them for over 60years. Been waiting a long time to try the cosmic crisps, I have to say it was a big let down. Honestly doesn't make top 5.
• 05 Jan 2020  PatriciaOR, United States

  Wonderful apple. Will make this my usual eating apple (previous was Honeycrisp). I usually only eat 1/2 at a time and put the uneaten have in a vacuum bag in the refrigerator. After about a week I went for the saved half. The vacuum bag had failed and the apple had been exposed to air. Absolutely no discoloration, blemishes, softness or loss of texture or flavor.
• 17 Dec 2019  GalaguyCT, United States

  Mottled ruby red and golden delicious skin with attractive starry-night lenticels. Texture is shatteringly crisp with a good amount of juice. Flesh is creamy white, doesn't oxidize quickly. Flavor is a little bland and one-note, doesn't have the same fragrance as other varieties. Caveat: the apple sampled may have been under-ripe (yellow-green around the stem), so the dominant flavor was tartness.
• 16 Dec 2019  The KessOH, United States

  Beautiful. Very firm & crisp, not at all mealy, as expected. Flavor profile is more of a straight-ahead, Macintosh kind of sugary sweetness with a little less of the slight tart notes that I prefer in the honeycrisp. I still prefer the ancestor, but many will like this one more. An exceptional variety. A+ without a doubt.
• 15 Dec 2019  Silas McgillicuddyIDAHO, United States

  Very sweet. Very sour. Very crisp. Very juicy. A bit crass and a bit boring. Like a honeycrisp but more sour. A mass market apple for sure.
• 13 Dec 2019  John Milner-BrageIOWA, United States

  Skunky taste when cooked in oatmeal

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