You would think a tomato's color would tell you something about its taste. Well, it does! No matter what wacky, newly cultivated tomato varieties you find at the market, you can use its general color as a guide to flavor.
Red & Pink Tomatoes
Photo © Molly Watson
Red and pink tomatoes offer up what most of us think of as a classic or standard tomato flavor: acid and sweetness in balance. You'll see plenty of Brandywine tomatoes at most markets, since they travel well, tend towards a good size for slicing, and have that bursting blast of tomato flavor most consumers want in a tomato.
Purple & Black Tomatoes
Photo © Molly Watson
They're called purple and black tomatoes, but most of them are more of a maroon or purple-y brown color, like Cherokee purples. These tomatoes tend to have an earthy, almost smoky sweetness to them, with a bit less acid than red tomatoes.
Orange & Yellow Tomatoes
Photo © Molly Watson
Orange and lemon tomatoes, like Lemon Boys and Flamme Oranges, are mild, sweet, and have very low acid. They are the varieties that will most remind you that tomatoes are, botanically speaking, fruits.
Green Tomatoes
Photo © Molly Watson
All tomatoes start off green, but some varieties, like Green Zebra, are green even when ripe. They tend to be less acidic than red tomatoes, with a balanced sweet-tart flavor.
