I guess I'm a bit different. I like a broad range of tomato textures but don't like the ones that are mushy. A firm tomato is fine with me so long as smell and flavor are good. I do like tomatoes with lots of gel around the seed since that is where the flavor tends to concentrate. I can't stand a tomato with a very thick skin that catches in your teeth a la most commercial varieties today.
The most important thing for me is the smell of the tomato. If it smells like a tomato, it will almost always taste like a tomato. Once I can smell it, then I taste it and see if it lives up to its billing.
I prefer a balanced flavor over one that is too tart or too sweet. If the sweetness is very high, as per some of the recent red cherry tomatoes, but the tart flavor is not present, I describe them as bland. If the tart flavor is very high but there is no sugar, I describe them as too tart. I could name varieties that fall to either condition.
I find most dark tomatoes to have an almost smoky aftertaste. They are delicious served with grilled beef where the two flavors complement and enhance each other.
Fusion
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