Author Topic: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style  (Read 7347 times)

HMHausman

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Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« on: June 15, 2015, 03:10:16 PM »
Had a small but interesting tasting over the weekend.  Up for tasting were Cushman, PPK, Fruit Punch, Seacrest, Maha Chanok, and Edward. What was most interesting was this group of mangoes were all at peak ripeness.  Well, due to lack of experience with Fruit Punch and Seacrest, I am only making the assumption that they were at their peak....but all of the others were perfectly ripe. There was widespread disagreement as to which mango took top honors.  There were first place votes for each.  If I did a strict tabulation I think that Fruit Punch would have edged out the others by less than a nose.  With a log jam of all the others tied for second place within fractions of a vote separating one from the other.
Harry
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fruitlovers

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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #1 on: June 15, 2015, 03:20:03 PM »
Are these blind taste tests? When all the fruits are really excellent how does one edge out the other? I'm doing taste tests with different lychees now and have a hard time saying one is better than the other, just different, but not better. It seems that with mangoes it would be similar? Except perhaps that people get swayed by name recognition of a certain mango, or peer pressure to say one is better than other? That's why i think blind taste tests is a must. Also wondering if the mangoes are being judged by certain criteria by everyone, or just whatever you like?
Oscar

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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #2 on: June 15, 2015, 03:42:17 PM »
While I have done blind taste tests in the past, I usually do my tastings without blinding the tasters.  This group happened to be a very unsophisticated group (mango wise) that really didn't know one name from the others so there was no need for blinding in this instance.
Harry
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BrettBorders

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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #3 on: June 15, 2015, 03:57:23 PM »
Fruit Punch is pretty darn exciting, to me.  I could easily imagine it getting a lot of votes in a contest.

I have only tried 2... the slice I got at the RFC / Zill tasting seemed possibly underripe and merely "above average." The one that ripened on my porch was insanely delicious, a Titan for sure.

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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #4 on: June 15, 2015, 04:22:40 PM »
I think this is a sensational year for Fruit Punch. I ate my second one today. The first was good, but today's was toe-curlingly amazing. It officially bumped out my prior first choice as most vital companion on a deserted tropical island.

Oscar, that's a fair question about determining "best".  I think the tasters' backgrounds would play into it. The sweet-plus-subacid taste many of us grew up with, in temperate fruits and in desserts, could play a factor.  I think folks from some cultures would value certain subtle tastes, perhaps less tart and more creamy.  And, as Dr. Campbell and others have noted, the "best" mango or flavor may be the one that one grew up with.

Berto

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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #5 on: June 15, 2015, 04:47:13 PM »
I would add that the best mango is the one I am holding in my hands.

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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #6 on: June 15, 2015, 05:06:41 PM »
I would add that the best mango is the one I am holding in my hands.

lol not if you are holding a tommy atkins...
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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #7 on: June 15, 2015, 05:21:21 PM »
Maybe this is a stupid question, but what is the criteria for being the "best"? I realize these are improptu and informal taste tests. But if there is no criteria at all one person is judging the best to be the juiciest, the other is judging the best to be the one with best texture, another the best is the one with most turpentine taste?  ;)
Oscar

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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #8 on: June 15, 2015, 05:31:12 PM »
Maybe this is a stupid question, but what is the criteria for being the "best"? I realize these are improptu and informal taste tests. But if there is no criteria at all one person is judging the best to be the juiciest, the other is judging the best to be the one with best texture, another the best is the one with most turpentine taste?  ;)

I would venture to say what one overall likes the best, with all variables taken into consideration.
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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #9 on: June 15, 2015, 05:35:46 PM »
Maybe this is a stupid question, but what is the criteria for being the "best"? I realize these are improptu and informal taste tests. But if there is no criteria at all one person is judging the best to be the juiciest, the other is judging the best to be the one with best texture, another the best is the one with most turpentine taste?  ;)

I would venture to say what one overall likes the best, with all variables taken into consideration.

