Quick Summary of Russkiy Vkusnyi (Russian Tasty)
- 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety introduced by the “Gavrish” seed company. The name translates directly to “Russian Tasty”. (Note: Do not confuse this with the hybrid “Russian Taste F1”).
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush), growing short and stout at 60-80 cm (24-31 inches) tall. Suitable for both open ground and greenhouses.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics (The TRUE variety): Red, strictly oblate (flattened-round) beefsteaks weighing up to 300 g (10.5 oz). They are incredibly meaty and heavy.
- 👅 Flavor: The true oblate version has a legendary, dessert-like sweetness. Experienced growers note an amazing, complex flavor profile that tastes as if the tomato was naturally infused with spices and basil!
- ⚠️ The “Off-Type” Drama: There is a widespread batch of crossed seeds on the market. If your plant produces perfectly round (ball-like), heart-shaped, or cup-shaped fruits with very thick, tough walls weighing 150-200 g (5-7 oz)—you have the off-type! While still good for canning, they lack the magical “basil” flavor of the true heirloom.
- 🛡️ Disease Resistance: Advertised as resistant to Fusarium and Cladosporium (Leaf Mold), though some growers note Leaf Mold can still appear late in the season.
Here is the official description from the “Gavrish” seed packet:
“Mid-early (106-110 days from germination), short determinate (60-80 cm / 24-31 inches) variety for open ground and tunnels. Its large, meaty fruits have a sweet dessert taste and are used fresh in summer salads. Form the plant into 2-3 stems. Fruits are oblate, weighing up to 300 g (10.5 oz). Resistant to Fusarium and Cladosporium (Leaf Mold). Yield: 3.7-4.5 kg per plant.”
Unfortunately, I’ve already picked the first red tomatoes from it. The trusses are incredibly heavy! My bush literally laid down under their weight; I had to invent extra supports. I grew it in 4 stems. My husband absolutely loved the taste. He said, “This is exactly what a tomato should taste like!” 😀
Here is my “Russian Tasty”. It’s not planning to turn red outdoors just yet.
Russian Tasty has an absolutely mind-blowing flavor, just a classic tomato taste. It always produces heavily, regardless of what kind of summer weather we have. Honestly, this one variety could replace all other determinate tomatoes in the garden. It has thick walls, which isn’t very common. Overall, a solid 5 out of 5! :yep:
Quote from Svetlana:
Here is my “Russian Tasty”.
Svetlana, it looks like you have an off-type (crossed seeds). The fruit shape is not oblate at all, and they look quite small…
It’s not necessarily an off-type. When they turn red, look at the cross-section… they have very thick walls, you can’t confuse it with anything else. And a sweet, spicy taste. Mine are shaped exactly like that—not oblate, more like little cups or balls. If yours are like that, it’s definitely the right variety.
Quote from Andrey_K:
Mine are shaped exactly like that—not oblate, more like little cups or balls… so it’s definitely the right variety.
Alas, I must disappoint you. The original breeder stated the variety is strictly oblate. Not anything else. From my seed packet, one of the bushes also grew as an off-type. It was heart-shaped or cube-shaped, but definitely not oblate. 😉
By the way, the true oblate one tastes MUCH better. 😉 I’m lucky to have the authentic strain.
Well, it turns out one out of my six bushes wasn’t an off-type after all! It had the true oblate shape—sweet and not watery. I left the biggest one on the bush to fully ripen.
By the way, the tomatoes on the off-type bushes turned out to be very dense, firm, and meaty, but smaller (around 150-200 grams / 5-7 oz). The taste was sweet, I still liked them!
Let me show you the difference between the original (oblate) Russian Tasty and the off-type:
The difference isn’t just in weight and meatiness. The real difference is in the flavor. The true Russian Tasty is simply a miracle. :hey: It tastes as if the tomato was naturally infused with spices and basil! In over 25 years of growing tomatoes, I have never tasted anything like it. :niam: I wouldn’t just call it sweet; it’s different—harmonious and perfect.
The off-type Russian Tasty has a decent taste, but it’s not super. It’s like comparing real butter to margarine. If you haven’t tasted real butter, margarine seems fine. 😉
P.S. I saved seeds from both! The true one is for devouring fresh, and the off-type is great for canning because it has a much tougher skin.
For those growing Russian Tasty, is the resistance to Cladosporium (Leaf Mold) in the greenhouse actually true?
Quote from Zulfiya:
Is the resistance to Cladosporium (Leaf Mold) in the greenhouse actually true?
Zulfiya, the leaves were perfectly clean at first. But as soon as it started to ripen, the classic “camouflage spotting” (Leaf Mold) appeared on the foliage.
The fruits on mine look more oblate than oval.
