When was the last time you had a tomato that was absolute perfection? I’m talking about the kind where you put great slabs of it on a BLT, and as you eat it, the juices run down your hand. The texture is slightly granular and bursting with sun-warmed flavor and aroma. The kind of tomato where you forget there’s even bacon involved with your sandwich because the tomato is just that good.
Why does it always seem as though these tomatoes are few and far between?
What if I told you there are things you can do to improve the flavor of your tomatoes, so that you get more that are absolute perfection.
What Makes a Tomato Taste Great?
Much like growing grapes for wine, the soil you grow in and what you do over the course of a growing season can have an impact on the flavor of your tomatoes. But it’s important to know what makes tomatoes taste so good in the first place.
Three key elements give tomatoes their flavor, and it’s a balancing act between sugar, acid, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
First, let’s talk about sugars and acids, as there are several at play within tomatoes. It’s fair to say that sugar concentration and acidity are the backbone of good tomato flavor.
Tomatoes make sugar (fructose and glucose) and acid (citric, malic and ascorbic). Studies have shown that tomatoes higher in both sugar and acid score better on taste tests. Cherry-type tomatoes often rank high in flavor because they have higher levels of sugar and acid than most tomato varieties.
Now, as with most tastes, smell comes into play.
That’s where the volatile organic compounds come in. So far, over 400 different VOCs have been detected in tomatoes, but you don’t need a super nose to enjoy tomatoes, as only around 25-30 play a marked role in tomato flavor.
VOCs are aromatic molecules that easily evaporate into the air. They’re very delicate. In tomatoes, they interact with our olfactory receptors to shape the scent and flavor we perceive with each bite.
Together, this trinity of tastes and scents makes up the characteristic tomato flavor we all know and love.
Now, what can you do as a gardener to improve on them? Let’s take a look.
Tasty Tomatoes Have Good Genes
If you want to improve the flavor of your tomatoes, it all starts with genetics. To harvest exceptional-tasting tomatoes, you have to grow exceptional-tasting tomatoes.
If you’re growing a hybrid that’s been bred to be disease resistant, chances are the flavor has taken a hit in the name of being a sturdier tomato. I’m not saying that all hybrids are less flavorful, just that unless it was specifically bred for flavor, chances are you would do better with a different variety.
Plant geneticists have a handy formula to explain what I mean here: I = H x E. I being the individual plant, H being hereditary traits, and E being the environment it’s grown in. Basically, any individual tomato is only going to be as tasty as its genes and environment allow.
So start with tomatoes that have good genes where flavor is concerned.
Hybrids
If you like hybrids, here are a few varieties bred specifically for flavor.
1. Mountain Magic (F1)
- Type: Cocktail-sized (cherry/mini-salad)
- Bred by: Dr. Randy Gardner, NC State University
- Why it slaps: This tomato was developed for the mountain regions of the East Coast and offers disease resistance without sacrificing taste. It’s sweet with a balanced tang, firm, and holds well post-harvest. Great for snacking or roasting.
2. Sun Gold (F1)
- Type: Cherry
- Bred by: Tokita Seed Company, Japan
- Flavor notes: Bursting with tropical, almost mango-like sweetness. One of the most popular hybrid cherry tomatoes ever, and for good reason—it consistently wins taste tests.
3. Sweet Million (F1)
- Type: Cherry
- Why it’s great: High yields, crack resistance, and—true to its name—a super-sweet flavor. Great for popping off the vine and tossing into salads.
4. BHN 1021 / Tasti-Lee (F1)
- Type: Medium slicing
- Bred by: University of Florida
- Purpose: Bred as a field-grown grocery store tomato with actual taste. It has high lycopene content and good old-fashioned acidic bite with a sweet finish—far superior to the usual cardboard fare.
5. Big Dena (F1)
- Type: Greenhouse beefsteak
- Why it rocks: This European hybrid is grown commercially in the Netherlands for flavor—it’s juicy, balanced, and holds shape well. A good choice for those with hoop houses or controlled environments.
6. Sakura (F1)
- Type: Cherry
- Bred by: Known-You Seed Co.
