It's been relatively cool at my house, today is the first really warm day so it's been taking my mangos a while to ripen. I picked several Alphonso and Kesars and left them in my warm car for several hours to warm them up so that they will ripen faster. I was finally able satisfy my craving for Indian Mangos tonight.
First up was the Alphonso. These are the early season fruit and the smell was not very strong until I cut the fruit open. The color is also not as dark as the later season fruit but the taste was still very good. The Alphonso had a Brix of 18% and was very good but definitely not at its peak. I got sweetness and Indian resin but the Indian resin component was mostly concentrated right up next to the thin skin. For an early season Alphonso, I was very satisfied.
Next up was the Kesar, again for an early season mango, it was very satisfying although not at its peak. It also had a Brix reading of 18%, both varieties don't really reach their peak flavor until they hit 19-20% Brix. Kesar is a notch below Alphonso in terms of the depth and complexity of the Indian resin component but in my personal opinion, Kesar is better tasting overall because of the richness of its sweet and acidic components. These mangos were very good but I know they will get better as the season progresses.
There's a lot to be happy about, mango season is here!
Simon