Edelborsdorfer is a long-lived, hardy, and productive tree with a roundish habit. It blooms late enough to avoid most frosts. It should be thinned diligently to avoid biennialism. No susceptibilities have been reported for this variety, and it has demonstrated some resistance to mildew and fireblight.

The small-medium fruit is greenish yellow and flushed with pink on the exposed cheek. The flesh is coarse, crisp, and tender. It is tinged yellow and has a vinous, spicy flavor with aromas of cinnamon and rose. Edelborsdorfer is a very high-quality dessert apple.

This is one of the oldest known apples, and it is the oldest documented variety from Germany. It is mentioned by the Cistercians (an offshoot of the Benedictine monastic order) early in the 12th century, and it was later a favorite of Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, for whom the apple was first cultivated in England.