As the years go by, I seem to discover that many highly sought after varieties taste do NOT
differ too much. Could this be related to enjoying too many varieties in one season where the taste
buds got used too ? It seems over the last 3 seasons, I am more convince that it pays to focus on a
few high quality reliable varieties & come up on top, more so given the taste difference between the
much sought after varieties taste difference being marginal. I have a green house & I would be testing
out my experience. As is, I find my Dark Portuguese, Hardy Chicago, VdB, Rosetta, RdB, Aubique Petite etc
can rival Gypsy, I-258, Maltese Falcon, etc. Also in my travels, I have tasted how great some of these named
varieties like VdB, Aubique Petite, in high heat zones and they taste superb. Hope fig friends can share their
experiences as I have slowed down(sometimes turn down offers) my collection on much sought after varieties.
I think I am currently much influenced by this thought on marginal advantage and efforts. Of course I find out
too many are below standard compared to what I already have.

i think some figs are high priced due to factors other than taste. people seem to want bragging rights.

 anyway, since i prefer fmv free plants, i can't get those designer figs that all seem to be infected.

i'm very happy with my simple figs.

Good Point, Paul. I am trying not to get caught up in all the hype. I believe also that the taste of some high priced figs taste similar to less priced figs. I am looking to buy a Hardy Chicago, been hearing good things about that and I have seen this at a few local nurseries.

It like any collecting hobby, the goal for such hobbists is to have the rare and unusual. It is perfectly normal, even if I don't share the idea.

For me, all I care about is having a handful of varieties so I can have some taste difference and a longer season. My primary concern is having productive trees that will thrive in my area. The only bad tasting figs I have ever eaten were those that did not ripen properly or soured because of rain. Otherwise my wife and I enjoy any fig, and that is the final issue for what I am growing.

But as for our friends who have wide-ranging collections, I say "more power to you!"

try nicely ripen CdDB. and tell me it's like the rest :)

edit: i'm looking for few that are outstanding. there are lot of outstanding figs, but like paul said they are not far from each other as far as taste is concerned. then comes along figs like CdDB and blow me away. not rare, but distinctive taste and different from others. 

Im with you on this one Pete. In any classification of fruit, no matter what you refer too, there are always outstanding varieties. Offcoarse taste is subjective and climate will vary but for the most part, the cream will always rise to the top. In my area there are several varieties of peachs that are good but one variety called Tropic Snow is hands down the best peach for my area. Blueberries are another fruit where Sweetcrisp will steal the show over and over again and it doesnt seem to vary from one region to the next. There are very good fruits to be had but some really have that wow factor. I think some people are just collectors and then some are trialing varieties for there area. There is a guy here in North Houston and his name escapes me but hes trialed over 30 fig varieties for this area and swears by LSU Purple and Celest. Says they will rival any fig any where, any time. That may not be so 500 miles to the North, West or East. Im no expert on figs by any means and Im going off of popular consensus with my small collection. I will do the same thing I did with the blueberries and weed them out with in a few years to the best of the best for my area and location. When I think about the cream of the crop for figs the first 2 varieties that come to mind are CDDB and Black Maderia. Not from my own experience, but from the general concensus, mostly from this forum. The masses usually dont lie......Unless its the masses that are selling the figs??? ;)

Hi Pauly22,
 I see that you still have a wishlist :) - So you are still hunting !
How many strains have you tested ?

So your question is: Is taste all that matters in figs ? My answer is obviously NO .
As for any food, the first contact is with the eyes - So having different looking figs is still an interesting hunt - big, small, dark, white, yellow ...

I myself bought in Autumn 2013 an Ice Crystal . It's just for my curiosity and for reviewing it myself.
Another strain that I would like to test is the Panache. But from what I know, the french Panache needs a really long season to ripen and the figs are small - So is Ice crystal supposed to behave- I have seen photos of a panache strain here in the forum -
but I don't think that it is the french/Baud panache.

For me , well it's like that, the biggest are the best, and I'm hunting for a big fig strain. I think that I located one ... That keeps me dreaming :)
So happy dreaming.. heu ... figging :)

I might need my head examined, but I enjoy reading about the different types of fig varieties, and the thoughts of growing some of the more desirable, and uncommon, varieties.  The search can be fun.  Anticipation is usually better than the reality.  I learned long ago that 90% of almost everything is BS.  Figs are no different.

