Newtown Pippin

The Newtown Pippin (also Green Newtown Pippin or Albemarie Pippin), native to what is now The City of New York, is a late-harvested, medium-large, flattish round, green-skinned, yellow-tinged, slightly russeted apple with a remarkable tart/sweet flavor and an aroma described as ‘piney’ by some. It is noted for the quality of the fresh and fermented cider it yields, its superior baking qualities, its excellent taste out-of-hand eating, and its ability to mellow and improve in flavor with storage.   The Newtown Pippin was first harvested on a farm in Newtown, Queens County, N.Y. circa 1730. Today, Newtown Pippins are grown to a limited extent in New York State, in Virginia, and to a greater extent in California, where they are used in the large-scale, commercial production of sweet cider. For many years there has been an ongoing discussion and debate about whether the so-called Yellow Newtown Pippin and Green Newtown Pippin are in fact two distinct varieties, or whether the relatively minor differences between them are more the result of regional terroir and seasonal growing conditions. In the opinion of many apple authorities, the two strains are one and the same variety. However, the distinction between Yellow and Green is still useful to identify the apple’s character when grown in its traditional region of origin (the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic), where the apple is typically ‘greener’ and more acidic or high-flavored than the Yellow strain, which is more widely grown as a commercial variety in California. Certainly, the flavor characteristics of both strains are unmistakably similar, with the distinctive ‘piney’ tart-sweet taste and aroma present. However, as with most apple varieties introduced to warmer climates such as California, the sugar or Brix level tends to be higher in the fruit. Therefore, today the Green and Yellow strains appears to be primarily an East-West distinction.