Mango Reviews

[JF]

Joe - you are making a bit of history here - such complete mango reviews for
these Florida mangoes - astoundingly good and consistent work on your part!

It would be interesting to see how the California mangoes, using your same set of
taste buds on the same mango varieties, would compare.......?

GREAT JOB!



Gary

Joe reminds me of old Vin Scully narrating.....he can sure paint a picture of a mango!

[MangoFang]

yeah.....mango play-by-play.....Batter UP!!!!!!!!!!


 

[plantlover13]

Somebody should make a list that has an index and a link to each review for reference. And this thread should be stickied.

[JoeP450]

Here is a mango called taralay (sp) from Walter zill's:








The story behind this mango according to Verna (sp) was that this tree was planted in a community called tara estates and that a hurricane had knocked the tree over to lay on its side. The tree produced fruit and either Gary or Walter liked the fruit enough to keep it around hence the name Tara-lay. This mango had a very interesting kidney shape with a side beak on the bottom right in the picture. The coloration was tan yellow with a few green patches, some anthracnose, and felt soft and ready to eat. There was hardly any smell to the outside peel and it was 4.25in long and weighed 307g. When I cut the mango open it revealed a golden yellow flesh and gushed some thin juice. The flesh was fiberless and juicy with a slippery smooth consistency. There was an ok amount of flesh to eat and when I examined the seed I am almost certain it is a monoembryonic. The taste was mildly sweet with a fresh sugarcane flavor.

-JoeP450

[plantlover13]

Here is a mango called taralay (sp) from Walter zill's:








The story behind this mango according to Verna (sp) was that this tree was planted in a community called tara estates and that a hurricane had knocked the tree over to lay on its side. The tree produced fruit and either Gary or Walter liked the fruit enough to keep it around hence the name Tara-lay. This mango had a very interesting kidney shape with a side beak on the bottom right in the picture. The coloration was tan yellow with a few green patches, some anthracnose, and felt soft and ready to eat. There was hardly any smell to the outside peel and it was 4.25in long and weighed 307g. When I cut the mango open it revealed a golden yellow flesh and gushed some thin juice. The flesh was fiberless and juicy with a slippery smooth consistency. There was an ok amount of flesh to eat and when I examined the seed I am almost certain it is a monoembryonic. The taste was mildly sweet with a fresh sugarcane flavor.

-JoeP450

Nice review!

[MangoFang]

PlantLover is right - all of Joe's Reviews should be saved...somewhere.....
Murahlin, (or anyone)  is this something that could be done?

Joe is really extraordinary at this sort of thing!  Somehow, even though I know
it is EXTREMELY subjective, I do trust his analysis' -they just seems very reasonable
and fair....



Gary

[mangomanic12]

I completely agree with everything Gary say's along with

1.   If there is a thread / post of the year nomination so far (which i think a worthy person should win a prize)  - My vote's for Joe
2.   Joe most be a writer / author because his descriptions of the tastings and everything is for me at least addicting to read
3.   This post is the first one i click on everyday to read
4.   I want to thank Joe for all the effort it takes to post / download/ type/ respond to this thread and creating it !

My vote for Thread of the year !

P.S  -  Joe deserves at  least one  of his fav's   -  A 7 GAL OR  15 GAL  SWEET  TART TREE   to plant at his house this fall !!

 

[JF]

PlantLover is right - all of Joe's Reviews should be saved...somewhere.....
Murahlin, (or anyone)  is this something that could be done?

Joe is really extraordinary at this sort of thing!  Somehow, even though I know
it is EXTREMELY subjective, I do trust his analysis' -they just seems very reasonable
and fair....



Gary

This guy's images and words make us crave and drool for mangos.

