This whole discussion has got me wondering about how different people react to the flavor and texture of particular canistel fruits. I haven't had the opportunity to try many named varieties -- the majority of my canistel eating experiences have been in the Sapotaceae grove at Fruit & Spice Park, where most of the trees are unlabled as to variety.
I absolutely LOVED the vast majority of canistels I ate there, as well as most I've eaten elsewhere. It's really my favorite fruit (yes, I like them more than mangoes!). But I was always puzzled about how the employees at FSP never seemed very excited about all those golden treasures dropping from the canistel trees. Whenever I asked them how they liked canistels, they'd typically shrug their shoulders and make some indifferent comment, sometimes saying it's too dry for them. Same comment I frequently see online, people saying they want a moister-fleshed canistel.
That gets me wondering. The dryness that other people complain about -- is it exactly the texture I like in this fruit? Or are they just eating it at an earlier, drier stage than I'm eating them? Perhaps the varieties I've eaten just have particularly moist flesh?
And then there's flavor. Reading this thread, I wish I could sit next to Oscar of Fruitlovers, sampling the same canistels, to see if the "strong musky taste or annoying cloying sweetness" he detects in many varieties are qualities I would also find objectionable, or maybe the flavors he dislikes are exactly the flavors I love about this fruit. Oscar does say he's not a huge fan of canistels.
I've also heard people online complaining about canistels having a fart-like aroma. I've never detected any such smell in any canistels I've ever sniffed. Again, makes me wonder if we're dealing with different types of canistels, different stages of ripeness, or if we just have different noses.
Guess I need to meet up with some of the other people on this board during canistel season, and have a canistel taste-off. Have others noticed a wide range among people in which canistel varieties they prefer (flavor, texture, & aroma), or do you find that different people tend to rate canistel varieties similarly?
-Craig