- Flavor profile: Sweet, rich, and thin-skinned. It often gets compared favorably to Sun Gold in trials, but with better crack resistance and shelf life.
7. Brandy Boy (F1)
- Type: Large pink slicer
- Bred by: Burpee
- Hybrid twist: It’s a hybridized version of Brandywine with better yields, improved disease resistance, and nearly the same flavor. A good compromise if you’ve struggled growing Brandywine.
8. Rebelski (F1)
- Type: Beefsteak
- Bred for: Greenhouse use, but adaptable outdoors
- Why it’s on the list: Deep red, crack-resistant, and with that old-school tomato flavor that’s often missing in greenhouse hybrids. Not as sweet as a cherry, but deeply tomato-y.
Heirlooms
Of course, for amazing tomato flavor, heirlooms have a reputation for incredible flavor. There’s a reason these tomatoes are so popular among long-time gardeners. These guys are often the reason tomatoes have a reputation for being divas in the garden. But they’re worth all the fuss for the flavorful tomatoes they produce.
1. Brandywine (Pink or Red)
- Flavor profile: Rich, sweet, and full-bodied with a perfect acid balance.
- Why it’s famous: This is the heirloom most folks start with, especially the Sudduth strain. It’s a big, beefy slicer that tastes like summer.
- Caveat: Late to mature, lower yields, and fussy in wet weather—but worth it.
2. Cherokee Purple
- Flavor profile: Deep, smoky, earthy with a sweet-savory balance.
- Origin: Believed to be passed down by the Cherokee people.
- Why we love it: A dusky, dark tomato with a loyal following. Slice it thick, sprinkle with salt, call it lunch.
3. Black Krim
- Flavor profile: Intense umami, slightly salty, rich.
- From: Crimea, Ukraine.
- Why it rocks: Excellent in heat and coastal climates. Known for its unique, almost briny taste that gives it a cult status among tomato nerds.
4. Green Zebra
- Flavor profile: Tangy, zesty, almost citrusy.
- Why it’s cool: It’s green when ripe and streaked with yellow—super eye-catching and full of zing. Holds up in salsa and fresh salads. Not your average sweet tomato, but exceptional in its own lane.
5. Paul Robeson
- Flavor profile: Complex, smoky, with a hint of sweetness and acidity.
- Named for: The singer and civil rights activist.
- Why it stands out: It’s like Cherokee Purple’s moodier cousin. Gorgeous in color, with flavor that lingers in the best way.
6. Mortgage Lifter
- Flavor profile: Classic tomato flavor—sweet, meaty, and mild.
- Backstory: Developed in the 1930s by M.C. Byles (“Radiator Charlie”), who sold plants to pay off his mortgage.
- Why it matters: Huge fruits, legendary taste, with a name that belongs in a country song.
7. Aunt Ruby’s German Green
- Flavor profile: Sweet with a touch of spiced apple or tropical undertones.
- Color: Bright green when ripe, with amber blushing.
- Why it’s fun: A favorite among green tomato lovers, it wins flavor contests and turns heads at farmers’ markets.
8. Kellogg’s Breakfast
- Flavor profile: Bright, tropical, with a mild acidity and loads of sweetness.
- Why you’ll love it: Big, orange beefsteaks that shine in flavor and presentation. If you want a low-acid tomato that still tastes like a tomato, this is your jam.
9. Black Cherry
- Flavor profile: Bold, rich, and sweet with a little smokiness.
- Why it slaps: All the depth of a black tomato, but in cherry form. Possibly the most flavorful cherry heirloom around.
10. Pineapple
- Flavor profile: Sweet, fruity, low acid.
- Appearance: Yellow and red marbled skin and flesh—absolutely stunning.
- Why it’s extra: If you want a tomato that tastes like you should be eating it poolside with a Mai Tai, this is it.
11. Nebraska Wedding
- Flavor profile: Mild, balanced, and juicy.
- Why it’s loved: A reliable orange slicer with consistent yields. Not the most intense flavor, but beautiful and dependable.
