You’ve no doubt heard about the latest apple innovation from the University of Minnesota: the SweeTango. Hot on the heels of the success of the Honeycrisp variety, the world is abuzz about this apple that promises to out honeycrisp the honeycrisp: a juicy, tart, sweet and crisp apple. I’ve been a big fan of Honeycrisps since I was first introduced to them a few years ago, so I was very interested in trying SweeTango—a cross of Honeycrisp and Zestar. At Kowalski’s on a late-night ice cream run, I saw the big display of apples and, in spite of the stupid name, came home with a couple of SweeTangos.

I cut into the apple with great expectation and was rewarded with a hearty crunching sound as blades pushed through crisp apple flesh. And then the moment of truth: as I bit into the SweeTango, my mouth was filled with sweet juice. Almost immediately, I started to pucker; the substantial acid was kicking in. This apple really has it all: firm crunchy flesh, lots of juice and a perfect balance of honey sweetness and lemony tartness, both flavors in abundance. Martha, not a fan of apple skin, appreciated that the skin on the SweeTango is thick enough to be noticeable but not so chewy as to remain in your mouth after the rest of the apple has been eaten. The flavor is similar to a honeycrisp with its floral character, but is bolder.

This apple is amazing raw; quite possibly the best apple I have ever eaten. I am guessing it would also be great for baking with its balance of sweet and tart and big flavor. Although I’m not in the pocket of Big Apples, I willingly fall in with all the rest of the hype.

SweeTango apples are $3.99/lb. at Kowalski’s, or about $2/apple.