Yes, but what are the variables? And is everyone really using the same variables? I ask these questions having just performed a taste test for some lychee titans. It's not at all easy to say which one is the "best". Right now i'm tempted to say that the best lychee is the one that produces the most fruits consistently because they're all darned good. But what good is it if a variety is darned good but only produces well every 20 years?  :o
« Last Edit: June 15, 2015, 05:38:17 PM by fruitlovers »
Oscar

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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #10 on: June 15, 2015, 05:44:47 PM »
Maybe this is a stupid question, but what is the criteria for being the "best"? I realize these are improptu and informal taste tests. But if there is no criteria at all one person is judging the best to be the juiciest, the other is judging the best to be the one with best texture, another the best is the one with most turpentine taste?  ;)

I would venture to say what one overall likes the best, with all variables taken into consideration.
Yes, but what are the variables? And is everyone really using the same variables? I ask these questions having just performed a taste test for some lychee titans. It's not at all easy to say which one is the "best". Right now i'm tempted to say that the best lychee is the one that produces the most fruits consistently because they're all darned good. But what good is it if a variety is darned good but only produces well every 20 years?  :o

 That's why I try to never use the word "best" as describing a mango.  When I do a tasting what I am looking for is which mango most appeals to each individual.  I usually get a top 5 ranking....its informal, but over time, you see the usual suspects rising to the top like cream on milk.
Harry
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bsbullie

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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #11 on: June 15, 2015, 05:46:49 PM »
Maybe this is a stupid question, but what is the criteria for being the "best"? I realize these are improptu and informal taste tests. But if there is no criteria at all one person is judging the best to be the juiciest, the other is judging the best to be the one with best texture, another the best is the one with most turpentine taste?  ;)

I would venture to say what one overall likes the best, with all variables taken into consideration.

Yes, but what are the variables? And is everyone really using the same variables? I ask these questions having just performed a taste test for some lychee titans. It's not at all easy to say which one is the "best". Right now i'm tempted to say that the best lychee is the one that produces the most fruits consistently because they're all darned good. But what good is it if a variety is darned good but only produces well every 20 years?  :o

Well, if its a "tasting" to determine best, then the variables are whatever each taster wishes them to be as they are stating what they like the best.  I understand what you are saying as does this make the results accurate?  Probably not.  If you had all mango "snobs" at the tasting than it may be more of an accurate result as you know they are basing on tasting quality.  If they are mango newbies, their results could be based on taste, texture, memories, looks, size, smell, etc.
- Rob

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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #12 on: June 15, 2015, 05:52:54 PM »
We were blown away by Fruit Punch last year and this years crop did not disappoint. I would add Edgar in this list it's a delicious firm, fruity mango that take shipping much better than any of them.

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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #13 on: June 15, 2015, 05:55:18 PM »
What we have done at my house to determine the "winner" in a taste testing is
numbering the fruit (so it is blind to some extent, mostly to the uninitiated) and then we have categories
like skin color, smell, fiber content, taste (always double this scoring value since is the
most important), and then a comments section. I think that is it - rated with a 1-10 score with 10 being most desirable.

I realize with many of the mango pro's the sub-acid/sweetness ratio is extremely important,
so maybe I need to include that in a category for future tabulations.....


Gary

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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #14 on: June 15, 2015, 06:00:48 PM »
Maybe this is a stupid question, but what is the criteria for being the "best"? I realize these are improptu and informal taste tests. But if there is no criteria at all one person is judging the best to be the juiciest, the other is judging the best to be the one with best texture, another the best is the one with most turpentine taste?  ;)

I would venture to say what one overall likes the best, with all variables taken into consideration.
Yes, but what are the variables? And is everyone really using the same variables? I ask these questions having just performed a taste test for some lychee titans. It's not at all easy to say which one is the "best". Right now i'm tempted to say that the best lychee is the one that produces the most fruits consistently because they're all darned good. But what good is it if a variety is darned good but only produces well every 20 years?  :o

 That's why I try to never use the word "best" as describing a mango.  When I do a tasting what I am looking for is which mango most appeals to each individual.  I usually get a top 5 ranking....its informal, but over time, you see the usual suspects rising to the top like cream on milk.

In your first post you talk about which mango took top honors, and which one is in first place. How is taking top honors or being in first place different from being judged the "best"? Are you splitting hairs?  ;)
Oscar

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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #15 on: June 15, 2015, 06:05:33 PM »
What we have done at my house to determine the "winner" in a taste testing is
numbering the fruit (so it is blind to some extent, mostly to the uninitiated) and then we have categories
like skin color, smell, fiber content, taste (always double this scoring value since is the
most important), and then a comments section. I think that is it - rated with a 1-10 score with 10 being most desirable.