12. Costoluto Genovese
- Flavor profile: Tangy, old-world flavor—perfect for sauce.
- From: Italy
- Why it’s notable: Deeply ribbed and gorgeous, this one’s a star for slow-roasting or simmering down into tomato heaven.
13. Hillbilly (Potato Leaf)
- Flavor profile: Low-acid, sweet, and fruity.
- Color: Golden-yellow with red streaks
- Why it’s a favorite: Striking and mellow, a good pick for people who shy away from high-acid tomatoes.
Now, let’s tackle the E in that equation, environment.
There are a few things you can do that will ensure you have the tastiest tomatoes possible each summer.
Since sugar is produced in plants through photosynthesis, and acids are formed as byproducts of this process, healthy foliage is a must. Be sure to feed your tomato plants consistently at the beginning of the season with a balanced fertilizer (as always, this is the one I recommend) or one higher in nitrogen, while the plant is actively growing and filling out.
But it’s not just up to nitrogen; this is where micronutrients like magnesium come in.
Magnesium is the central atom in chlorophyll and activates dozens of enzymes. Without it, sugar and acid production tanks.
Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) is a time-tested way to boost magnesium levels. Still, unless you know your soil is deficient, Epsom salt can actually harm your crop or mess with calcium uptake. This is where I get to dole out my favorite and most oft-used gardening advice:
Get your soil tested.
If you’re serious about improving tomato flavor (and that of your other veggies), one of the best things you can do is to have your soil properly tested. You will know, without a doubt, what nutrients your soil is deficient in, if any. You’ll know the pH as well. That way, you aren’t guessing and you have a clear road map to better soil and better-tasting tomatoes.
Water Stress
Next up, let’s stress your tomatoes. But only a little bit. Hear me out. Too much water leads to watery and bland fruit, or worse, blossom end rot and tomatoes splitting open on the vine. However, slightly drier conditions while the plant is ripening concentrate the sugars and aroma, giving you an amazing tomato.
We’re not talking drought conditions, you never want to let them wilt, but as the fruit starts reaching breaker stage, ease up on watering. To be fair, you should be doing this anyway. Tomatoes do best when watered deeply and infrequently. I’ve written about the ins and outs of watering tomatoes here. It’s worth a read no matter your tomato-growing goals.
Sun is Important Too
Tomatoes need around eight hours of sun to build sugars; however, direct exposure to the sun on ripening fruit leads to sunscald, which does not make for flavorful tomatoes. Prune the top half of your plant sparingly, so that there are plenty of leaves for sugar and acid production and shade. Remove lower leaves as the plant grows to prevent diseases and focus all those nutrients, sugars and acids where the plant is making fruit. If you’re dealing with a scorcher of a summer, shade cloth can help significantly.
Breaker Stage
When you pick your tomatoes and how you care for them after can be the difference between a meh tomato and garden ambrosia. Ripening actually begins in the center of the tomato and finishes once the tomato has been picked.
For the best flavor, you want to pick tomatoes in the “breaker” stage. This is before the tomato is perfectly red (or whatever color the variety you’ve chosen). The tomato should be blush colored, having lost most of its green.
You can read about this process in detail here.
Then, let the tomato finish ripening off the vine, ideally, in temperatures between 65-75°F and out of direct sunlight. It’s heat that causes tomatoes to ripen, not the sun. They do best in a breathable container, such as a paper bag or cardboard box. This allows ethylene to continue ripening the tomato, but blocks sunlight, which causes flavor enzymes to drop off.
Most importantly, never refrigerate tomatoes.
Now that you’ve put all that hard work into growing the perfect-tasting tomato, storing it in the fridge is the worst thing you could do. The low temps of the fridge actually deactivate certain enzymes that are responsible for that wonderful tomato flavor.
Never endure another “meh” tomato again. The power to grow tomato perfection is in your hands. And the soil at your feet. Now that you’ve got flavor sorted out, let’s work on getting more tomatoes with this simple trick.
Get the famous Rural Sprout newsletter delivered to your inbox.
Join the 50,000+ gardeners who get timely gardening tutorials, tips and tasks delivered direct to their inbox.