I ordered a 5lb box of the Hipolito variety Caimito fruit from Lara Farms, and also some of the Lara Purple variety. The 5lb box contained well over 10 pounds of fruit and arrived less than 24 hours after the order was placed. That's good service.
Caimito is best cut open around the equator, giving you one half without seeds and one half with. You can scoop out the central seed core that usually contains between 4 to 9 seeds to eat it free of seeds. A similar form to Black Sapote but Caimito has firmer fruit texture and stronger skin. There is slight latex present at the skin and rind when not completely ripe.
The
Lara Purple Caimito is a beautiful fruit slightly smaller than a baseball with dark purple skin. The colorful flesh feels like a grape in your mouth, with a juicy and squishy texture that retains a slight crispness and bite. The seed core does take up a large part of the fruit interior and I wish there was more edible flesh. Lara Purple has strong sweetness, rating about 8.5 on the sugar scale. I taste a concentrated coconut/dairy flavor that is incredibly delicious to me. The coconut sweetness reminds me of the canned Coco Lopez ingredient for Pina Colada drinks. Wow. This could get addictive!
The
green skin Hipolito fruit turns brown when ripe and the fruit is larger than Lara Purple with more meat. The flesh around the seeds in particular is more abundant and overall the fruit is easier to consume than Lara Purple. Hipolito is not as distinctly sweet as Lara Purple, I rate the sweetness a 7 out of 10. The flavor is similar but more like lightly sweetened coconut milk with a subtle background flavor of banana. The taste is delightfully creamy and milky, like a melted coconut popsicle. If you like cow's milk and coconut you are going to love this. The closest fruit I have tasted is White Sapote.
I found the experience of trying Caimito very rewarding, and well worth the $60 + shipping price tag. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it – the coconut forward taste is irresistible to me. The Caimito is sweeter than coconut and much more convenient to open and eat, a perfect tropical treat.
Compared to the Custard Apple, another rare/premium fruit in season now, I prefer the Caimito. The Caimito flavor is straightforward and delicious, the seeds are easy to work around, and the texture is more appetizing. Which one is better, Lara Purple or Hipolito? A tough choice but in the end I would go with Hipolito because I prefer a less sweet fruit and really enjoyed the coconut milkiness of Hipolito. If you like sweet then go with Lara Purple but you can't go wrong planting or eating either one.
