Author Topic: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review  (Read 9502 times)

Central Floridave

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Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« on: March 21, 2016, 01:54:27 PM »
I was in Austin, Texas this past weekend (SXSW) and visited Whole Foods.  Saw those three tangerines that I had to try.  Signs said they were all from California.   

Ruby Tango: Red Flesh, easy peeling, no seeds.  Taste was really sweet. Almost too sweet. But, really good. Interesting variety.  4 dollars a pound=expensive....
Gold Nugget: Very easy peeling, taste was really great. I would say the best out of the three.  Seedless.
Honey: had seeds, easy to peel. Great taste. 

fyliu

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2016, 02:22:08 PM »
Thanks for the review.
I thought that FL and TX are supposed to have the better climate for sweet citrus.
I like gold nugget too.

JF

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2016, 04:46:24 PM »
Thanks for the review.
I thought that FL and TX are supposed to have the better climate for sweet citrus.
I like gold nugget too.

No. Best tasting citrus California. Florida is great for juicing. Texas great grapefruits.

shah8

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2016, 06:10:30 PM »
What a coincidence, I, too, bought these guys today...

I did a search for blood tangors to try and figure out what the Ruby Tango is.  Nules, I suspect.  I wonder what the implications of citrus greening are for those people who bought the trees, now.

I thought that the Ruby Tango was quite excellent, and better than cheap Moros.  There was a bit of a floral wine taste.  It was pretty sweet.

Gold Nugget was basically just very sweet tangerine.  I wasn't really that impressed, because there was no nuance in the taste.

bsbullie

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2016, 06:26:56 PM »
Cali rules for mandarins.  They are even better if you get them grove direct and get them fresh picked and the "A" grade.

If you havent tried them yet, you need to try an Ojai Pixie.  Well worth the money.
- Rob

Central Floridave

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2016, 06:34:05 PM »
I did see the Ojai offered also and should have bought one just to try.  I didn't have too much time so grabbed what I saw.

We can grow sweet tangerine in Florida.  Pretty much all my citrus is tangerine.  They are sweet.  I imagine the variety I listed may not have been tried yet here.   I would try to grow the ruby tango just for the novelty of the red flesh.   

starch

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #6 on: March 21, 2016, 07:46:30 PM »
Thanks for the review! I have grafted on Xie Shan and Kishu. And I will be getting some Ojai Pixie budwood in a couple of weeks. But now it looks like I need to be on the lookout for Ruby as well :) Thanks!
- Mark

countryboy1981

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2016, 09:03:59 PM »
Thanks for the review.
I thought that FL and TX are supposed to have the better climate for sweet citrus.
I like gold nugget too.

No. Best tasting citrus California. Florida is great for juicing. Texas great grapefruits.

I don't know what it is, but the majority of the citrus from California that we get here is not very sweet and usually disappointed when I buy it, especially the navel oranges.

Tom

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #8 on: March 21, 2016, 10:58:18 PM »
I agree that all navels seem less juicy than when I was a child. I think they pick them too quickly. California has very pretty citrus as best I can tell. Florida is on its heels but hanging tough.  I see more citrus from Florida because it's so much closer to,where I am. The 'Cutey ' , Pixie small mandarin market is exploding and taking Satsuma and other seedless, easy to peel fruit right along with it. All the others here mentioned as good are certainly very good. I have not had a Gold Nugget and a friend just said I should try a King mandarine before I plant a Gold Nugget. I'm guessing a Gold Nugget would do fine in central Alabama where I am if I could keep it alive all winter. I think I can grow it  if it doesn't go dormant on me ! King or Gold Nugget would expand my growing season at least 90 days. So would a Valencia ! Tom
« Last Edit: March 22, 2016, 11:40:08 AM by Tom »

bsbullie

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #9 on: March 22, 2016, 12:16:04 AM »
Thanks for the review! I have grafted on Xie Shan and Kishu. And I will be getting some Ojai Pixie budwood in a couple of weeks. But now it looks like I need to be on the lookout for Ruby as well :) Thanks!

They are called Ojai Pixie cause where they are grown.   If you arent in tge select O n ai area, you are just growing a Pixie.  Its the locale they are grown in that makes them special.
- Rob

bsbullie

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #10 on: March 22, 2016, 12:20:10 AM »
I did see the Ojai offered also and should have bought one just to try.  I didn't have too much time so grabbed what I saw.

We can grow sweet tangerine in Florida.  Pretty much all my citrus is tangerine.  They are sweet.  I imagine the variety I listed may not have been tried yet here.   I would try to grow the ruby tango just for the novelty of the red flesh.   

There are very few mandarins that Florida can grow well.   Dont confuse a "B" grade at best citrus that is sold in the stores as being their best.  Unless you have the right connections, you don't see Cali's best citrus.

Like the blood and Red Navel, the Ruby Tango wont color up here in Florida and I highly doubt it will come close to matching the qusluty of Cali grown.
- Rob

starch

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #11 on: March 22, 2016, 09:26:24 AM »
Thanks for the review! I have grafted on Xie Shan and Kishu. And I will be getting some Ojai Pixie budwood in a couple of weeks. But now it looks like I need to be on the lookout for Ruby as well :) Thanks!

They are called Ojai Pixie cause where they are grown.   If you arent in tge select O n ai area, you are just growing a Pixie.  Its the locale they are grown in that makes them special.

