Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Love dark tomatoes? You’re in the right place. We are gathering a worldwide collection of black, purple, and deep mahogany varieties, complete with real photos and honest reviews from actual growers.
If you’re growing dark heirlooms, you’ll quickly notice they fall into two main camps. The classic “black” tomatoes (like the famous Russian darks) aren’t actually black. They just retain green chlorophyll as they ripen, which mixes with red lycopene to give them a beautiful brick, mahogany, or muddy-brown color.
Then there are the modern purple/indigo varieties. These get their crazy dark colors from anthocyanins (the same stuff found in blueberries). The rule for these is simple: wherever direct sunlight hits the skin, it turns deep purple or jet black, while the shaded parts usually stay red or pink.
Most growers agree that dark tomatoes have a very specific taste profile. They are usually described as earthy, sweet, and sometimes slightly salty. Because they generally have lower acidity than classic red tomatoes, they are fantastic for fresh eating and slicing for sandwiches.
Scroll down to browse the varieties our community has tested. We document real yields, plant heights, and whether the seeds are actually worth saving for next year!
Quick Summary of Abrica Zebra 🌍 Origin: A striking striped variety originally from the USA, highly rated by our community. It is sometimes spelled as Abrika Zebra. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season. It typically reaches 1.5–2 meters (5–6.5 ft) in a greenhouse, though some growers reported more compact growth (around 1.3m / 4.3 ft) when … Read more
Quick Summary of Adora Tomato (Sweet Marmande type) 🌍 Origin: Originally a commercial variety (branded as Adora / Sweet Marmande type) developed by HM.CLAUSE and grown in Spain/Italy. Its parentage reportedly includes Marmande and Black Krim. This thread documents forum members successfully growing out saved seeds from supermarket fruits (F2/F3 generations). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate … Read more
Quick Summary of Adelaide Festival (Dwarf) 🌍 Origin: An official release from the Dwarf Tomato Project. It was developed from the “Campine” family (a cross between Rosella Purple and Pink Berkeley Tie Dye). Named “Adelaide Festival” in honor of the arts festival held in Adelaide, South Australia. 🌿 Plant Habit: A classic Dwarf/tree-type plant with … Read more
Quick Summary of Aurora Blue 🌍 Origin: A beautiful anthocyanin variety popularized by the well-known Latvian tomato breeder and collector, Valdis Puliņš. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching about 1.7–1.8 meters (5.5–6 ft). Very vigorous and productive, known to keep setting fruit right up until the first frost. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Medium-to-large slicing tomatoes weighing … Read more
Quick Summary of Amethyst Jewel 🌍 Origin: Created by the famous American breeder Brad Gates (Wild Boar Farms) and released around 2013. It is a cross involving a blue tomato and is closely related to his other famous creation, Blue Beauty. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Generally grows to about 1.2–1.5 m (4–5 ft) in open … Read more
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Quick Summary of Dwarf Aftershock 🌍 Origin: Bred by the renowned independent breeder Blane Horton (Mississippi, USA) and released in 2017 (at the F8 generation). It was developed from his famous “Viper” line and is a sister variety to Pit Viper. Important Note: Although it is a dwarf, it is an independent creation and is … Read more
Quick Summary of Aces High 🌍 Origin: A rare dark cocktail tomato. In the Russian seed market, it became famous due to a hilarious translation error: the first person to import it used Google Translate, resulting in “High Aces” (as in playing cards: Tuzy Vysokie). Growers later pointed out it’s actually named after the famous … Read more
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Quick Summary of Auermuom Apgue 🌍 Origin: A rare and exotic anthocyanin variety circulating among Russian and Eastern European collectors under this highly unusual name. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), Regular Leaf (RL). Known for being exceptionally robust and healthy. Notably, it performs wonderfully during the indoor seedling stage—unlike many “blue” varieties, it is highly … Read more
Quick Summary of Blue Pineapple Lineage 🌍 Origin: A rare collectible variety originally developed in Belgium. Interestingly, in the Russian tomato community, the English word “Lineage” was somewhat lost in translation and it is commonly sold under the name “Epoch of the Blue Pineapple”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, tall and vigorous. It reaches about 150 … Read more
Quick Summary of Shokoladnaya Amazonka (Chocolate Amazon) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety widely circulated among prominent private seed collectors (such as Popenko and Redko). The name translates to “Chocolate Amazon”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, though some growers describe it as medium-tall, reaching about 1.5 m (5 ft) in greenhouses. The plant is sturdy and … Read more
Quick Summary of Chocolate Cherry 🌍 Origin: A very popular dark cherry tomato. In this forum thread, Russian growers compare different strains circulating under this name, noting distinct differences from the famous Black Cherry. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), incredibly vigorous, and often described as a “monster” in the greenhouse. It sets fruit continuously until … Read more
Quick Summary: Shokoladnoye Chudo (Chocolate Miracle) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular Russian commercial variety, heavily popularized by the “Siberian Garden” (SibSad) seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Controversial! The commercial packet lists it as a determinate bush. However, nearly all growers report it growing as an indeterminate or a very vigorous semi-determinate, reaching 1.5 to 2 … Read more