Quoting Jon Shemitz:
Suze wrote:

They will taste just fine. It is a persistent myth that tomatoes must
always be left on the vine until dead ripe for the best taste.

No, a tomato picked ripe in the middle of a run of great tomato days
will always taste better than a Farmers' Market tomato,

Not necessarily. It depends on who is selling at your FM and what
varieties they are offering. Some FMs have more selection than others
-- an FM in SoCal might actually have some great selections, whereas
one in Podunk, Iowa may not.

For example, if you are growing Roma or Celebrity and they are selling
Pruden's Purple or Kosovo or Black from Tula, their tomatoes are
highly likely to taste better -- even if you grew your tomatoes under
slightly more favorable conditions than they did. Unless of course
(taking it to the extreme), they picked at green wrap stage and gassed
them or something like that.

or a green tomato ripened in your kitchen, just as it will taste better then a
late tomato.

Breaker != green wrap

There is also more than one "breaker" stage.

Kitchen ripened tomatoes do taste "just fine" - what they'll never
taste is transcendent.

That's just not the case. It's not uncommon at all for people to
favorably impress at taste-offs with tomatoes that were picked before
dead ripe stage. And this, at regional tomato get-togethers where a
wide selection of great tomato varieties (and growers) are at the
events. In fact, a lot of people that participate in those types of
events will pick early in the week to ensure that they have intact and
tasty fruits to take to the (weekend) event.

My experiences growing open pollinated/heirloom tomatoes, as well as
having the opportunity over the last few years to taste a wide variety
of tomatoes grown by other tomatophiles under various conditions
definitely indicate otherwise -- i.e. that a tomato that wasn't left
on the vine until dead ripe just can't taste "transcendent".

Generally, the primary factor in taste is variety selection. The
genetics of a Better Boy or a BHN 444, or whatever was on special at
the Home Dep*t just can't compare to, say, an Aunt Gertie's Gold, or
a Cherokee Purple, etc. in terms of taste potential.

However, watering can also be a major factor in how tomatoes taste.
Most people water way, way too much. Practically speaking (for the
home gardener), leaving tomatoes on the vine as long as possible
frequently results in further taste dilution way beyond any marginal
benefit that may have been obtained by leaving fruits on until dead
ripe. And a good rain can ruin them, both taste and appearance wise.

Which was pretty much my original point.