Product pages tell you what a seller claims. The fruit tells you the truth. Whether you are standing in a shop or opening a parcel you ordered online, you can judge dates quickly with four senses: sight, touch, smell and taste. This guide explains what to look for and how to tell a harmless quirk from a real defect.
Look: color, skin and consistency
Start with the overall picture. Dates in a good batch look alike. They are similar in size and color, which shows they were sorted with care. The color should fit the variety, so expect very dark fruit for Ajwa, golden for Sukkari and reddish brown for Mabroom.
The skin should be mostly intact. Natural wrinkles are normal and vary by variety. What you do not want to see is torn or broken fruit, skin that has separated badly and puffed away from the flesh on many dates, visible dirt, or any sign of insects.
Feel: right for the variety
Good texture depends on the type. A Medjool should be soft and yield to gentle pressure. A Mabroom should be firm and chewy. A dry Sukkari should be crisp. Our guide to date textures explains what to expect from each.
Warning signs are dates that are rock hard when the variety should be soft, which suggests they have dried out, and dates that are wet, leaking syrup or slimy, which suggests poor storage.
Smell: sweet, never sour
Fresh dates have a mild, sweet smell. A sour, sharp or alcoholic smell points to fermentation, which can happen when moist dates are kept too warm. A musty smell suggests mold. In either case, do not eat them.
Taste and the inside of the fruit
Open one date before you eat it. The flesh should look clean and the pit should come away easily. Dark powdery residue or webbing around the pit is a sign of insect damage and means the batch should be rejected. The taste should be clean and sweet with no bitterness or sourness.
White spots: sugar or mold?
This is the question buyers ask most. White specks on dates are often crystallized natural sugar. The UC Davis Postharvest Center describes sugar spotting as the crystallization of sugars below the skin and in the flesh of soft date cultivars. Sugar crystals are hard, dry and gritty, and they have no smell.
Mold is different. It looks fuzzy or cottony, may be white, gray or green, and usually comes with a musty smell. If you see it, discard the fruit. When in doubt, do not eat it.
Checking quality when you buy online
You cannot handle the fruit before an online purchase, so do the checks in two stages. Before ordering, read the listing for variety, origin, harvest year and storage, as explained in what to look for when buying premium quality dates. When the parcel arrives, inspect it straight away:
- Check that the outer box and inner seal are intact.
- Look, feel and smell as described above.
- Open and taste one date.
- Take photos if anything is wrong and contact the seller immediately.
Quality at Tamooriya
Tamooriya dates are from the 2026 harvest and are cold-stored below 5°C before shipping from Dubai. Because dates are a food product, Tamooriya asks customers to get in touch within one day of delivery if there is a problem with an order. You can see the full range in the Saudi dates collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I tell if dates have gone bad?
A sour or alcoholic smell, fuzzy mold, a slimy surface or signs of insects all mean the dates should not be eaten.
Are wrinkled dates poor quality?
No. Wrinkles are natural, and some varieties such as Ajwa are known for their fine wrinkles.
Are sugar crystals on dates safe?
Sugar spotting is crystallized natural sugar and is not mold. It changes texture and appearance. If spots look fuzzy or smell musty, treat them as mold and discard the fruit.
Should dates be sticky?
Soft dates are naturally a little sticky. Dates that are wet or leaking syrup may have been stored badly.
