Author Topic: 2017 SoCal mango tasting  (Read 14342 times)

simon_grow

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2017 SoCal mango tasting
« on: September 30, 2017, 12:09:07 AM »
I'm going to do things a little different this year and start things off with the group picture because I wanted to show the diversity of our close knit group. With all that is happening around the world today, it's amazing how fruit has brought us all together!

Simon

simon_grow

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #1 on: September 30, 2017, 12:34:51 AM »
I'm not kidding when I say this is one of the most anticipated events I look forward to all year. Christmas is a close second. I seriously feel like I've won "The Golden Ticket" whenever I get the call from Frank to join in this Mango gluttony.

I knew there was going to be a lot of mangos but what really surprised me is the quality of the mangos this year. Last year, we also had a ton of mangos but some of the mangos were over ripe and even more that were under ripe. With so many different varieties of mangos, it is extremely difficult to time the picking of the fruit to have them all ripen on a specific day. This year however, we had the majority of mangos in excellent eating condition although there were still some that were over and under ripe.

There are some factors that we cannot control such as trying to get a late variety to ripen earlier in the season and vice versa but there are other factors that several of us have begun experimenting with. For example, I went to Leo Manuel's  yard last week to pick mangos for this tasting but many of his mangos were still green and rock hard but we rolled the dice on some of the fruit with filled in shoulders and a slight blush. I didn't leave it to chance during the ripening process however and created a mango incubator to speed up the ripening process. It seems to have worked too because the majority of the mangos were in a ripe enough state to be sampled at the mango tasting.

Simon
« Last Edit: September 30, 2017, 12:36:36 AM by simon_grow »

wslau

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #2 on: September 30, 2017, 12:35:40 AM »

Warren

simon_grow

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #3 on: September 30, 2017, 12:54:11 AM »
The mangos this year were absolutely amazing and you can literally taste the difference in the quality of the fruit as our trees become more mature. The complexity of the flavors, aromas and sweetness are much more pronounced as each year passes. Varieties which were a bit watered down last year such as Lemon Zest was out of this world this year.







Simon

simon_grow

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #4 on: September 30, 2017, 12:58:35 AM »
This year, we saw a lot more varieties that hit 20 or higher on the Brix meter.

















Simon

simon_grow

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #5 on: September 30, 2017, 01:02:22 AM »
Here are the Brix readings, I'll post more about my personal favorites along with taste descriptions tomorrow.





Simon

simon_grow

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #6 on: September 30, 2017, 01:04:16 AM »
For reference, here is a link to last years mango tasting http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=21313.0
Simon

Seanny

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #7 on: September 30, 2017, 01:42:54 AM »
None of those images viewable.

mangomandan

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #8 on: September 30, 2017, 08:36:24 AM »
Thanks, Simon. We're looking forward to the taste evaluations.

And kudos to all who worked hard and smart to put the day together.

Jose Spain

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #9 on: September 30, 2017, 09:02:51 AM »
Amazing diversity :o Congrats! I wish we had something like that here, since we share with you pretty similar climate. Someday! Here we just see the usual stuff in the markets, Osteen mostly. I bought the other day some round, red mangos quite tasty, one oft hem was wider than taller, I got not idea which variety could be, never saw it.



PD: I'd like to buy some seeds of poly mangos from SoCal or Florida growers. If anybody has still mangos to pick up and is interested please PM me.

JF

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #10 on: September 30, 2017, 11:23:12 AM »
Amazing tasting over 150 mangos 60 varieties. We had a nice lunch a spreed of Mexican/Cuban comfort  dishes and all 26 participants went home happy. My top three mangos were:
LZ brix32 ( the best mango I've had in the last 4 years)
Señorita brix 25
Leo K seedling brix 26
I want to thank My mom for hosting the event for the last 3 years she's been great and of course Simon, Ashok, Warren and Behl for helping me coordinating and making it happen. A big shout out to all the contributors this wouldn't have happen with out them. Here are pix I like to share I wish I had all the varieties but my cell ran out of juice.
« Last Edit: October 01, 2017, 01:41:58 AM by JF »

Seanny

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #11 on: September 30, 2017, 11:30:53 AM »
I don't see Irwin on list. You guys don't like it?

Future

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #12 on: September 30, 2017, 11:36:04 AM »
This is merciless.

Fab report and looks like an ultra fab event.

Congrats to you guys.  Lemon Zest 32?  Man!

By the way pictures all look fine.
« Last Edit: September 30, 2017, 11:38:09 AM by Future »

simon_grow

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #13 on: September 30, 2017, 11:48:28 AM »
There were lots of other mangos that were hanging on the trees that are either late season or didn't produce this year.

My favorite mango this year and probably the mango that got the most Wows was the Lemon Zest from Franks tree. It was a good sized mango that was perfectly ripened. The flesh was smooth, fiberless and had a silky mouth feel due to the overwhelming amount of sugar. It had a Brix reading of 32. This mango had a slight citrusy smell and a strong citrusy taste. The citrusy component was in between Lemon and orange according to my palate. As soon as tasters got a bite of this mango, I immediately heard Ohhs and Wows. This mango had definitely hit its peak and boy was it amazing!

