Author Topic: Best tasting mangos of 2018  (Read 46913 times)

Cookie Monster

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #100 on: July 27, 2018, 02:45:35 PM »
Yah, CA has a military style checkpoint. Been a number of years since I've driven over the state line into CA, but they were checking for any and all ag. FL is way more lax about that stuff.
Jeff  :-)

WGphil

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #101 on: July 27, 2018, 03:19:27 PM »
I drove from Reno to Sacramento last year and hit the ag inspection road block at the border.

They don’t screw around.

behlgarden

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #102 on: July 27, 2018, 03:30:05 PM »
its all about if you are having a bad day or good day. Fines are heavy!

zands

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #103 on: July 27, 2018, 03:35:13 PM »
Last time I encountered the California fruit and plant inspectors was 30+ years ago. They were semi casual and kind of a joke. They asked a few questions then waved you through into California.

JF and Behl can do all their buying at Pine Island nursery. They will supply  phyto sanitary certificates for plants and trees taken back to California via airplane. Perhaps they can supply phyto certificates for plants bought off their premises? I don't know.
« Last Edit: July 27, 2018, 05:13:59 PM by zands »

DurianLover

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #104 on: July 27, 2018, 05:19:48 PM »
CA inspection stations are a joke for anyone wanting to get serious in smuggling. Backroads are unchecked. Even major road US 95 from Las Vegas into CA has no checkpoint. Drove on this road couple times.

behlgarden

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #105 on: July 27, 2018, 05:31:59 PM »
CA inspection stations are a joke for anyone wanting to get serious in smuggling. Backroads are unchecked. Even major road US 95 from Las Vegas into CA has no checkpoint. Drove on this road couple times.

again, its just a matter of having a bad day

zands

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #106 on: July 27, 2018, 06:10:32 PM »


That animated pic must be a new smart phone app.

zands

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #107 on: July 27, 2018, 06:13:09 PM »
CA inspection stations are a joke for anyone wanting to get serious in smuggling. Backroads are unchecked. Even major road US 95 from Las Vegas into CA has no checkpoint. Drove on this road couple times.

JF and Behl now have their road map layed out for them.
« Last Edit: July 27, 2018, 06:16:59 PM by zands »

mangomandan

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #108 on: July 28, 2018, 10:42:45 AM »
My timing was way off as far as tasting mangos from my favorite purveyors.  Some too green to mature well (in hindsight). M-4 has been sitting on the piano for six days, may soften eventually.
Another excellent vendor somehow only had Torbet and Duncan the two times I stopped by.

So far the best tasting for me has been the Spirit of '76 from my own tree. Beautiful, and excellent classic Florida mango flavor. For whatever reason the tree has done better the last two years than in earlier times.

I'm waiting on my Peach Cobbler tree. Possibly a few weeks yet, unless they mature at half size.

johnb51

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #109 on: July 28, 2018, 02:23:10 PM »
What are the origins of Spirit of 76?  How similar is it to Kent in taste?
John

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #110 on: July 28, 2018, 02:36:16 PM »
What are the origins of Spirit of 76?  How similar is it to Kent in taste?

Its believed to be Haden x Zill.  A delicious mango, fiber free, melting flesh with a Dole fruit cocktail taste.  Far better than Kent, IMO.
- Rob

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #111 on: July 28, 2018, 04:03:17 PM »
What are the origins of Spirit of 76?  How similar is it to Kent in taste?

Its believed to be Haden x Zill.  A delicious mango, fiber free, melting flesh with a Dole fruit cocktail taste.  Far better than Kent, IMO.

Rob...Based on your description, how would you rate Spirit against the actual 28-18 Fruit Cocktail?
Warren

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #112 on: July 28, 2018, 04:40:33 PM »
What are the origins of Spirit of 76?  How similar is it to Kent in taste?

Its believed to be Haden x Zill.  A delicious mango, fiber free, melting flesh with a Dole fruit cocktail taste.  Far better than Kent, IMO.

Rob...Based on your description, how would you rate Spirit against the actual 28-18 Fruit Cocktail?

