Dear Fellow Mango lovers: Every once in awhile I have to revise an earlier opinion – and this is one of those times. In my earlier post on Haden mangoes, I described them as a 3rd runner up to Kent and Manila mangoes. While I still do favor Kents and Ataulfos, I recently had some Hadens that were TRULY superb – and most importantly – they contained almost no fibrous flesh. That Hadens typically contain some amount of fibrous flesh was the main reason that I had been previously been luke-warm on them.
The Hadens that altered my opinion were organic; maybe this had something to do with the high quality of the mango eating experience: the flesh was incredibly juicy and flavorful…and abundant. That’s one thing the Hadens (like Kents) offer is a lot of yummy flesh – especially compared to the smaller Manilas. The wee bit of fiber that *was there* was not a distraction to an amazing real deal mango eating extravaganza.
My new bottom line: if you can find a nice batch of organic Haden mangoes, you will likely be very pleased with the quality if you eat them at their prime. Note the ripe specimen above. It has a blushy-pinky-peachy color on much of the surface – and it has little wrinkles, which means it’s prime for eating.
