These are the best apples I've grown starting with the best first. Most of my experience with apples was in Amarillo Texas where I tried at least 80 old and new cultivars:
Pink Lady: Superb sweet/tart flavor, needs long season
Gala: Sweet/tart, best early apple
GoldRush: Sweet/tart, stores well
Jonalicious: Sweet/tart, best apple no one heard of(Stark)
Smoothee Golden Delicious: yes it can be very good
Fuji: Sweet, long keeper
Sekai Ichi: Sweet, mainly because it's so big
Melrose: large, state apple of Ohio
Prettiest apple I ever grew: Virginia Gold
Biggest: Some Stark Giant but Sekai Ichi much better
Real losers: Arkansas Black, Cox's Orange Pippin, Granny Smith, Mutsu, Northern Spy
Childhhod favorite: Whitney Crab
A few I'd like to try: SunCrisp, Pixie Crunch, CrimsonCrisp
The Fruitnut
Q