Spirit of 76 is had more of a clean, bright blend of  fruits (peach, plum, citrus, cherry) like eating a can of Dole fruit cocktail with the cherries.  Possibly more of a Haden influence.   Fruit Cocktail aka 28-18 is more like I described as a Capri Sun drink with a spice/turpen overtone (from the Jakarta).  It has some similarities to that found in the Fruit Punch mango.
- Rob

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #113 on: July 29, 2018, 12:07:12 AM »
What does the Spirit of '76 tree generally look like?  Compact vs. large and/or spreading.
John

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #114 on: July 29, 2018, 07:30:31 AM »
What does the Spirit of '76 tree generally look like?  Compact vs. large and/or spreading.

Medium vigor, upright with a classic tree shape.
- Rob

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #115 on: August 02, 2018, 01:14:06 AM »
Being in SoCal, I have tasted limited varieties of mango this year.  The ones I really enjoyed so far,

Rajapuri - can't get enough of them.  Of the 4 Indian mangoes I tried, Kesar, Badami, and Alphonso, this is by far the best.
Coconut Cream - first time trying a coconut-flavor mango.  It really blew me away.
Haden - can't beat that classic taste

I will have a chance to taste some newer varieties next week, e.g. LZ, M4, Beverly...etc.  Hope they will live up to the expectation.

Just had M4 and other FL mangoes.  I need to redo my list for the best mangoes this year.

Rajapuri - can't get enough of them.  Of the 4 Indian mangoes I tried (Kesar, Badami, and Alphonso), this is by far the best.  Kesar second.
M4 - complex flavor, super sweet, it reminded me of eating Rajapuri.  Even though I did not detect much coconut flavor, I was like wow..wow...so good..wow..amazing..wow...the whole time.
Sweet Tart - had an orange flesh one.  Strong citrus flavor...so good.
Coconut Cream - first time trying a coconut-flavor mango.  It really blew me away.

Haden - bump off the list.  It's good and classy, but nothing like the others.

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #116 on: August 02, 2018, 04:20:31 AM »
I have been eating rajapuri mango from the cafeteria. It is actually pretty good. 

simon_grow

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #117 on: August 06, 2018, 08:11:17 PM »
Rajapuris were amazing this year, the first year I’ve heard and tasted it.

I sampled a Fruit Cocktail last night, it was bright orangish yellow and had a nice fruity smell to it. Upon sampling it, I could detect a Capri Sun like flavor but I read Robs comments on its flavor profile so I was implanted with the thought already. The fruit had a bit of Florigon flavor according to my palate. This fruit had a Brix of 16% and may have been picked a few days early. I noticed that there was a bit of fiber on this fruit.






I also sampled the first Sweet Tart of the year. I shared it with my friend from work and it blew his mind. It was very sweet with excellent acidic balance. I didn’t take pictures or bring my refractometer but it was very very sweet and delicious. Sweet Tart is definitely a must have for any mango lover. A top 5 Mango for sure!
Simon

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #118 on: August 06, 2018, 10:40:44 PM »
So far, piña colada was the best tasting mango for me for 2018.  Amazing flavor, complexity, and tartness..now we just have to get this to NOT be a shy bearer in SoCal.
Warren

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #119 on: August 07, 2018, 12:03:16 AM »
Hey Warren, from the research and observations I’ve been doing and comparing production of varieties grown in Florida vs SoCal, I believe Piña Colada will be a good producer here. Our cold weather induces blooms a little too much so blooming is not an issue.

Our major issues arise when flowering and fruit set coincide with a temperature and humidity that accelerates the proliferation of fungal disease pressures, namely Powdery Mildew. I don’t know yet if Piña  Colada has issues with PM but some varieties like LZ definitely does. Other varieties like NDM can get PM on its blooms but still hold fruit but if we get a more virulent strain of PM, things can change fast.

Powdery Mildew is still relatively easy to control through integrated pest management and I’m beginning to realize the foresight that Squam256 had when he warned against the improper use of specific systemic Fungicides that if used improperly, could lead to the rise of more resistant strains of Powdery Mildew and other fungi.

I believe the use of Copper, Sulfur, Sodium Bicarbonate, Neem, etc... is enough to bring down disease pressures to the point where varieties that do have issues with fungi will still be able to produce good crops.

