I've just been enjoying a few Shasta Gold mandarins. I have to say, this is one of the best varieties, in my personal opinion, and I'm not a fan of most mandarin varieties. I'd probably rate this my 2nd or 3rd favorite mandarin variety after Satsuma and Kishu.
The fruit size is very big, it's easy to peel, the skin is a deeper reddish-orange color. The fruits have a characteristic flattened shape. The flavor is very tangy, aromatic in the way of an orange, a bit tart and very flavorful.
I'd say the level of aromatic aroma is almost as high as a Page mandarin, while the type of aroma is maybe somewhere in between a Page mandarin and an orange.
These are very nice to snack on.
I've read some comments from a few people saying that Shasta Gold has an off-taste, but I don't think this is so. Might just be a personal preference thing.
Shasta Gold originated from a cross between Temple Orange and a tetraploid version of Dancy mandarin, which was subsequently crossed with Encore mandarin. (Temple orange is actually a tangor)
Shasta Gold is a triploid variety, which explains its seedlessness (there might only be 1 seed out of every 5 fruits).
I've tasted Tahoe Gold and didn't think it was as good, not really anything special.
Just for additional comparison, I'm not a big fan of Gold Nugget, despite all the hype and some people claiming they're really good.
I've tried growing two Shasta Gold plants from seed but the seedlings from this variety seem to be very week and don't grow very well for some reason.