SugarBee Apple Review
"The Honey Grenade"
The SugarBee, created in Minnesota by a bee’s chance cross-pollination of a Honeycrisp blossom and an unknown apple variety is a handsome skee-ball of an apple substantial enough to kill a man in close combat. When held, one can’t help but feel the reverberations of its awesome power, understanding that if man had harnessed such a densely packed sugar bomb in the state of nature he would reign supreme for generations. Thankfully, in today’s world, the natural urge to kill using this apple can easily be avoided and replaced with the joy of an exceptionally juicy bite, satisfying crunch, and a robustly rich honey-like taste.
Aside from the fact that this apple really does taste like honey, the most remarkable aspect of the SugarBee Apple is its horrifying, murder-doll-esque bee mascot. Be sure to watch the video below for a glimpse of this nightmarish CGI bee (with a little boy’s haircut for some reason) that is moments away from flying through your screen and eating your soul.
BONUS POINTS: +2 Juiciness, +1 Cider Apple
- FLAVOR PROFILE -
SWEETNESS
3/5
TARTNESS
1/5
INTENSITY
2.5/5
SUGARBEE BIO
PARENTAGE
Honeycrisp x Unknown
ORIGIN
Minnesota / Washington State
YEAR
2017
AVAILABILITY
Fall – Early Spring
BEST USES
I still haven’t recovered from the fact that I spent $1.40 on one apple.
You can petition the government for assistance on financial losses due to SugarBee Apple purchases.
Absolutely delicious apples
I have eaten many apples. Sugarbee has become my favorite. Yes they cost more, but I will pay that for this huge, great tasting apple
Preach! These apples crush Honeycrisp apples. They must have been eating a 2-month old apple to rate the flavor and skin as low as they did. Either that or the authors had been sick of eating apples all day cause LAWD these are great apples. Nothing better than a sugarbee apple.
I absolutely love these sugar bee apples. I’m from Texas and we get all kinds of apples from everywhere and I never cared for them because of the thick skins lack of taste and to much wax on them. Theses are the best apples we have ever gotten.
Can’t argue with that!
Have to disagree on this one. I was skeptical from your review and based on scent thought it might be past peak but was pleasantly surprised. Mine was not overly dense – if anything maybe a touch on the soft side without much snap, but not to the point of being unpleasant. Definitely a far cry from the Envy jawbreaker. Juicy and sweet with a bit of acidity for balance and rich, fairly complex flavor. Ironically I’d say more honey like than its parent which has a more of a simple sugariness. They got their branding backwards, lol. Not at the top of my list but under your system I’d put it in the solid mid 70s. Certainly worth buying again. I wonder how much difference the location makes in quality – I’m in the apple capital of WA which should be a good environment for varieties like this.
Serviceable is still not bad for a ranking – so if you wanted to bump it up 2-3 points that wouldn’t be wrong.
Do you live in Wenatchee? My daughter does.
Great area!
I dont live there but I have visited. Apple capital of the world!
You’re high. Before I tried this apple I didn’t even like apples. I still don’t like most of them, but this is worth the extra to me. To be sure I have not had a flavorless one yet. Can’t say the same about the others.
I don’t see what me being high has anything to do with it
Eating one right now…. at this very moment. I came across your site yesterday and couldn’t wait to see what my SugarBee had in store. I don’t think mine could serve as a medieval weapon, maybe a good playground or fraternity projectile though. It does have a nice crunch, juicy and sweet, overall pretty dang good. I’ve shared your site with my workmates. Your apple vernacular is a huge hit and super useful as everyone is on a health kick (new year you know). Who knew there were so many spoils to choose from in the apple world.
You are my ideal reader!
I was surprised to see the review. I bought one the other day just to try it out and loved it. It was sweet, juicy, and had great texture. I will definitely buy more. I think it is my favorite now.
I have read the above reviews and I have to disagree with them in general. I LOVE the Sugarbee apple, and since discovering it haven’t eaten any other variety. It is everything I love best in an apple. I never eat the peel off any apple, so no worries there. They are crisp, juicy, and sweet. They are plenty firm enough to stand up to a swipe through stiff peanut butter. I say try them and enjoy. To each his/her own!
If you remove the skin and are taking advantage of the SugarBee’s density to scoop peanut butter then I can see this being a favorite apple. But I have to take the apple as a whole into account and all my reviews are first and foremost based on munching, not scooping. Therefore, we’re probably not that far off on our opinions of this apple.
I got a Sugar Bee Apple as a sample from one of the grocers I use. It has been sitting in my refrig in a “presentation” box for many weeks. I finally tasted it and am convinced it is a fantastic apple. I usually get Pink Lady But if I can find more Sugar Bee apples I will be really hummin’.
It’s a good apple!
I hadn’t eaten any apple in decades when I found Sugar Bees at Sprouts last fall when buying Honeycrisps for my husband. OMG! I wound up buying 8-10 at a time, keeping them in my fridge crisper drawer and eating at least 2 every single morning until their season ended. Yeah, they are dense and pricey, but I am addicted.
Hi tried these apples because the produce man at Sprouts said how good they are. He was So right. They are a little pricey at 2:99 a lb. But they are worth it to me. Keep them coming !!!!
Sprouts generally has good produce!
I was never a regular apple consumer until I tried these on a whim. Now I purchase weekly as they are so good. Have almost a watermelon sweetness. They are on the expensive side, hoping they come down a bit as they become more popular.
SugarBee is in my top three apples (SugarBee, EverCrisp, HoneyCrisp). the first year they were available in my state of Oregon I was shocked at their floral, sweet, syrupy flavor. Yes, the acidity is low, but that floral note was over the moon. Their skin is a little tough, but the flavor more than makes up for it. The last couple years’ crops have been missing that floral note. Every once in a while I hit a lucky one. While the magic is a little off, they are never mealy. Always crisp and juicy. This year’s crop so far has been closer to my earlier expectation.
The visual beauty of the SugarBee apple is hard to beat as is the juiciness. It’s also pretty darn sweet. Pleasantly different!
There’s a taste that I can’t describe but it reminds me of wild apples we gather from abandoned orchards as kids. This is a great apple. Juicy and flavorful. I love the crunch. I don’t mind the skin. I assume it’s coarseness is off putting to some people but I liked the texture. I scrubbed the apple carefully and enjoyed every bite. My chihuahua also loved his portion.
Pacific Rose apples are my absolute favorite but didn’t see on your apple list. They’re difficult to find & very seasonal I assume. So have been trying different apples to find one with the closest delicious soft, sweet taste with no tartness.
Try an Opal!
I just had the dubious dis/honor of buying one of these massive water buckets. At $3.90 a pound I expected that a honeycrisp descendant would be sweet malic ambrosia. I was wrong. Honeycrisp reigns supreme!
After trying Honeycrisp apples I thought I have found the best apple out there. Until I tried these SugarBee apples. I love the taste of these so much!
Weeeee agreeee. “It’s got the juice.” A veri wet apple. Winky face.
This apple is too intense! Take it down a notch, SugarBee
you have absolutely no taste whatsoever. how ever like assholes,all are different!!!!!
You don’t get the show
I live in NYS and we grow a lot of different varieties in the state. I have never come across a Sugar Bee until this March and my taste buds fell in love. Absolutely delicious! Yes, a little more costly than other varieties but my point of view, totally worth it!
Not a big Apple fan for just snacking on them. Since trying Sugar Bee I’m willing to pay the price and eat 1-2 a day. I live close to the NC mountains and can get up to 20 varieties, from Honeycrisp, Galas, Pink Lady, etc. But Sugar Bee has won me over.