By Eric Wiebe with Kathryn Hamilton, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteers of Durham County
All images credited to Lalitree Darnielle unless otherwise indicated
The taste-testing table ready with six varieties of tomatoes grown for the trials. Which one will reign supreme? (Image credit: Jenn Van Brunt)
Thinking about what tomato seeds to order this year? For starters, you should read the plant growth and fruit production results of our Briggs Ave Community Garden tomato trial. Probably just as important for your seed purchase decisions is how did those tomatoes taste? The tomatoes included in the trials were:
- Lemon Boy Plus
- Mountain Defender
- Better Boy Plus
- Mountain Flush
- Celebrity Plus
- Mountain Regina
- Carbon
The “Mountain” tomato varieties were donated by Dr. Dilip Panthee, head of NC State’s Fresh Market Breeding program and shared similar disease resistance characteristics to the “Plus” tomatoes. Carbon, consistently rated one of the best-tasting heirloom tomatoes, had none of these resistance characteristics, and was our “control” for taste.
While all of the varieties can be considered “slicers,” there were clear differences in overall size. Lemon Boy Plus, with an average fruit size of 3.9 oz compared to 8.6 oz for Carbon and 7.8 oz for Mountain Defender, were half the size of many of the red slicers. True to its name, Lemon Boy Plus was a distinct yellow while the remaining tomatoes ranged from bright red (Mountain Flush) to almost dusky red-purple (Carbon).
Our taste tests indicated that most of the varieties attempted to provide the best of both worlds, balancing both sweet and acid notes. Interestingly, people didn’t always agree on the finer points of their flavor with regard to what was sweet or acidic. One thing that everyone seemed to want was deep, often earthy flavor. They also preferred a meaty to a thin or mealy texture.
Unfortunately, Celebrity Plus was a taste-test no-show. Mid-summer production slowed to the point where we did not have enough tomatoes to taste. But production did pick up, and in the end, Celebrity Plus was one of the last plants standing.
Tomato Taste Test Results
Mountain Defender: Balanced
Mountain Defender did not have many supporters, only getting two first place votes. Many tasters didn’t find it any better than a supermarket tomato–bland and not very interesting. While the flavor was balanced, it had neither sweet nor acid notes that interested tasters. While the appearance was a nice pink-to light red, it was not particularly distinctive. Tasters also didn’t have many good things to say about texture. Overall it was found to be serviceable but not particularly interesting.
Mountain Flush: Juicy Tending Toward Sweet
Mountain Flush didn’t fare much better than Mountain Defender in the ratings. With only three first place votes, it finished with Mountain Defender at the bottom of the rankings. While a number of raters noted its looks, the texture and flavor didn’t match up. A few liked its juicy qualities, but most found it too watery. Similarly, the flavor was too mild for most, tending towards sweet.
Better Boy Plus: A Hint of Classic Taste
Better Boy Plus was a tomato that didn’t quite live up to its looks. Often described by raters as a ‘beautiful’ or ‘perfect’ tomato, with a strong red color with a few orange spots. However, while many raters tasted a hint of classic tomato flavor, it was too weak. As with many of the tomatoes, raters were mixed as to how good the sweet/acid balance was, with raters falling all along the scale. Similarly, the texture responses ranged from meaty to mushy. Many noted it had the perfect characteristics for a sandwich slicer. It ended up scoring in the middle of the pack with nine first place votes, and the same number of second place votes.
Lemon Boy Plus: Strong Third Place
Tasters found Lemon Boy Plus to be firm but at times tough-skinned. There were mixed results with regards to flavor. While some found it bright, others found it boring. Similarly, while some liked its acid bite, others found it too sweet. Nonetheless, Lemon Boy Plus had supporters in the final rankings, getting nine first place votes and 20 second place votes–more second place votes than any other tomato. While a number of tasters commented on the distinct yellow color, it’s hard to know how much this influenced final rankings.
Carbon: Vaunted Heirloom Comes in Second
Our heirloom control, Carbon, ended up second in the rankings. It received 10 first and 14 second-place votes. For many, it was good but not the best. Its looks had a lot going for it, with raters loving the deep red, purple, and green variegation. The acid/sweet balance was good, described by many as slightly acidic. However, on flavor it fell short for a number of people. A number of raters found it too mild, specifically noting that it was not as rich as Mountain Regina. While it had some nice earthy notes, they were not strong enough.
Mountain Regina: “The Perfect Summer Tomato”
Mountain Regina ended up at the top of our rankings, scoring an average of 4.07 on a scale of 1 to 5, the highest average score of the taste test. In addition, 29 of the 61 tasters ranked Mountain Regina as their favorite tomato in the trial. Twenty-one other tasters ranked it as either their second or third favorite. Raters described it as an heirloom tomato in appearance–a beautiful deep red with almost a hint of purple; smooth and meaty flesh and not too many seeds. The “classic, old-fashioned” flavor won many raters over with its deep, rich umami-like notes. Many considered it having a perfect acid/sweet balance with just the right hint of sweetness and not too much acidity. A number of raters said it was the perfect summer tomato–a 10 out of 10. These comments on flavor and appearance for Mountain Regina mirrored Carbon, our one heirloom variety.
The results of this year’s tasting trials had only one definitive outcome: people don’t always agree on what they like in a tomato. Even the lowest ranked tomatoes received some first place votes. Raters also didn’t necessarily agree on texture or degree of sweetness or acidity in varieties. While some of these differences may have been from variations between samples, it also is a reminder that people’s taste buds respond differently, and people want different flavors out of a tomato. Hopefully, the results of this taste test will help you find a tomato variety (or two) for your summer planting that matches your preferences.
Stay tuned for the 2026 tomato trial where we will test different root treatments to see if they make a difference in production.
Special thanks to Dr. Panthee who donated the tomato seeds, project leader Dr. Ashley Troth, and “Tomato Team” members: Caryl Cid; Carol Feldman, Kathryn Hamilton, Vicki Houck, Jeff Kanters, Debe Parks, and Eric Wiebe.
Resources and Additional Information:
Learn more about our participation in tomato trials on our blog: https://durhammastergardeners.com/tomatoes-on-trial-the-2024-tomato-project/
Get deeper into tomato science and growing by discovering the how-tos of tomato grafting: https://durhammastergardeners.com/tomato-grafting-project/
Links on growing tomatoes from NC State Cooperative Extension: https://extensiongardener.ces.ncsu.edu/2021/04/growing-tomatoes-at-home/
Edited by Melinda Heigel, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County
Article Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-72J
