Maha Chanok - Mango Review
Two years ago I bought a Maha Chanok tree from Excalibur Fruit Trees in Lake Worth, FL, and planted it. Yesterday I finally got to taste one. It's a beautiful fruit: phallic and curvy, yellow with the rosy blush of a chinook salmon, sparsely dotted with little black speckles ringed in hot neon pink. It has a pungent, intoxicating scent... like smelling a ripe Edward mango held by a sweaty man wearing cologne which mostly covers up his body odor. When cut, the inside smelled "tart" and berry-like.
As for the flavor, it's very hard to describe. But l'll try:
There's a measured sweetness with a subacidic undertone like homemade
cranberry sauce. The secondary layer of flavors is suave... sort of
mellow like a Valencia Pride,
smooth like a cantaloupe, and
sunny like a tangelo. Some Nam Doc Mai-like
honey taste. Classical
mango flavors were present throughout and especially noticed near the thin seed. Underneath the skin is
cola syrup -- subtle cinnamon-vanilla notes which give it a delicately spicy finish. The cola flavor was especially concentrated throughout the upper half inch of the mango, just below the stem
. No resin taste.
Eating the second half, which I let ripen for several hours more, the flesh was softer. There was intense sweetness and a rich,
creamy classical mango flavor. The tartness and subtle flavors were less noticeable.
Because of its sexy looks & remarkable scent, the uniqueness of the flavor profile, and the overall taste quality... my first impression of Maha Chanok is it that of an "outstanding" top tier mango. It's probably the best mango I have ever tasted.
I'd like to thank Harry Hausman and Richard Wilson who championed this mango and inspired me to plant it. These guys did extensive research and made a killer selection. I can now survive and even look forward to these muggy South Florida summers, so as long as the Maha Chanok tree blooms in my backyard. If the fruit gets better as the tree matures, I will be even happier than I am now.