I stand corrected.
- Mark

Tom

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #12 on: March 22, 2016, 11:44:33 AM »
But a Starch Pixie might be very good !

starch

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #13 on: March 22, 2016, 11:59:25 AM »
But a Starch Pixie might be very good !

I agree! In fact, a lot of people are growing it in Phoenix and really like it! I just need to call it by the right name :)
- Mark

Millet

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #14 on: March 22, 2016, 12:03:34 PM »
Starch, as bsbulie wrote, I doubt that an Arizona grown Ojai Pixie would have the same great taste as an Ojai Valley grown pixie.  As he wrote, it is the Ojai Valley location that makes the fruit so special. - Millet

mrtexas

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #15 on: March 22, 2016, 08:03:17 PM »
I have yet to taste a California fruit that tasted good from a grocery store. You name it
they are horrible IMHO.

countryboy1981

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #16 on: March 22, 2016, 09:22:39 PM »
I have yet to taste a California fruit that tasted good from a grocery store. You name it
they are horrible IMHO.

The only California citrus that has tasted good at times is the blood oranges, even then there are some bad batches.

fyliu

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #17 on: March 22, 2016, 09:56:36 PM »
The ones with Ojai Pixie labels are pretty much always good if I can find them mixed in with the gold nuggets. California Sumo weren't good the couple of times I tried. It was when they started growing it so was probably due to tree age.

Here, we get Texas oranges that are much sweeter than the California ones. They look like Valencia oranges while the California grown ones are navel. They do go bad faster though.

Tom

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #18 on: March 22, 2016, 10:52:25 PM »
I don't mean to pile on but I've been disappointed with the Sumos I've purchased too. They were huge and meaty but not very sweet. Most pixies are very good even without the magic Ojai prefix. I haven't bought a Ojai Pixie but I guess I need to order them while I still can !

There are speciality crops that are really incredible when they come from the place that made them special. Some of it is marketing but the taste is really unbelievable compared to ordinary. I'd include Pixies from Ojai because of their excellent reputation. One county in Mississippi is world famous for their watermelons. Vidalia onions probably wrote one of the first books on speciality produce and it is a magnificent onion. Honey Dew melons from the western US marketed as 'the best of the west' or a similar name can't be compared to a regular honey dew. Unbelievable when you can get them.

As other writers have said it's a combination of variety, weather , soil probably and cultural practices too. The best is the best and my hat's off to them ! Of course they can't make them all so I will keep trying my best to do the best I can where I am !

Tom
« Last Edit: March 22, 2016, 10:59:36 PM by Tom »

JF

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #19 on: March 23, 2016, 11:35:51 AM »
The ones with Ojai Pixie labels are pretty much always good if I can find them mixed in with the gold nuggets. California Sumo weren't good the couple of times I tried. It was when they started growing it so was probably due to tree age.

Here, we get Texas oranges that are much sweeter than the California ones. They look like Valencia oranges while the California grown ones are navel. They do go bad faster though.

I don't know what you are talking about I have a Valencia and naval  treee.. Texas oranges pale in sweetness.

fyliu

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #20 on: March 23, 2016, 08:50:04 PM »
JF, I was comparing fruits all purchased from stores. I don't grow oranges yet so I don't know. But it seems like home grown  and ripened fruit has an unfair advantage against store bought. :)

Are valencias or navels sweeter for home grown? I realize there are many kinds of navels. I'm thinking of getting Smith red Valencia, or it seems like they renamed it to blood orange. Not sure if its season is more aligned with blood oranges.

bsbullie

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #21 on: March 23, 2016, 10:10:08 PM »
JF, I was comparing fruits all purchased from stores. I don't grow oranges yet so I don't know. But it seems like home grown  and ripened fruit has an unfair advantage against store bought. :)

Are valencias or navels sweeter for home grown? I realize there are many kinds of navels. I'm thinking of getting Smith red Valencia, or it seems like they renamed it to blood orange. Not sure if its season is more aligned with blood oranges.

A friend has sent me a number of California "backyard" grown Cara Caras, Ortaniques and Navel and a couple of first harvest Gold Nuggets.  They are exceptional in quality.   I also purchased a box of assorted blood oranges direct from an Ojai grove.  They too were exceptional along with the Ojai Pixies.  All of these have been far superior to anything grown here in Florida.
- Rob

JF

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #22 on: March 23, 2016, 10:41:41 PM »
JF, I was comparing fruits all purchased from stores. I don't grow oranges yet so I don't know. But it seems like home grown  and ripened fruit has an unfair advantage against store bought. :)

Are valencias or navels sweeter for home grown? I realize there are many kinds of navels. I'm thinking of getting Smith red Valencia, or it seems like they renamed it to blood orange. Not sure if its season is more aligned with blood oranges.

fyliu

I'm talking about backyard/orchard grown. I don't buy citrus from the store.

fyliu

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #23 on: March 24, 2016, 12:08:07 AM »
Thanks for setting the record straight guys. I'll wait for some home grown fruits. Friends always pick their fruits earlier than the stores and their cara cara and kishu are way tart.

I'll order some orange and mandarin budwood soon and graft onto my trees.

JF

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Re: Ruby Tango, Gold Nugget, Honey taste review
« Reply #24 on: March 28, 2016, 06:39:29 PM »

here are some of the delicious mandarins that give sumo a run for the money and beats it