I realize with many of the mango pro's the sub-acid/sweetness ratio is extremely important,
so maybe I need to include that in a category for future tabulations.....


Gary

Gary let's put your plan into action in August

Berto

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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #16 on: June 15, 2015, 06:15:56 PM »
Adam,
We are so spoiled, in Florida, as far as mango goes. Yesterday, I asked an experienced  mango collector how many varieties of mangoes we have in Florida.  He said we have approximately 200 varieties.  If TA is the one in my hand, and I am ready to eat it, you bet TA will become my best mango!

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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #17 on: June 15, 2015, 06:17:51 PM »
What we have done at my house to determine the "winner" in a taste testing is
numbering the fruit (so it is blind to some extent, mostly to the uninitiated) and then we have categories
like skin color, smell, fiber content, taste (always double this scoring value since is the
most important), and then a comments section. I think that is it - rated with a 1-10 score with 10 being most desirable.

I realize with many of the mango pro's the sub-acid/sweetness ratio is extremely important,
so maybe I need to include that in a category for future tabulations.....


Gary

Yes Gary, i think your method is probably a lot more fair. Probably not as much fun as sitting around just  making comments and oohing and ahhhing, but definitely more conclusive. Even with a rating system, and being on same page about what the criteria is to be, what i'm realizing is that it's not really so easy to say which one is the best, or most honorable, or takes first place, when all the entries are fantastic, or as Harry calls them: titans. It's not easy....but it is fun and delicious!  ;)
Oscar

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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #18 on: June 15, 2015, 06:20:13 PM »
In your first post you talk about which mango took top honors, and which one is in first place. How is taking top honors or being in first place different from being judged the "best"? Are you splitting hairs?  ;)

Me split hairs?  How dare you accuse me of such a thing.  I guess if you want to say "best to each" or "best that day" it could be accurately applied.  When I say top honors it is based upon which mango more people preferred the overall eating quality of that day.
There might be one mango that was more sweet, or more complex, or more piney, or more fiber less, or more fruity, etc., etc., etc. I think we are getting a bit pedantic here with the word best.  But being a champion pedant myself, I have no room to complain
Harry
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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #19 on: June 15, 2015, 06:27:10 PM »
In your first post you talk about which mango took top honors, and which one is in first place. How is taking top honors or being in first place different from being judged the "best"? Are you splitting hairs?  ;)

Me split hairs?  How dare you accuse me of such a thing.  I guess if you want to say "best to each" or "best that day" it could be accurately applied.  When I say top honors it is based upon which mango more people preferred the overall eating quality of that day.
There might be one mango that was more sweet, or more complex, or more piney, or more fiber less, or more fruity, etc., etc., etc. I think we are getting a bit pedantic here with the word best.  But being a champion pedant myself, I have no room to complain

HAHA. I forgot for a second your profession.  ;) Yet another stupid question: if you perform the same blind testing of the same mango titans on seven consecutive days with same exact cultivars and the same people, how often do you think the same cultivar would take top honors?
Oscar

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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #20 on: June 15, 2015, 07:03:44 PM »
Does your "stupid" question assume that the fruits would each be at their peak of ripeness each of the seven days? If so, then you would be dreaming as that would be virtually impossible to achieve. But if we indulge the premise, albeit unrealistic, I see no reason why the same people would not rate the same mangoes the same way.

I see a test of this theory coming..... a group of mango snobs hanging out in a room for seven days, fed only ultra excellent mangoes at the peak of ripeness and spending their time debating the relative qualities of the mangoes and arriving at a best of table each day and a best of table for the week.....yes, I used the "B" word.  LOL...any volunteers?
Harry
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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #21 on: June 15, 2015, 07:06:00 PM »
to me, it's impossible to choose best 1, as it may change from fruit to fruit based on many variables.  However, it is usually quite possible to put into categories like Harry usually does.  There are a lot of very good mangoes that don't make the cut for planting out as there are just too many Titans...and that's the beauty of it all--flling your yard with Titans, and dehydrating the Glenns as Brandon said.