[JoeP450]

I really appreciate the appreciation everyone and I must say this has been a truly delicious undertaking...lol. Actually, I am not a writer but a pharmacist, hence the measuring and weighing of mangos which i think is an expression of my analytical nature. Writing these reviews definitely has brought out a writing quality I never knew I had, a testament to how absolutely delicious some of these mangos are. As far as my reviews being subjective to taste I agree with that and I try to be as much a reporter as possible leaving out my personal bias. At the very least my goal is to provide pictures and highlight the small groups of growers who provide them: truly tropical, Walter Zill, ensey's ect. I would have never known where to procure these mangos if it wasn't for this forum. 

-JoeP450

[JF]

Joe - you are making a bit of history here - such complete mango reviews for
these Florida mangoes - astoundingly good and consistent work on your part!
It would be interesting to see how the California mangoes, using your same set of
taste buds on the same mango varieties, would compare.......?
GREAT JOB!
Gary

I think a plane ticket and a stay over at the mangofang compound next cali mango tasting would be in order for Joe.

Harry, how about if we send Joe a box of 10 California cultivars? a lot cheaper.

Joe, I don't know if you like annonas but I would love for you to do the same thing with different cherimoya varieties.

[JoeP450]

Here is a "Best" mango from Truly Tropical:








The story behind this mango according to Chris at Truly Tropical is that it is a seedling from bailey's marvel and was kept around because the leaves looked interesting and when other people tasted it among other mango seedlings they liked it "best". This mango is a a distant relative to the Haden and sports a similar coloration. This mango was half tanned yellow and half red blush with some brown spots and felt soft with some give. Hardly noticeable in the picture but on the scale you can see a "double-beak" at the bottom. This mango was 4.25in long and weighed 537g. When I cut the mango open it produced a butterscotch colored flesh and leaked some thin juice. The flesh was similar in texture to Haden: juicy, slightly bristly texture on flesh near the seed but the most significant difference was that this "best" mango had zero fiber throughout the flesh and was easily enjoyed with a spoon. There was plenty of flesh to eat as the monoembryonic seed was proportionally small to the mango. The taste was sweet and juicy with taste of (peach/maraschino cherry/amaretto) combination no tangy-ness, a very tropical sense indeed. Personally, I liked this "best" of Haden and bailey's marvel.

-JoeP450

[JoeP450]

JF I'm down for sampling some Cali mangos and we can hash out the details through private messaging, as for cherimoyas I've never even had one in my life but I can try it and see what happens. I think I recall Jeff Hagen raving about them before as like his favorite or something close, which for Jeff to say that...is huge. I've had sugar apple which isn't bad, I'm growing a two year old seedling but I find the drawback to be there are so many seeds, but overall from reports cherimoya > sugar apple.

-JoeP450

[ScottR]

Damm JoeP, you made me drool all over the top of my desk!! JoeP, you got it going on!!!

[JF]

JF I'm down for sampling some Cali mangos and we can hash out the details through private messaging, as for cherimoyas I've never even had one in my life but I can try it and see what happens. I think I recall Jeff Hagen raving about them before as like his favorite or something close, which for Jeff to say that...is huge. I've had sugar apple which isn't bad, I'm growing a two year old seedling but I find the drawback to be there are so many seeds, but overall from reports cherimoya > sugar apple.

-JoeP450

JP, if you like the complexities of mangos you will be blown away by cherimoyas. I will make arrangements with you via email. 

[zands]

JoeP450---
Thanks for all the mango reviews. I have not seen you review one that you just don't like. All these mango varieties are well and good but many arrive (are ripe) at the same time. Are all your reviews done the day you eat them? If not you should give the date eaten so people will get an idea when they can expect fruit from a particular variety. When a mango variety is ripe is important to those who want to extend the mango season. Extending the season is as important as all the different varieties.

