Which variety of Lychee do you prefer, Brewster or Mauritius and why? I really like the intense Lychee/Rose scent and flavor of the Brewster Lychee but I'm not a fan of their large seed. Brewster Lychees, like many other varieties of Lychees also has a slight tannin taste to my palate which seems to accumulate as you pop more and more Lychee shells with your teeth, I'm assuming the tannins are coming from the peel. The fruit quality is exceptional in my opinion because the smell is 50% of the eating experience and I can't think of a better smelling Lychee, even No Mai Tsze is not as strong smelling.
Anyways, some of you may have seen my post about Leo Manuels unusual Brewster Lychee tree which has an exceptionally high percentage of chicken tongue seeds. His tree can have up to about 80-90% chicken tongue seeds in some panicles but I'm estimating the average for the whole tree is really closer to 70% chicken tongue seeds. The large seeds was the major reason Brewster was not high on my list of varieties of Lychees to plant but Leo's tree has changed my mind.
We still don't know exactly why Leo's Brewster has such a high percentage of chicken tongue seeds but I am guessing that it has to do with being planted in close proximity with a Sweetheart Lychee which is known to have atrophied seeds. I'm theorizing that the pollen from the Sweetheart is pollinating the Brewster. I'll get more data points in years where only one tree blooms but this year and last, both trees bloomed and are holding fruit.
I know Florida has both Brewster and Mauritius Lychees, which variety do you prefer and why? I believe in a previous poll, Mauritius was favored but I still don't understand why. I've tasted Mauritius and Brewster many times and my personal preference is Brewster because of the smell and wonderful Lychee/rose flavor and sweet sweet flesh. Mauritius is also a great fruit but slightly less sweet and lacks the smell and Lychee/rose taste. Also, when picked less than fully ripe, there is a tart component.
Simon