So far this year, the following have been Titans (or at least one fruit has) :

maha chanok
fruit punch
seacrest
Dot
sweet tart
providence
PPK
Angie


And I still have quite a few more to try.  There are others like Bombay, Juliette, PSM that I personally like and crave so I will plant out--but they aren't Titans
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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #22 on: June 15, 2015, 07:37:57 PM »
Does your "stupid" question assume that the fruits would each be at their peak of ripeness each of the seven days? If so, then you would be dreaming as that would be virtually impossible to achieve. But if we indulge the premise, albeit unrealistic, I see no reason why the same people would not rate the same mangoes the same way.

I see a test of this theory coming..... a group of mango snobs hanging out in a room for seven days, fed only ultra excellent mangoes at the peak of ripeness and spending their time debating the relative qualities of the mangoes and arriving at a best of table each day and a best of table for the week.....yes, I used the "B" word.  LOL...any volunteers?

Yes this particular stupid question assumes that the factors are all the same, including mangoes at peak of ripeness. Not that hard to achieve when trees have a lot of fruits, and number of people involved is small and number of cultivars is small...i would think. Anyway, you could set it up for just those cultivars where trees have lots of fruits coming on. Not trees that just have one fruit hanging on them.
My guess is that with panel of newbies the top honor would be different almost every day. Maybe with mango snobs you could get agreement on 2 or 3 days? Try it out and see. BUT the taste test has to be a blind one, otherwise it can't really count nor would it be fair. I realize though it's not so easy to set up a blind taste test as it is to just sit around and pass around a box of mangoes with names written on them.
PS as most people know, there are variations of fruit quality on same tree, even at peak ripeness. One fruit can taste better than another fruit from same exact tree. So i don't really see how there can be much consistent agreement as to what takes top honors? Especially when the mangoes are all top notch. Here i notice also that within same exact cultivar, 2 trees planted side by side, same age, one consistently produces better fruits than the other one. So really to be fair you have to use fruits in a taste test from a lot more than just one tree of a cultivar. Really judging what is "best" is a lot more complex than first appears.
Oscar

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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #23 on: June 15, 2015, 07:43:45 PM »
 :o :o :o :o :o :o :o
Does your "stupid" question assume that the fruits would each be at their peak of ripeness each of the seven days? If so, then you would be dreaming as that would be virtually impossible to achieve. But if we indulge the premise, albeit unrealistic, I see no reason why the same people would not rate the same mangoes the same way.

I see a test of this theory coming..... a group of mango snobs hanging out in a room for seven days, fed only ultra excellent mangoes at the peak of ripeness and spending their time debating the relative qualities of the mangoes and arriving at a best of table each day and a best of table for the week.....yes, I used the "B" word.  LOL...any volunteers?

Yes this particular stupid question assumes that the factors are all the same, including mangoes at peak of ripeness. Not that hard to achieve when trees have a lot of fruits, and number of people involved is small and number of cultivars is small...i would think. Anyway, you could set it up for just those cultivars where trees have lots of fruits coming on. Not trees that just have one fruit hanging on them.
My guess is that with panel of newbies the top honor would be different almost every day. Maybe with mango snobs you could get agreement on 2 or 3 days? Try it out and see. BUT the taste test has to be a blind one, otherwise it can't really count nor would it be fair. I realize though it's not so easy to set up a blind taste test as it is to just sit around and pass around a box of mangoes with names written on them.
PS as most people know, there are variations of fruit quality on same tree, even at peak ripeness. One fruit can taste better than another fruit from same exact tree. So i don't really see how there can be much consistent agreement as to what takes top honors? Especially when the mangoes are all top notch. Here i notice also that within same exact cultivar, 2 trees planted side by side, same age, one consistently produces better fruits than the other one. So really to be fair you have to use fruits in a taste test from a lot more than just one tree of a cultivar. Really judging what is "best" is a lot more complex than first appears.
~Jeff

"Say you just can't live that negative way, if you know what I mean. Make way for the positive day." - Positive Vibration

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Re: Clash of Some Titans......Mango Style
« Reply #24 on: June 15, 2015, 09:13:22 PM »
We just had a mini-tasting with Behl and my son. We had Fruit Punch, Seacrest, Guava, Pickering, Florigan, Dot and LZ. The clear favorite was Fruit Punch.....Pickering was a distance second. IMO, Pickering has more of a coconutty flavor than Coco cream.