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Tropical Fruit => Tropical Fruit Discussion => Topic started by: nighthawk0911@yahoo.com on August 07, 2018, 01:49:59 PM

Title: M-4 Tasting Review - Unique, Complex, Exotic Coconut/Pineapple lifesaver flavor
Post by: nighthawk0911@yahoo.com on August 07, 2018, 01:49:59 PM
Disclaimer:  This is based upon the sampling of ONE large green M-4 that I tried at various stages of ripeness over several days.  Some say the one I had was picked too green and wouldn't reach full flavor. It did reach a full enough flavor over a few days I think to reach an opinion on it.  I haven't had Coconut Cream, E-4 or many of the other Coconut flavored mangoes for comparison, but some say the M-4 is supposed to be the best of the lot.  I have had Pina Colada & Pickering and M-4 I think beats those in the "exotic" coconut profile category, though I have never detected coconut in those two varieties.

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After some thought the best description I can give M-4 is it's like taking a tropical Coconut Life Saver & Pineapple Life Saver and popping them both in your mouth at the same time.  It's more unique & complex than that & that may not describe it exactly, but it's the closest analogy that comes to mind.  This is the mango that should be called Pina Colada - not the other one. This is a mango that would make for a great adult RUM smoothie served in a coconut shell, pineapple slice & cherry with tiny parasol, sugar cane swizzle stick & rainbow colored flex straw (sorry California).  This would make for a great ADULT frozen drink flavor to enjoy on a cruise or in the Keys at a cabana bar served by an sexy island girl in a coconut shell top, grass skirt, lei & with a flower behind each ear.   The overall flavor is that it is unique, juicy, semi-complicated, "transporting" and more like a coconut punch with the coconut playing a key but supporting role.  There is very little if any classic mango flavor or aroma.

NOTES

1. Some say M-4 is a small mango.  Not sure this is accurate.  The one I received was fairly large 1 lb+
2. The M-4 was semi-soft on arrival so I thought it might be ready, it wasn't.  The initial sample wasn't bad, but it obviously hadn't peaked.
3. I continued to sample it each day till I finally finished it up just before writing this.
4. The coconut profile was the most pronounced I have tasted in a mango, but my experience with coconut profile mangoes is admittedly limited.
5. M-4 is a sweet, rich exotic & semi-complicated flavored mango.  Unless you have had something similar it may be hard to taste it "in your head" from just a description.
6. Words and thoughts I would use to describe it are exotic, tropical, Caribbean island flavor, "transporting", a good coconut bartenders drink mix, would DEFINITELY be better as a frozen smoothie with rum.
9. Very little if any aroma.  Possibly mildly fruity.
10. Very little if any traditional classic mango flavor.
11. Like many mango's the aftertaste stays with you for an hour or more.  That can be good or bad in M-4's case it's mostly good.
12. Some say coconut flavored mangoes won't develop their signature flavor after picked & won't improve on the counter.  This M-4 certainly improved over the course of a few days in both sweetness & signature flavor, tho probably not as good as it could have been as others have suggested.
For all the descriptive flowery words it's gets an overall "8".  This may very well be a "8.5 to 9" for one that was picked later.  Like PPK it gets a good score without having any classic mango flavor.  It gets a higher score for being unique & having it's own "personality". 
13. If I was looking to plant a mango with a coconut flavor profile M-4 would definitely have to be considered, tho not sure I would need an entire M-4 tree just for myself. 
14. This isn't a mango you would probably want to eat a bushel of at one sitting.  It's rich & filling - just one large one would probably satisfy your taste buds for a day or more. With that it mind it might be a good mango to mutli-graft with another variety if space is limited.
15. Shipping - I got this in just 2 days and it was already semi-soft on arrival.  I assume this was picked hard green, if so it may not ship well over longer distances or keep well once picked.

This is definitely a Mango that you need try for yourself and cross off your tasting "bucket list".  It's also one you need to try before deciding on which coconut flavored mango tree to buy & plant especially if space is limited.   For those living in SW Florida I saw that Fruitscapes on Pine Island had nice 3 gallon M-4 trees (and other newer Zill varieties) for $40.  But I would very much encourage your to taste an M-4 first, unless your tree space is plentiful.

Green Thumbs, Dry Powder & Tight Lines!!  : )     


 

Title: Re: M-4 Tasting Review - Unique, Complex, Exotic Coconut/Pineapple lifesaver flavor
Post by: TonyinCC on August 07, 2018, 02:06:27 PM
I love mango varieties that have pineapple coconut flavor.
 In general I would say that among those varieties,  the earlier a mango is picked, the more pineapple and less coconut I taste. Some varieties only develop a slight coconut flavor if close to tree ripe when picked and ripened a few more days on a counter.
Title: Re: M-4 Tasting Review - Unique, Complex, Exotic Coconut/Pineapple lifesaver flavor
Post by: bsbullie on August 09, 2018, 10:07:31 PM
I just at a M4 that was picked on Saturday.   Fruit was perfectly ripened and had a very complex tropical fruit and coconut flavor with a good  acidic balance.  After eating the flesh and scraping the seed, i looked at the skin (which is a little thicker/tougher that average).  I thought, there is still a very thin layer of flesh left.  I scraped it off with my teeth...it tasted like a pina colada lifesaver, found in the package below, with an extra blast of creamy coconut flavor.


(https://s15.postimg.cc/osarxy9uv/images-13.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/osarxy9uv/)