I have tried to do this with my own trees so I have late season well covered with Keitt, Neelam. Gold Nugget. Early season I did not do as good a job. I have Glenn and Florigon (small one)

Truly Tropical blog by a Delray Beach mango orchard is also a good guide to when a mango variety is edible, the owner posts what mangoes are ripe for sale each week

[JoeP450]

Here is a mallika mango from Truly Tropical:








Here is the mallika mango, an indian selection said to be the product of dusheri x Neelam.  My wife's sister was over last night and having hardly any experience with mangos I think it's safe to say I pulled a Chris Angel "mind freak." After she tried this she described it as like "candy", "delicious" and went on to update her Facebook about it. I always get a kick out of when people first taste a good mango and can appreciate it. Now she understands why there is an entire table covered with mangos off to the side in my living room because there simply isn't enough counter space! ; )

It is said that the mallika must be picked green and allowed to ripen for a while before it is optimum. I have no clue when this mallika was picked but I had two back to back and they were the perfect flavor I remember and what caused me to buy a tree 2 years ago (which sadly died to neglect and bad transplanting). Early this season I had a mallika that was small and almost fully scabbed and tasted like a vegetable. I also had another one that was a little bit larger with some scab but tasted sweet and tangy. My theory is that if you keep trying you will eventually hit the deep flavor of optimum mallika. This variation all may be due to improperly harvesting.

This mango was a tanned yellow with some slight green patches and anthracnose and felt soft and ready to eat. This mango was 5.25in long and weighed 437g. When I cut the mango open it produced a deep orange flesh and leaked a small amount of juice while the majority remained adhering to the flesh. The texture of the flesh is completely fiberless, soft and creamy. There was plenty of flesh to eat around the monoembryonic seed. The taste is very sweet and richly flavored with notes of ripe cantaloupe/syrupy honey and an occasional tart kick. This is the type of rich flavor I expect in a mango with deep orange flesh and it is absolutely a must try mango.

-JoeP450

[JoeP450]

Zands: my process to reviewing the mangos starts at the grove with the haul. Next mangos are brought to a separate table off to the side in my living room where every mango is at differing stages of ripeness due solely to when they were picked by the seller. Since I buy in bulk, many mangos will ripen simultaneously and I may eat up to 5 mangos in a day some in am before my 8-8 work shift and then at night afterward. I use note pad on my ipad to take notes of measurements, taste, texture, pics ect as I eat the mangos. When I write the review it takes time, and after a 12hr day standing on my feet I can only write so many in a night so a review is most of the time done next day but sometimes same day like on my days off. The issue with dating mangos of their ripeness and listing their early, mid, and late season is problematic because A) I do not grow every cultivar and lack first hand knowledge of exact season,  B) this year with the multi blooming phenomenon every grove owner will tell you all their varieties have been extended much later than usual and this is not normal.

As for mangos I didn't like, maybe I wasn't blunt enough in my description of the banana mango from ensey's or the wise mango from Excalibur and I didn't care for the eye wincing of sweet tart or the taste of royal purple. I am really waiting till the end of season to decide on my favorites and least for now.

-JoeP450

[fruitlovers]

Joe, your mango reviews and photos of cultivars are really great! I wonder if there is a way to insert a link to them in the ultimate mango list? You could maybe insert the link to the particular post to each mango cultivar? It seems to me that they would add a lot of good information to the list and a very easy way to access the information and photos.

[Luisport]

I just try a new one to me. Palmer mango, very good taste!

 

 

 

[Tropicdude]

I have had some really good Palmers, but like Keitt, there seems to be so much variation in quality from jelly seeds hell, to heavenly delight. 

[zands]

Zands: my process to reviewing the mangos starts at the grove with the haul. Next mangos are brought to a separate table off to the side in my living room where every mango is at differing stages of ripeness due solely to when they were picked by the seller. Since I buy in bulk, many mangos will ripen simultaneously and I may eat up to 5 mangos in a day some in am before my 8-8 work shift and then at night afterward. I use note pad on my ipad to take notes of measurements, taste, texture, pics ect as I eat the mangos. When I write the review it takes time, and after a 12hr day standing on my feet I can only write so many in a night so a review is most of the time done next day but sometimes same day like on my days off. The issue with dating mangos of their ripeness and listing their early, mid, and late season is problematic because A) I do not grow every cultivar and lack first hand knowledge of exact season,  B) this year with the multi blooming phenomenon every grove owner will tell you all their varieties have been extended much later than usual and this is not normal.

