Kurma Nabi is a name, Ajwa is the date
On a site named after Kurma Nabi, the jenis2 kurma question starts with one date. Kurma Nabi is the name Malaysian shops use for Ajwa, a date grown in Madinah. It is small to medium, black, with a slightly wrinkled skin and a fine, aromatic sweetness. The name tells you which date you are getting. It does not tell you the grade, the pack size or how fresh the stock is, and those three are what decide whether an online order goes well.
If you want the wider picture first, Green Diamond keeps a rundown of the main Jenis2 Kurma, including the Iranian varieties such as Mazafati, Sayer and Piarom.
The two Madinah dates you will see side by side
Online shops that sell Ajwa nearly always list Safawi next to it, because both come from the same area around Madinah. They look alike in a thumbnail. In the hand they are easy to tell apart. Safawi is near-black and smooth, with thick, soft flesh and a moderate sweetness that does not stick to your fingers. Ajwa is smaller, more wrinkled and a little lighter in colour, with more aroma. Our Kurma Safawi guide and the longer piece on Kurma Madinah and its varieties go through both in more detail.
Where the other names come from
Outside Madinah there are numerous types of dates to choose from, and a listing that names the origin correctly is a good first sign. Mariami is Iranian, golden-brown to dark brown, soft and caramel-sweet. Medjool started in Morocco and is now mostly grown in the Jordan Valley and Palestine; it is the large one. Deglet Noor comes from Tunisia and Algeria, is semi-dry and chewy with a light sweetness, and is often sold still on the stalk as kurma tangkai. If a page calls any of these "Madinah dates", close the tab.
Reading an Ajwa listing before you pay
Ajwa grades are mostly about size. At Green Diamond, for example, grade A is the smaller date sold for everyday eating, AA is medium and soft, AAA VIP is the large one people choose for gifts, and Aliya sits above that in limited quantity. Other shops use their own labels (VVIP, Jumbo, No.1), so read the size description instead of trusting the letters alone. Check whether the season year is printed on the product name or label. Then look at the pack: 1kg bags for the house, 5kg cartons for a surau, a shop or a bulk Ajwa order, and small 200g pouches if you are giving them out.
So, should you buy Ajwa online?
Yes, once you know the grade you want. Ajwa is soft but it does not need a cold chain, so it travels by courier without much fuss. When purchasing dates online for the first time, order a 1kg pack before committing to a carton. Ask for a photo of loose dates from the current stock, not a styled box shot. A seller who answers that quickly is usually the one worth coming back to for fresh and high-quality dates.
Buying for Ramadan, a kenduri or as buah tangan? Ajwa is most in demand around Ramadan and the haj season, so place the order early. Our note on the traditions behind Kurma Nabi covers the occasions where Ajwa usually turns up.
After the parcel arrives
Move the dates into an airtight container once the pack is open and keep them somewhere cool and dry, out of direct sun. Green Diamond gives about six months at room temperature and twelve in the fridge for Ajwa. If you bought a carton, split it into smaller containers so you are not opening the whole lot every day.