THE VERY LATE MANGO DILEMMA
The choices for very late Mangoes are somewhat limited. The end of August often signals the end of mango season, but there are a few other varieties that hang on after the all the others are done. There is always Keitt which is the latest of the late & deserving of yard space for that alone, but what about the others? Lancetilla & Beverly are listed as being September mangos by PIN and Honey Kiss is supposed to be a September mango also. All three of these varieties have good flavor, but there are subtle differences between them in flavor that is noticeable. Personal preference may be the key as neither stands out from the rest for flavor & their overall scores are very close.
1. Beverly - One of the traditional late season Zill family favorites. These are the ones they kept for themselves at the end of the season. Beverly has a lot going for it. It's large, juicy, VERY good firm flesh, even ripening, mostly classic mango flavor, ripens well on the counter, etc. The ones I had were very clean without external or internal issues. PIN viewer gives it a 4 star flavor rating. What set's Beverly apart is that it does have a unique slightly "Turpentine/Asian"?? key component that some will either think adds or subtracts from it. It's a flavor component that I have detected in Duncan, but it's much more pronounced in Beverly. It is probably a characteristic that you would like if you grew up eating this mango so I understand why Walter Zill says his life "wouldn't be complete without a Beverly tree". The turp/asian component is also probably something that would grow on you or that you and would come to like or notice less with time. If you like Duncan you will like Beverly possibly even more if you like Duncan's undertones & aftertaste. Beverly Fruit Quality Score: 8.5 - Flavor Score 7.25
2. Honey Kiss - This has been compared to a late SMALL late Keitt with bit of honey. That is probably fairly accurate. The "hint of honey" is similar to a touch of Nam Doc Mai flavor (in a good way). It is a smallish, juicy, semi-creamy, mild flavored mango and would probably be popular with a wide number of people. The ones I had did suffer from some uneven ripening ala Cushman/Keitt and even had the Cushman orange ring around the outside as well as some minor jelly seed, but this didn't subtract from the overall flavor or enjoyment. Probably it was a good thing that Walter Zill saved the original tree from his brother Gary's chainsaw. : )
If you like Glenn's or small late Keitt's with just a dash of NDM #4 honey flavor added than HK is probably one that you would enjoy. For flavor it does edge out Beverly IMHO, but the flavor profiles are somewhat different and scores are close so YMMV. HK overall Fruit Quality Score: 7.0........HK Flavor Score: 7.5
3. Lancetilla - Ok it's a freakishly large mango. It can get the size of a football & reach 5 pounds. It's a conversation piece & just for geeky fruit collectors and probably tastes bad or weird right? Well that's what I thought also. I was wrong. PIN gives it 4 stars for flavor and I can see why. No doubt Lancetilla gets bad reviews because it does take a long time to ripen up due to it's size and most people probably are trying them prematurely when they "look ready" but really aren't. I will concede that Lancetilla BEFORE it comes up to full flavor is a TOTAL ZERO!! Once they fully ripen Lancetilla is VERY enjoyable eating experience. It has been compared to a Kent for texture & flavor, and while that may be true Lancetilla is considerably better & significantly more satisfyingly enjoyable than any Kent I've had. It has true classic mango flavor without any turp or other possibly offensive subtle flavors so it should appeal to just about anyone who like mangoes. Lancetilla has a pleasantly subtle tart component that I haven't detected in Kent. Out of all the September varieties I've tried Keiit, Kent, Beverly & Honey Kiss I enjoyed Lancetilla the most. There is also something primitively satisfying about diving face first into an ice cold watermelon sized mango over the kitchen sink on a hot Florida summers day. Despite the size of the fruit, Lancetilla is also a tree that can be controlled and kept under control. Lancetilla gets a lot of notice because of it's size, but it may need to get more respect as possibly being the best tasting very late September mango there is. The fruit is also very clean & would probably even be a relatively good keeper & shipper due to it's long ripening time. I also suspect that it isn't MBBS prone like Kent, but maybe Squam can chime in on this. Just one of these that will leave you feeling full. Would make for great summer picnic mango fresh off the ice or to enjoy as you're slowing tubing down river. If you are looking to add a very late mango variety give Lancetilla a try. You might be pleasantly surprised as I was. Just make sure you wait for them to FULLY RIPEN first. Overall Fruit Quality Score: 9.......Overall Flavor & Texture Score 7.75+
OVERALL FLAVOR SCORES:
1. Lancetilla: 7.75+
2. Honey Kiss: 7.50
3. Beverly: 7.25
Let the fights begin...........
Topic: September Mango Shootout - Lancetilla vs Honey Kiss vs Beverly (Read 1182 times)