I searched high and low for the, must have, "Kathleen's Black" and so far the tree has done nothing to recommend it.  If it lives through this winter, it will be the 4th year that I have it.  It produced nothing, and has been slow growing.  It's totally unlike any other of my fig varieties, performance-wise.  So...what good is it to me?

Now, I concentrate on fig varieties -(known and unknown)- that will stay alive, and survive, unprotected, in my climate zone, ripen figs in my short summer season, and give me figs that have a delicious flavor.  I forced myself to forget the romantic descriptions of all the rest, and I just grow what works for me. 

My collection has been shrinking in number each year.  I have three fig varieties, so far, that I will keep, and I'd be sad to lose any of them.  Two are "named" varieties, and the other is a local, unidentified, Bronx variety....."Atreano"...."Black Mission"...and "Bryant Dark" ...are the stars sharing center stage in my humble collection.  If I had to choose, at gunpoint ...."Bryant Dark" would win.  Why?  Taste: 9-1/2 out of a possible 10...grows unprotected in Zone-7.... no FMV, and vigorous grower ... tight eye....prolific bearer/two crops, medium-large, black figs .... ripens early (main-crop by late July - early August) ... easy to propagate.

What more do I need?



Frank

First of all, VdB and its siblings are first rate figs.  They're just lots healthier and easier to handle than many of the other top figs.  As such, it's really not fair to put that one among "plebian" figs.

Second, figs don't really change all that much going from variety to variety--not near as much as boutique apples, pears, mangos, do.  The same variety, however, can have very different fruit from circumstance to circumstance.  Which is why less spectacular figs can get praised every once in a while.  In general, it's actually pretty hard to get figs to have a truly good and distinct flavor on a consistent basis, and the smaller figs are usually the most consistently good.

For myself, I'm mostly interested in a fig that has a strong, nontypical flavor--especially the idea of a honey fig with more character than they usually do.  As such, aside from white figs like JH Adriatic or 187-25, I'm interested in the UCR 157-17(7), 160-15, 337-2, and 309-B1, things of that nature. 

frank, KB is good, but it's not CdDB. it's better than VdB, but KB doesn't have berry taste. at least in its 2nd yr giving me figs here. i need to get my Hardy Chicago going so i'll have a better reference. Black Madeira was big let down. but it was first yr, and weather was less than optimal. but the very last BM showed some promise. Figo Preto didn't do much either. 

two shockers last yr were Niagara Black and St. Rita. they are not CdDB either. but they were really good. NB was good medium size, meaning it will only get bigger this and next yr. very jammy, sweet, complex and knee buckling good. St. Rita was much more refreshing... RdB was just.. very complex and had that warm feeling.. but none of them were like CdDB. they were all relatively good, but first thing that came to my mind was "great fig" instead of "now that was different". 

i mean, they are all good and i enjoy eating every one of them. but some just stands out. productivity is not my main goal. i want something that tastes good, and different from the others.  

Enjoy reading all the comments and opinions about some of the more "famous" fig varieties.

Pete-  Not giving up on the "Kathy Black"...not just yet.  I will give it all the time it needs.  Now, it's a just a matter of pure curiosity, for me.  It may yet turn out to be a great fig.


Frank


Sadly....I think this harsh winter weather will damage, or, kill most of the figs that I wanted to taste.  All my trees are in jeopardy, and I can't do anything about it now.

Kathleen Black is a Mission variant

Being in an area with relatively short summer, it is the "consistency in production" and "ripening time" before the frost that counts first and foremost for me and then the taste, preferably figgy sweet.
I have Panache and Black Madeira and a few other similar high profile fig varieties that never had a fig ripened to taste in the past four years. I still don't know why I am keeping such varieties other than  the reason that these took efforts to procure (and I know it is not a reasonable reason to keep them).

If you put your Panache in a grow room 2 - 3 months before you're able to put it outside that will give you the best chance of getting figs from it.

I have no intention on keeping a big collection anymore except a good collection to enjoy. Certainly backed by a few reliable
varieties. I fully agree there is a degree of hype. Anyway I am thankful that many fig friends have helped me to achieve a germplasm
size collection & it is time I consolidate, down size & weed out many like I did last year. Some fig friends know I have fig collection
here & in some sunny destination. In my sunny 2nd home, I like to trial LSU varieties or closed eye varieties. Hence in a nutshell, I am
paying more attention to what I want in my collection, definitely not something that taste similar or closely similar. It should be mind
blowing(or at least distinct) like Pete said.

