Cambuca does not taste like orange jello

[murahilin]

So I finally got the opportunity to taste a fresh cambuca fruit. I was really looking forward to orange jello but even though it did not taste like it, I was not disappointed. I am not sure how I would describe the flavor. It wasn't too strong. It was a good fruit. I liked the texture. Reminded me a little of orange pulp. No orange taste though. I may have tricked myself into thinking it had a slight citric acid taste. I will have to eat more fruit to confirm.

[fruitlovers]

So I finally got the opportunity to taste a fresh cambuca fruit. I was really looking forward to orange jello but even though it did not taste like it, I was not disappointed. I am not sure how I would describe the flavor. It wasn't too strong. It was a good fruit. I liked the texture. Reminded me a little of orange pulp. No orange taste though. I may have tricked myself into thinking it had a slight citric acid taste. I will have to eat more fruit to confirm.

I've eaten hundreds of cambucas and trust me, there is no orange flavor, no jello gelatin, only orange color. It has a nice delicate taste. My first  cambuca crop was too bland, but the fruit seems to improve as the tree ages. Now i'm pretty fond of them, but still like jaboticabas more.
Oscar

[murahilin]

I've eaten hundreds of cambucas and trust me, there is no orange flavor, no jello gelatin, only orange color. It has a nice delicate taste. My first  cambuca crop was too bland, but the fruit seems to improve as the tree ages. Now i'm pretty fond of them, but still like jaboticabas more.
Oscar

You keep on crushing my hopes. I like them a lot more than jaboticabas though. I like the vexator better than regular jaboticaba and I like cambuca better than vexator. I wonder how the other species rack up.

[fruitlovers]

I've eaten hundreds of cambucas and trust me, there is no orange flavor, no jello gelatin, only orange color. It has a nice delicate taste. My first  cambuca crop was too bland, but the fruit seems to improve as the tree ages. Now i'm pretty fond of them, but still like jaboticabas more.
Oscar

You keep on crushing my hopes. I like them a lot more than jaboticabas though. I like the vexator better than regular jaboticaba and I like cambuca better than vexator. I wonder how the other species rack up.

Crushing your hopes? As in Orange Crush? HAHA Anyway, even if cambuca doesn't taste like your favorite Orange Jello Gelatin, don't worry because cambuca can still be good! It's probably not fair of me to compare cambucas with jaboticabas as they are totally different tasting. Jaboticabas are like muscadine grapes, and cambucas are like peaches. Almost like comparing apple and oranges. Geez, now because of you i can't get oranges out of my mind. 
Here's another photo to wet your orange appetite:

[FlyingFoxFruits]

all this talk about orange jello, made me go to windixee to get some generic orange gelatin.  Cool whip on top.

Maybe we can come up with an orange jello, cambuca recipe?

[murahilin]

Crushing your hopes? As in Orange Crush? HAHA Anyway, even if cambuca doesn't taste like your favorite Orange Jello Gelatin, don't worry because cambuca can still be good! It's probably not fair of me to compare cambucas with jaboticabas as they are totally different tasting. Jaboticabas are like muscadine grapes, and cambucas are like peaches. Almost like comparing apple and oranges. Geez, now because of you i can't get oranges out of my mind. 
Here's another photo to wet your orange appetite:

It all depends of the type of orange crush...

I didn't get the peach taste from cambuca. Is there much variation in flavor between trees? Any selected varieties in Brazil?

That pic makes me wish I had another cambuca right now.

[FlyingFoxFruits]

It all depends of the type of orange crush...

I didn't get the peach taste from cambuca. Is there much variation in flavor between trees? Any selected varieties in Brazil?

That pic makes me wish I had another cambuca right now.

One cultivar called "imperial" with fruits of size larger than 5cm in diameter.

Yes, there is variation.

Did you think it tasted like a jabo with persimmon texture, and almost apricot/tomato taste?

I know its sounds strange, but when they are bland, or early they remind me of a tomato

[fruitlovers]

Ask and yea shall receive. Do a good job on this inventory and i'll mail you one nice free cambuca plant on behalf of all the greatful members here and future members, for the valuable work you are doing!
I don't know the answer to your question about whether there are different tasting cambucas or cambuca cultivars. But given the extensively mind blowing plant diversity and geneplasm in Brazil i wouldn't be surprised.
In the book by Silvestre Silva, Frutas Brasil Frutas, the author says that this tree used to be very common, but now is hardly found (in Brazil):
"Unless you are patient you will never eat the fruit of the cambuca tree that you planted. The tree may grow to a height of eight meters, but it grows very slowly and takes years to produce fruit. This may be the reason why the cambuca is more of a memory than a presence at the family table or in market stalls.
Native to the Atlantic Seaboard forests, and a distant relative of the jabuticaba, the cambuca used to be easily found in the Serra do Mar mountain range, and has been mentioned in the history of Rio de Janeiro life.
Sousa, the author of Noticias do Brasil remarked that the cambuca was "very sweet, with an honest flavour". This in 1587, when Brazilian fruits were virtually unknown. Ferrira Leal, in a book with the intriguing title of The Trials of a Husband describes the cambuca as being "tasty and innocent".
Those fortunate enought to find a cambuca tree may be able to determine what these authors meant when they called it "honest" and "innocent".
BTW, this book and other later editions by this author are very nice books, but hard to get. He is a professional photographer, and his books tend to be coffee table books, but not in any pejorative sense.
Oscar

[fruitlovers]

I must have the Imperial then, because as you can see from photo i posted earlier the fruits were 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter, that is 5 to 6.25 cm. But those were the biggest of the fruits, it made smaller fruits also, especially first time it fruited.
Fruit size may be largely dependent on water/fert/climate/age of tree.
Oscar

[siafu]

According to e-jardim.com, regular cambucás are in the range of 4 to 6 cm in diameter, whereas the imperial cultivar
reaches 7 cm.
 

