Has anyone bought any Alphonso magnoes (they're from India--it's the first time an irradiated fruit has been allowed in the US).

We tried them last week. First I was overwhelmed by their floral quality, which I sort of liked (I was thinking they'd make a good mango lassi). But then I tried a second bite and I felt I could taste a lot of chemicals. I dont' know if that was the irradiation (doens't make sense) or how their grown or what. But they tasted like what I envision a big moutful of pesticides tasting like.

Did I get a bad one? Anyone rush out to buy one yet?

Did you try tasting several different mangos? We notice a wide range in taste differences in mangos seemingly of the same variety with similar ripeness.

Haven't seen any alphonsos in our area, although our grocers generally do not provide info on variety.. Most of what we see is from S America. This spring showed us mostly DISTRIBUIDORA DE FRUTAS TROPICALES, S.A. (DFT) mangoes from Guatemala. They grow ataulfo and tommy atkins varieties. I beleive we've been eating the tommy atkins.

I'll keep my open for the alphonsos. I've heard they're excellent.

I have not tried the alphonso mangoes, but if you see small, golden yellow mangoes, usually call Honey mangoes, or champaign mangoes, give them a try. They are awesome, and do not have that "funny" taste that other mangoes sometimes have.

Daytona, we didn't do a tasting with different mangoes, just had some of the INdian ones sent as samples.

Sometimes we can buy three seemingly identical mangoes (DFTs currently) out of the same bin at our grocer's, and each will have a slightly different interior color, texture, and flavor. I'd always attributed the variation to the possibility that a given grocer's delivery could contain fruit grown in different orchards in different soils, picked at different times, or stored/handled differently during transport.

I have a friend from St. Kitts who in his youth, picked mangos and ate them directly off of the tree. He claims they were the best mangos he'd ever eaten. Perhaps a field trip for additional "research" is in order?

When is the mango season for Indian alphonsos, and when should they be available in the US?