I have a kishu mandarin in my backyard. It has not fruited yet and I was curious to see how the fruit tastes. So, I bought a box of them online. They looked cool and were the size I expected. Very easy to peel....but, I was very disappointed in the flavor. It was sweet, but, besides that fairly bland.
Just wanted to see what other people think of the fruit. Did I just get a bad batch or is this what I am to expect from the fruit.
If it always this bland, I may take the tree down and plant something better.
To me, Kishu tastes like it is in the same type of flavor family as Satsuma. There are different "types" of flavor within the mandarin family, and Satsuma and Kishu are together in their own separate group, in my opinion. Of course, Kishu is not quite as sour, flavorful, or aromatic as Satsuma. Still very good though.
I've had some fresh off a very small immature tree and would describe their flavor between good and excellent, coming in close second place behind Satsuma.
Perhaps, like Satsuma, there can be a lot of variation in their flavor depending on growing conditions and age of the tree.
Of course, it is also true that mandarin flavor seems to be very much a matter of personal preference and individual opinion.
I guess I could describe the Kishu I tasted as slightly insipid, but they were still good to very good though. The very loose skin is a big plus.