For me, the best fig is whichever kind of fresh fig I have in my kitchen ! I love 'em all.

It depends on what you're doing with it. For just eating, the Calimyrna fig (golden in color) is a good one if you can find it. For putting into recipes, the Mission (purple in color and prettiest, in my estimation) and for making pastes and what-not, the golden-colored Adriatic fig, for it's higher sugar content. For growing, I have no idea but would love to get tips on that.

My favorite are green figs, also called white adriatic figs. They're bright red/pink on the inside and have a great fresh and sweet flavor. I love them raw, but have also roasted them, wrapped in bacon. They release a sweet syrup when cooked.