The tree is very vigorous and a heavy cropper; it must be thinned to maintain annual bearing. Erwin Baur is quite susceptible to fireblight but somewhat resistant to scab. West of the Cascades, the tree should be monitored for anthracnose canker.

Ripening late in the season, about seven weeks after McIntosh, Erwin Baur is a medium-sized apple with dark red-brown stripes over a deep yellow background. It is an open-pollinated seedling of Duchess of Oldenburg, but its aromatics and sweet-tart flavor are suggestive of Cox's Orange Pippin, leading some to suggest that this might be the pollen parent. The yellowish flesh is dense and hard, and the apple will store well for up to two months. This apple is perfect for fresh eating, makes a great sauce, and might be useful in cider blends.

First cultivated in 1928, Erwin Baur was not fully recognized in Germany until 1955. It is named after the founder of the Institute of Plant Breeding in Muncheberg, Germany.