ha this is like the twilight zone. Edward must have had a bad year last year, because it's widely regarded as one of the best tasting mangoes grown in florida. I recall someone saying that Dr Richard Campbell responded to the favorite mango question with "edward."
Based on flavor alone, the Edward is incredible. It is a perfect balance of persimmony sweetness with a subtle acidity, in a creamy, somewhat firm flesh and a largish sized mango. Combine that with the fact that Edward is often one of the first mangoes to bear -- sometimes bearing crops in March or April, at which point an Edward is the best tasting fruit one can find in the state of Florida.
I never planted one myself, due to the reports of it being a shy bearer. Instead, I planted one in my neighbor's yard. And, it has consistently been one of the best bearing trees on our block, often competing with my glenn for productivity. I now realize that it was a mistake to have not planted it on my own property, and have contemplated what it would take to transplant it to my yard.
I have the Edgar growing on my property. I topworked it to a portion of my keitt. When it bears (it skipped this year), it does tend to produce large crops. However, the flavor just isn't up to par with an Edward.
Though Edward can be a shyer bearer than one of the workhorse mangies, such as a glenn, it makes up for it by being extremely consistent and producing fantastic early season mangoes. Most years, they will bear two crops -- one in late spring and one in the summer.
