Most dried fruit baskets on sale here follow the same formula: a base of dates, one or two tart items like apricot or prune, and a small handful of nuts. Once you know what each piece is actually doing in the mix, picking a good one gets easier.
Dates set the sweetness level and the price. Deglet Noor is drier and less sweet, often used as the "everyday" date in a mixed basket; Medjool costs more and reads as the premium item because of its size and softness. A basket priced low with mostly Medjool listed on the label is worth a second look — either the fruit is smaller-grade or there's less of it than the photo suggests.
Reading a basket before you buy
Check the ingredient breakdown by weight, not just the item list. A basket that lists "dates, apricots, walnuts" without proportions could be 80% dates and a token scattering of the rest. If a distributor can tell you the actual gram split, that's a sign the basket was assembled with a recipe rather than whatever was left in stock that week.
Colour tells you about age and handling. Dates that look dusty or have a whitish bloom aren't spoiled — that's sugar crystallising on the surface, common in older stock — but it does mean the batch has been sitting for a while. Apricots that have gone from orange to brown have lost more of their moisture and will taste chewier, sometimes leathery.
For current stock levels and pricing by grade, have a peek at this site — availability shifts through the year depending on the harvest. Reach us directly through the contact page, and see the about us page for how we source stock.