@ Bronx Fig, my Kathleen Blk of over 5 yrs is earmarked for bye-bye if taste does not improve by leaps. Same applies for Sequioa, Takoma V.,
Blk Ischia, Moscatel Branco, Socorro Dark, Malta Blk, Blanca de Maella etc

I would agree that Hype is one of the major reasons for the desirability of some fig cultivars (along with the exotic names).

In my limited exposure to figs, I have come to the conclusion that there are similar taste profiles for most cultivars, it has been called "Flavor groups". After sampling and gorging on several dozen different cultivars in NYC, and tasting the dozens of cultivars that I've grown, I will be looking for productive and earliest ripening cultivars for each of the flavor groups. With proper culture, most of the readily available cultivars can be grown to their optimal flavor. Violet de Bordeaux, Hardy Chicago, Champagne, O'Rourke, improved Celeste, Celeste, Southern Brown Turkey and Green Ischia to name a few, will provide tasty examples of each flavor group.

I think it starts with eye appeal. Some varieties just look absolutely delicious. When you look at them your mouth waters at the sight and at that moment the seed has been planted. Every time you see pictures of that fig you think about getting to taste it, then at some point you decide. THE ONLY WAY I WILL EVER GET TO TASTE THAT FIG IS IF I GROW IT MYSELF. At least that's how it works for me.  Another side of this scenario luckily is there are a ton of figs that I see pictures of that don't have that eye appeal to me, and I have no "desire" to acquire them. Although I'm sure there are many very good figs that don't look it.

One more aspect is that I want to get my hopeful variety list filled as fast as possible so that these trees can be grown to a productive size. Then, as others have stated, I can start my final selection stage and determine which varieties will be kept for the long haul. I'm sure like most, I started with the most easily obtained and then chased the dream figs. My sun room will allow me to ripen some figs that I shouldn't normally try have in my zone as well.




  

@paully22....

Within just the last two years, I have learned how to break the emotional ties to some of my fig trees, and as a result, it is becoming much easier to give the 'heave-ho' to some of the more disappointing varieties.

By the way, in a previous post, I mentioned growing "Black Mission".  I have read wonderful things about this variety, and for most, it's a top rated fig.  Not the absolute, greatest...but an excellent, all-around, good nosh.  I am trialing this variety.  So far...meh.  It dropped all but two, main-crop figs last summer.  Did you hear me screaming my repertoire of curses?  I still have a few tricks up my sleeve left, and I will try to get the most from this variety in the coming seasons.  If not, it goes.

The crowd is starting to thin out in my fig patch.


Frank

Obviously taste is #1 but there are other things to consider.  Color has a big factor for me, especially the interior.  If the interior isn't a deep red, I'm not interested at this point.  Also some figs ripen better in cooler climates (king, VDB) while others need heat (Panache, Kadota) to be great.  The other things to consider for people in cold climates with short seasons are season of ripeness and cold hardiness.

I honestly think a lot of this is hype for people who sell figs cuttings and make a killing on ebay.

Why is a deep red interior important to you?

my best tasting fig is morle paradissio. when left to dry a bit on the tree, it tastes like peaches. the interior is peach colored too.

pads, you are missing out on some great figs.

the process of picking out a food involves three different senses. visual, olfactory, and taste. the food has to look good for us to go for it, unless you are starving. then there has to be pleasant smell, finally taste.

at this point i've seen enough figs online and on my trees to know some ugly figs can be very good. but dark red pulp still draws me in.

i don't notice too much on smell department with figs. some trees and figs do have that 'figgy' smell, and i like them.

taste... with figs, that's what's important.

I think that's right, Pete. Taste is the a lot of the issue and also availability. The season for me starts off in June with Peter's Honey breba, then August with the main crop of Hardy Chicago and Violette de Bordeaux (and others) then finishes up with Col de Dame and Black Madeira (as late as the end of November). Fig preserves for the winter.
Always looking for better.     

It would be nice if I could go somewhere locally and taste all the figs. A luxury I'm sure would narrow it down. Till then I'll have to go with eyes, and deep red does tell the brain delicious.

same reason why lot of restaurants use red tablecloth.