[murahilin]

Ask and yea shall receive. Do a good job on this inventory and i'll mail you one nice free cambuca plant on behalf of all the greatful members here and future members, for the valuable work you are doing!
I don't know the answer to your question about whether there are different tasting cambucas or cambuca cultivars. But given the extensively mind blowing plant diversity and geneplasm in Brazil i wouldn't be surprised.
In the book by Silvestre Silva, Frutas Brasil Frutas, the author says that this tree used to be very common, but now is hardly found (in Brazil):
"Unless you are patient you will never eat the fruit of the cambuca tree that you planted. The tree may grow to a height of eight meters, but it grows very slowly and takes years to produce fruit. This may be the reason why the cambuca is more of a memory than a presence at the family table or in market stalls.
Native to the Atlantic Seaboard forests, and a distant relative of the jabuticaba, the cambuca used to be easily found in the Serra do Mar mountain range, and has been mentioned in the history of Rio de Janeiro life.
Sousa, the author of Noticias do Brasil remarked that the cambuca was "very sweet, with an honest flavour". This in 1587, when Brazilian fruits were virtually unknown. Ferrira Leal, in a book with the intriguing title of The Trials of a Husband describes the cambuca as being "tasty and innocent".
Those fortunate enought to find a cambuca tree may be able to determine what these authors meant when they called it "honest" and "innocent".
BTW, this book and other later editions by this author are very nice books, but hard to get. He is a professional photographer, and his books tend to be coffee table books, but not in any pejorative sense.
Oscar

Cool. Thanks. That would be awesome. That gives me some motivation to actually finish the inventory next week. I'll be on spring break so I will have some time to devote to finishing the inventory and figuring out the wiki.

Any idea what they may have meant by honest and innocent? Do you think the innocence applies to the flavor not being mild and not too strong?

I have been looking for the book you mentioned but you are right, very hard to come by.

[fruitlovers]

Cool. Thanks. That would be awesome. That gives me some motivation to actually finish the inventory next week. I'll be on spring break so I will have some time to devote to finishing the inventory and figuring out the wiki.

Any idea what they may have meant by honest and innocent? Do you think the innocence applies to the flavor not being mild and not too strong?

I have been looking for the book you mentioned but you are right, very hard to come by.

It's a metaphor, so it's hard for me to say for sure, not being Brazilian. But i would guess that honest would imply that it is a wholesome fruit, and that innocent, would mean pleasing to children.
Oscar

[FlyingFoxFruits]

I think by innocent they mean no objectionable in flavor by any means, no resinous notes.  Also by honest I thought they meant the fruit has a good and consistent flavor, only tasting like cambuca, being true to itself and emulating no other fruit in taste.

[emegar]

Oscar,

Do you ever sell cambuca seeds?  I don't see them in your online store.

James

[fruitlovers]

Oscar,

Do you ever sell cambuca seeds?  I don't see them in your online store.

James

Yes i sell cambuca seeds. Should be listed in late summer when they come into season. Last year they fruited very lightly. Year before had hundreds of fruits. Now i have second tree coming into maturity, so hopefully will have more regular supply.

[GwenninPR]

Sounds interesting.
 I have never heard of this fruit before.
Thanks for posting.

[fruitlovers]

Sounds interesting.
 I have never heard of this fruit before.
Thanks for posting.

It's a very nice fruit. Here's a photo i posted before but that you may have not seen:

They are about 4x the size of a jaboticaba:

and with a milder more peach-like texture and taste.

[Jaboticaba45]

I know, its an old thread, but I was able to taste my first cambuca courtesy of Our Kids Tropicals Nursery last Friday. Although the fruit is larger than regular jabs, the seed and skin take up a large amount of the fruit. the rind of the fruit had an sour/citrus taste. The flesh had the taste and consistency of an abiu combined with maybe a peach? Overall, it is a good fruit and is worth collecting this rare tropical fruit tree.

[WilliamTheYoungGrower]

I know, its an old thread, but I was able to taste my first cambuca courtesy of Our Kids Tropicals Nursery last Friday. Although the fruit is larger than regular jabs, the seed and skin take up a large amount of the fruit. the rind of the fruit had an sour/citrus taste. The flesh had the taste and consistency of an abiu combined with maybe a peach? Overall, it is a good fruit and is worth collecting this rare tropical fruit tree.

Hey jabo,
How would you rate cambuca compared to regular sabara jabos? Do you know how many years it takes to fruit? I’ve got a couple seedlings.
Regards

[Jaboticaba45]

I know, its an old thread, but I was able to taste my first cambuca courtesy of Our Kids Tropicals Nursery last Friday. Although the fruit is larger than regular jabs, the seed and skin take up a large amount of the fruit. the rind of the fruit had an sour/citrus taste. The flesh had the taste and consistency of an abiu combined with maybe a peach? Overall, it is a good fruit and is worth collecting this rare tropical fruit tree.

Hey jabo,
How would you rate cambuca compared to regular sabara jabos? Do you know how many years it takes to fruit? I’ve got a couple seedlings.
Regards

Well, I have not eaten many jabos, but people I have talked to liked sabara better than cambuca. I think that it is like comparing apples and oranges. Don't really know the fruiting time, but they are slow growers and should take 8+ years unless you are lucky?