Basil - what variety or varieties do you grow ?

[gata montes]

Next year I want to add some different varieties of basil to my herb garden, particularly some of the red or purple leaved varieties and already have some in mind, but after spending hours ploughing my way through all the 40 plus different varieties of basil, find myself in a bit of a dilemma.

I'd love to grow them all, especially as many of them would make a really attractive addition to the garden, plus they all sound so irresistibly tasty, but I can only grown so many, and although I've managed to narrow my list down to 10 varieties, that is still far too many, so this is where I'm hoping that some of you may be able to help me out.

Has anyone ever grown any of the following

Cinnamon Basil
The slightly spicy, purple and green Aromatto Basil
The green or purple large leaved variety - Italian Lettuce Leaf Basil
The spicy Red Rubin
or any of the purple leaved varieties such as Dark Opal or Purple Ruffles

if so were you pleased with, not only the flavor but the plant itself - was it well behaved, how easily did it germinate and was it prone to any particular bugs or infection ?
also
Are there any other more unusual varieties of basil that you would recommend ?

 

[firelily99]

I have never tried the Cinnamon Basil but it sounds delightful. I have grown Purple Ruffles and really loved the appearance of it, its a very pretty plant. For the most part I just grow the most common basil, its more than enough to meet my needs.

 

[gata montes]

I have never tried the Cinnamon Basil but it sounds delightful. I have grown Purple Ruffles and really loved the appearance of it, its a very pretty plant. For the most part I just grow the most common basil, its more than enough to meet my needs.

I'm seriously thinking about Cinnamon Basil as being one the top contenders off this list - its just that I'd been hoping that someone might have grown it and actually tried it, especially as I've only heard that it is extremely tasty in cooking but haven't been able to try it myself, not even as a shop bought dried herb, because the choice of dried herbs here is pretty limited and very uninspiring due to the fact that most people grow their own.
You mentioned you grew Purple Ruffles - what did you think of the flavor, was it more spicy than other varieties and did your plants suffer from any serious bug problems ?