Where is that orchard? With the about 23" of rain we've had since mid-Aug, intensity is not something I'm experiencing in HC or most anything else here in southeastern NY. Are they growing the trees on sand? Maybe theyr'e selling Sansa as Honeycrisp which would explain it.

It's in Cheshire Ct (about an hour's drive for me). Some of the less ripe ones did taste more like a normal Honeycrisp, so it could be legit. But the dense hardness (as opposed to lighter crispness) of the flavorful ones makes me think they could be something else.

Since I've posted, I've come across the following online:
"In Minnesota, the optimal harvest is the last week in September, which tends to produce apples with a strong flavor as compared to the apples harvested a few weeks earlier, which have a milder taste."

Most of the descriptions of Sansa say it is tender and resembles a Gala with more kick. What I've picked isn't tender (not a bad thing to me...) and it doesn't seem too similar to Gala. I'm not saying it is impossible though, as apple descriptions are often subjective and based on potentially different growing conditions...

According to the Weather Channel, Cheshire has gotten about 12.5 inches since mid August, so it hasn't been quite as bad. Also, the apples I picked were about halfway down the row, near the top of a long hill (lots of work to pull my daughter in a wagon...).

One other thing I noticed is that it looked like the trees had been top-worked. There was a large rootstock and a comparatively small scion. Maybe that helped to make them red- the trees haven't gotten too bushy yet, so there is good light penetration to the apples.

I believe that Honeycrisp will always have it's unique crunch which is a result of having very large cells that break when you bite them instead of dividing which is what happens with smaller celled apples. I also have found later ripening HC's to be far superior to those dropping off the tree from early to mid sept- those have always been bland for me and this is the second straight season I'm seeing a lot of it.

I am not the HC expert as I've only grown it for 7 or 8 years at a few sites (that's only about 4 harvests at eacj site), but with 12.5 inches precip in the previous few weeks I wouldn't expect improvement. Of course, neither did you, which is why you made this post.

Were these apple on the outermost parts of the branches when picked? Direct sun encourages Honeycrisps to develop much more color.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Garden

Yes, most of the apples were well exposed, though the reddest one was on/near the trunk in a stretch of bare wood. But as I mentioned earlier, most of the trees were fairly small (though likely with large root systems due to the top-working), so sun exposure on the fruit was pretty good.

Large rootstock and small scion- I think you're talking about the M26 bulge that tends to form at the graft union. 26 is used quite a bit in the northeast and if trees get irrigated it is very productive and makes a comparatively open (non-vegetative) tree. I think it would have to be irrigated to work well with Honeycrisp which is not a very robust cultivar.

This looks all the same apple...they do come in different size, color texture & and flavor.

HM, I suppose it could just be a bulging rootstock- I remember reading a thread about that a few weeks ago. I immediately thought of top-working, as the farm is pretty old (per the website- I'm not sure about the individual trees) and I've read that older orchards often top-work non-competitive varieties (like Red Delicious) into things which will sell better (Honeycrisp being a perfect example). But, thinking more about it now, the bulge was fairly low down (probably within 6" of the ground- 1' at most) and I'm not sure if top-working would take place that low. Most of the pictures I see online are at least a bit higher, though the below link is close.

Top-working video

I think top working is usually done up on scaffolds and branches not too thick to be split open to hold the scion- more popular approach than bark grafting. As far as I know it's never done at a trees base- that might kill it.

I top work trees all the time, but usually use water sprouts to make new branches so I can do it gradually. I pull the sprouts to a more horizontal position after a couple of seasons to create a new scaffold unless I'm using just one to be a trees central leader.

That's good to know, as I have a tree on M27 where the scion never leafed out, but the rootstock sent several new branches out. Understanding that it may be risky to graft at the base, it doesn't seem like I have much to lose. Can you suggest the best way (method to research and the timing) to maximize my chances? Ideally I'd like to graft on one of the varieties which for one reason or another, didn't make the cut for next year's planting (Pitmaston Pineapple, Erwin Bauer, or Orleans Reinette).

Also- I messed up the above link. It should have been:

Top-working video

I don't get a big bulge when doing any kind of grafting except sometimes immediately following the graft (callous)- after a few years it's hard to see even a big old cleft graft.

When I said grafting might be dangerous real low on the tree I was talking about very old trees although apples could probably survive it.