first off i have an open mind and definately realize that some people like a certain fruit or variety of........that being said i had a guava a couple of years back and the fruit had a really bad aroma (oder)?? i dug it up and was done with it. do these new cultivators have that same attribute? is that quava and its just not for me?
In my experience, guavas that are ripe have all had similar fragrances/odors. Some stronger than others. If you like them green and crunchy, as some people do, you won't have to deal with this issue as the smell develops when the fruit is ripe. Some people think the smell is wonderfully tropical....others, like my wife, think there is a close similarity to the smell of cat urine. I am not in the cat urine camp but I do not really care for the smell of them. Flavorwise, I love ripened guava prepared products, like preserves, paste, etc. As far as the eating of the fruit out of hand, between fruit fly larvae, seeds that are like rocks, and unpleasant aroma, these trees have all been replaced in my yard. There was once, an Indonesian White Seedless Guava that I thought was worthy of growing (originally purchased from Hopkins), but it got uprooted in the hurricane. I have tried growing the large white fleshed Thai varieities that are eaten crunchy. First, they are ridiculously subject to fruit fly attack. Second, while crunchy and resaonably decent tasting....I would take a Granny Smith Apple (and I am not a huge fan of this apple as apples go...for the record) over one of these any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Harry