As for mangos I didn't like, maybe I wasn't blunt enough in my description of the banana mango from ensey's or the wise mango from Excalibur and I didn't care for the eye wincing of sweet tart or the taste of royal purple. I am really waiting till the end of season to decide on my favorites and least for now.

-JoeP450

You are saying you post your mango reviews within a few days. That is more than good enough.
True, this year is off due to multi-blooming but still the day you ate it is very helpful and you are doing this.

That banana mango looked great. It should be widely planted to lure mango thieves away from the good ones.

Thanks for all the reviews!

[mangomandan]

 The sweet tart mangos that I tasted were neither bland/overripe nor too tart.   I'm pretty sensitive to tartness; even the occasional Keitt is almost too tart for me.   And some Pineapple Pleasures are too.
So, Joe, I hope you'll have another go.

Here is a sweet tart mango from Walter zills:



I was told that the sweet tart mango is a seedling from the ZINC mango and after tasting both I can taste some resemblance in sweet flavor with the most noticeable difference being in tartness. This sweet tart mango was yellowing with green patches and had some soft give to the flesh. I ate two sweet tarts at different stages of ripeness one was overripe mostly yellow with some anthracnose and browning and the one pictured above. The overripe one tasted like it had lost much of its flavor and was hardly tart so my recommendation is to try both but in my opinion the flavor is much better with some green on the skin. This mango was 3.5in long and weighed 245g. When I cut the mango open it revealed a bright yellow orange flesh and leaked some thin juice onto the cutting board. The flesh was fiberless and juicy with a buttery feel. The seed which looked like it was polyembrionic was large relative to the small mango with just enough flesh to satisfy. The taste was at first eye wincing tart which then went really sweet. I also noticed that when I would place a piece on my tongue and let it just melt away I would get a strange aftertaste which I cannot describe as resinous or anything else I have ever tasted in a mango before. Overall I think this mango might be more of an acquired taste for most people as it is really uniquely tart, so I think definitely try one yourself before planting. Of random note I thought the peel was really thin and even thinner than my knife blade.

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-JoeP450

[Cookie Monster]

I've had a couple of sweet tarts that were very sour, but the majority have been absolutely incredible -- very (very) sweet with a hint of tart and a really exciting indo-chinese (cola syrup) flavor with a firm flesh.

[JoeP450]

The sweet tart is a unique mango, and the flavor you refer to as cola is the closest think I would compare it to Jeff. I give it few more rounds mangomandan.

-joep450

[JoeP450]

Here is a Graham mango from truly tropical:










This Graham mango is said to have originated from Trinidad. It is large and lumpy in shape and was yellowing olive green and felt ripe. It weighed 600g and was 5in long. When I cut the mango open it produced a bright orange flesh with some thin juice. There was a very large amount of edible flesh surrounding the monoembryonic seed. The flesh was soft, fiberless, juicy and had a unique porous graining in the flesh which I tried to capture in the first photo. The taste was very interesting and I had fun eating this because of its large size I was able to eat different "sections" of this mango and get different tastes. The flesh directly on the seed to about an 1.5 inches off surounding the seed is mildly sweet mango flavor with an occasional tangy taste, not too exciting. Then the majority of flesh that surrounds the previous section to about 1cm below the peel, was sweeter flavor with a slight herbal essence, more interesting. Then the best and most delicious part was the 1cm of flesh directly on the peel which was very sweet and resinous, absolutely delish. I basically halved this mango and ate it from the inside out with a spoon and that is how I was able to see the changes in flavor from the different "sections". Next time you get your hands on a graham mango try eating it this way and see if you can taste the different sections.

-JoeP450