And yes, Piña Colada is an absolutely delicious flavor bomb.
Simon

wslau

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #120 on: August 07, 2018, 12:25:46 AM »
Simon,
Piña colada flowers well in SoCal, but fruit set is low... Very similar to Alphonso in SoCal.
May try hand pollination in the future.
Warren

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #121 on: August 07, 2018, 12:42:35 AM »
Piña colada has major issues in SoCal. I’ve had it growing in Manila and it grows very slow mainly because it has a propensity to PM. It’s barely gets one good growth spur a season and keeps flower till July

simon_grow

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #122 on: August 07, 2018, 11:42:41 AM »
I believe much of the slow growth of Piña Colada can be circumvented by planting seedlings instead of grafting mature scion wood. Powdery Mildew most significantly affects newer younger growth and damage to older hardened growth is minimal. What most people notice is damage that occurred when the growth was young and then as the leaf expands, the surface area of the infection enlarges but the damage occurred when the leaf was not hardened.

Since we don’t get a lot of Summer rain here in SoCal, occasionally spraying with Copper alternating with Sulfur during and prior to leaf expansion will have a big impact.

Po Pyu Kalay panicles are not as disease prone as Lemon Zest but the new growth of PPK seems to be just as sensitive to PM as LZ new growth.

To get back on track, the goal should be to get Piña Colada to a large size and once it reaches critical mass, it should be a good producer. For a bit of motivation, see this thread where Zands posted a picture of his Piña Colada grown in Florida.
http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=28467.msg323145#msg323145
Simon

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #123 on: August 07, 2018, 08:18:28 PM »
I believe much of the slow growth of Piña Colada can be circumvented by planting seedlings instead of grafting mature scion wood. Powdery Mildew most significantly affects newer younger growth and damage to older hardened growth is minimal. What most people notice is damage that occurred when the growth was young and then as the leaf expands, the surface area of the infection enlarges but the damage occurred when the leaf was not hardened.

Since we don’t get a lot of Summer rain here in SoCal, occasionally spraying with Copper alternating with Sulfur during and prior to leaf expansion will have a big impact.

Po Pyu Kalay panicles are not as disease prone as Lemon Zest but the new growth of PPK seems to be just as sensitive to PM as LZ new growth.

To get back on track, the goal should be to get Piña Colada to a large size and once it reaches critical mass, it should be a good producer. For a bit of motivation, see this thread where Zands posted a picture of his Piña Colada grown in Florida.
http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=28467.msg323145#msg323145
Simon

I don't know about circumventing by growing a seedling. Mangodog gave me a pina colada seedling a few years ago and it was just as bad as a grafted tree.....I end up lossing the seedling. Pina colada and Ice cream are difficult tress to grow in Socal even if you get them to a decent size there will always be dieback, ask Peter.

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Re: Best tasting mangos of 2018
« Reply #124 on: August 07, 2018, 08:57:26 PM »
Hold onto to your shorts - the biggest pleasant surprise of 2018 for this guy?  Lancetilla - it just takes a long time for the football sized fruits to fully ripen and come up to full flavor on the counter due to their size.  It was like a Kent, but significantly better with a tart component to it that Kent doesn't seem to have.  It is also later than Kent and supposedly a tree that can be kept compact.  I thoroughly enjoyed woofing down a skinned 3lb mango over the kitchen sink.  Lancetilla has classic mango full flavor without any unusual or offending off flavors & it's better than other well known "lates" like Valencia Pride, Keitt, Kent, Honey Kiss or Beverly IMHE. So far it is the best VERY LATE (September+) mango I've ever tasted.  It was so good I will probably be planting it along with Keitt as one of my two very late varieties.  Lancetilla is very deserving of it's 4 star PIN flavor rating and probably should be talked about more.  It's not just a large "freak" mango - it's very good. If you're looking for a good late mango to try it's worth buying one to sample, just make sure you let it fully ripen!!  I actually bought it as an afterthought at Fruitscapes on Pine Island and wasn't expecting it to be anything special.  They were actually sitting off by themselves and no customers seemed to be very interested in them.  Even the guys at Fruitscapes didn't seem to have ever tried them or know much about them. I was VERY pleasantly surprised.  Arguably the best tasting VERY LATE season mango there is - granted the competition is limited. 
« Last Edit: August 07, 2018, 09:40:54 PM by nighthawk0911@yahoo.com »
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