Simon

JF

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #14 on: September 30, 2017, 11:56:23 AM »
This is merciless.

Fab report and looks like an ultra fab event.

Congrats to you guys.  Lemon Zest 32?  Man!

By the way pictures all look fine.

Aboyami, you would've been in heaven we had a combo of local and top tier mangos you would've love. A lot of great mangos were missing like Fairchild, Parson, Manohar, Coc, Coco milk, amrapali, PPK that were early or low production. As Simon has said it's impossible to time all great mangos because of their different ripening period.
« Last Edit: September 30, 2017, 11:58:53 AM by JF »

simon_grow

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #15 on: September 30, 2017, 01:44:34 PM »
My second and third favorite mangos of the day were Seniorita and Sweet Tart. To my palate, they both tasted very similar with an excellent acidity component that perfectly balanced the high sugar content. The Seniorita was a larger mango compared to the Sweet Tart. It was a fiberless mango and I heard lots of excellent ratings for this mango. It was so good that I requested the seed for planting but when I got home and opened up the husk, the seed was atrophied and not viable. The Seniorita had a Brix of 25% and can beat many of the top tier varieties. I don't have any background information on this mango but I'm sure Frank can fill us in. This is the first time I've had the pleasure of tasting this mango so I'm not sure how consistent it is in its exceptional eating qualities but I like it enough to go out on a limb and say that it's possibly one of the best SoCal mangos I've ever tasted. I believe the Seniorita can be in the top 5 even when going up against the top tier Zill varieties.

Simon

gozp

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #16 on: September 30, 2017, 02:06:09 PM »
My top 5 are

Lemon Zest
Señyorita
Leo Keitt Seedling
Fake Kesar
Villa Clara

Some that are runner-ups for me(not in order)

Peach cobbler
Carrie
Sweet tart
Ice cream
Honey Kiss
Sunrise



JF

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #17 on: September 30, 2017, 03:05:34 PM »
Señorita .....
« Last Edit: October 01, 2017, 01:38:41 AM by JF »

JF

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #18 on: September 30, 2017, 03:14:28 PM »
Pix of the yard 3 year growth prune anonas 3x a year to manage size




Harvest Moon Mutant




Harvest Moon



Dolores seedless red guava





































Sindhiri



Fernandin


Cumbe





Maha Chanok


Kesar eaten by a coon




« Last Edit: October 02, 2017, 12:07:38 PM by JF »

spaugh

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #19 on: September 30, 2017, 03:45:49 PM »
thanks for posting.  I enjoy the tree and plant photos more than the fruit photos.  Love looking at other peoples gardens. 
Brad Spaugh

simon_grow

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #20 on: September 30, 2017, 04:17:08 PM »
Franks moms garden is incredible, I can’t believe the growth Frank was able to achieve in three years. Here’s one Mango tree that has grown huge in a very short time period, check out the girth of this tree.

Simon

simon_grow

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #21 on: September 30, 2017, 04:25:06 PM »
The Sweet Tart Mango was another amazing fruit. It is pretty consistently excellent although I did hear a report that the early Fruit was extremely bland and only had a Brix of 10%. We had a Sweet Tart that was slightly under ripe and firm and this fruit was mildly sweet with a strong Tart component. We then had a couple other that were perfectly ripe and they had a perfect balance of sweet and acidity. The flesh of Sweet Tart is still very firm when it is perfectly ripened and I love the density of the flesh combined with its silky smooth texture.

Here are a few random photos of fruit and trees from Franks moms yard. The Illamas were really nice sized and there were plenty of mangos still hanging on his trees.











Simon

mike rule

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #22 on: September 30, 2017, 05:31:13 PM »
This must be the go to event in California.... Forget the Oscars...... Well done to Frank & his great Team.......Mike

simon_grow

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #23 on: September 30, 2017, 10:04:57 PM »
Other top tasting varieties at the tasting was Ice Cream, Bombay, Leo Keitt seedling, Leo #2, Nam Doc Mai, Kesar, Carrie, Peach Cobbler, Juicy Peach, Peach Cobbler, Leo Z.

Leo’s Keitt seedling was really top notch with excellent sugar acid balance. The balance of sweet and sour was reminiscent of Seniorita and Sweet Tart but on a more toned down level.

Simon

FrankDrebinOfFruits

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Re: 2017 SoCal mango tasting
« Reply #24 on: September 30, 2017, 10:21:59 PM »
Other top tasting varieties at the tasting was Ice Cream, Bombay, Leo Keitt seedling, Leo #2, Nam Doc Mai, Kesar, Carrie, Peach Cobbler, Juicy Peach, Peach Cobbler, Leo Z.

Leo’s Keitt seedling was really top notch with excellent sugar acid balance. The balance of sweet and sour was reminiscent of Seniorita and Sweet Tart but on a more toned down level.

Simon

From the previous posts of similar events, the Aloha one sounds really good.

I really enjoy these side by side comparisons (both reading and performing).