Quick Summary of Ulybka Sandry (Sandra’s Smile)
- 🌍 Origin: A mysterious variety with a fascinating history. Originally acquired by a Latvian collector at a seed swap in Germany under the name “Cassandra”. Since the real Cassandra tomato is a completely different red variety, the name was rejected during local registration. It was officially renamed “Ulybka Sandry” (Sandra’s Smile) and has been conquering the world under this beautiful name ever since. Also circulated briefly as “Beautiful Stranger” and “Cassio”.
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching about 1.7 m (5.6 ft). The plant is sturdy with regular, slightly sparse foliage, allowing good airflow. Thrives in greenhouses.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, oblate beefsteaks weighing 250-300 g (8.8-10.5 oz). The coloring is absolutely stunning: an ochre-yellow base with distinct green stripes. The inner flesh is also ochre-colored, very dense, yet surprisingly juicy.
- 👅 Flavor: Highly praised by growers for its very pleasant, perfectly balanced flavor profile.
- ⏳ Maturity & Yield: Mid-season. Features a very long fruiting period. Known as a heavy yielder that consistently sets fruit without skipping any trusses.
Ulybka Sandry / Sandra’s Smile (formerly Cassandra… or Beautiful Stranger)
I first saw this striking tomato in 2019 at an exhibition in the Museum of Nature in Riga.
Back then it was called Cassandra. The Latvian collector Natalya Zeltinya, who showcased it, couldn’t really say what kind of variety it was or where it came from. She had been at a meeting with collectors in Germany and was gifted seeds with that variety name there. My searches in Germany yielded no results; such a tomato does not exist in nature — or rather, it does, but it is a completely different red-colored one. Later it was renamed to Cassio for some reason. I searched not only in Germany but also in Austria… silence. I started comparing it with various visually similar tomatoes.
Our local folks distinguished themselves as always. They couldn’t register the tomato under the name Cassandra and renamed it to Ulybka Sandry (Sandra’s Smile). And with such a beautiful name, it went on to conquer different countries.
Everyone who has grown this beautiful tomato describes it differently; even the plant height varies greatly, from determinate to indeterminate. The common thing is that everyone likes it.
I grew Sandra’s Smile with great pleasure this year. I received the seeds from a local friend. The bush grew in a polycarbonate greenhouse. Indeterminate. The plant was sturdy, not heavily leafed, 1.70 m (5.6 ft) tall. Regular leaf. The tomato is mid-season, with a long fruiting period, productive, and there were no skipped trusses. The fruits are large, broadly rounded (oblate), weighing 250-300 g (8.8-10.5 oz), beautiful ochre-yellow with green stripes. The flesh when cut is also ochre, it is dense but juicy. The taste is very pleasant, well-balanced.
I’ll show you my Sandra’s Smile.
