This October, I gathered a group of food critics to visit Honeypot Hill Orchard in Stow, ready to taste our way through every apple they had.

We started with the Liberty apple, which immediately set the tone. Crisp, tart, and perfectly balanced, it was basically the gold standard. “It’s sucks we had the Liberty first,” Mathias explained. “It set the bar way too high for the rest of the day.” Every apple afterward had some catching up to do.

The Empire was next: solid, dependable, but nothing remarkable. Something that would work in a salad, blending, but not standing out. Gala followed, sweet, but we were disappointed with how mealy it was. Ginger Gold was as well, but the texture couldn’t decide if it wanted to be crisp or soft.

Then came Smittens, which was a revelation. Sweet and super crispy, it was the kind of apple that made you want to take another bite immediately. After that, the Macintosh. It was sour and alright in texture, not thrilling, but solid for anyone who likes a tangy punch.

Then things got dramatic with the Sansa. Small, soft, and leaving a bad taste in your mouth, no critic had a positive review. Clark summed it up perfectly: “Spitting out the Sansa, I felt a part of my soul leave too.”

Honeycrisp was up next, and it split opinions. Eliot said it best: “Honeycrisp was worse than I thought it would be — it was too sweet and too starchy, and lacked flavor.” Still, it had a little crisp and some potential, just not enough to steal the show. Spartan came after, good texture but a little bland.

Then we hit the Cortland, a standout. Firm, strongly sour, and satisfying. The kind of apple you actually remember, it was our first apple that compared to Liberty. Golden Supreme closed out the main tasting: sweeter, but chalky in texture and mellow in flavor. Not bad, just not exciting. A good summary for the trip so far.

We wrapped up with the pears, which were flavorful but not quite ripe yet, and then made our way to the farm stand for the infamous Cowboy Burger. Smothered in Boom Sauce, it was massive, messy, and unforgettable. Theo summed it up perfectly: “The Cowboy Burger, what an experience., You’ll regret eating it for the rest of the day — The Boom Sauce comes back to haunt you. But it’s probably the best burger I’ve ever had.” And he wasn’t wrong.

By the end, Liberty and Cortland were clear favorites, while every other apple still brought something to the table — from crisp sweetness to gentle tang. Honeypot Hill delivered exactly what a fall outing should: fresh air, colorful trees, plenty of apples, and one dangerously good burger.