View Full Version : which banana has the best flavor in your opinion?
trachcanman99
07-21-2016, 07:03 AM
I see all kinds of threads but one that just talks about threads and I would like to know which ones have the best flavor. Today I have a mystery tree donated by a neighbor years ago when he was digging them up and one ice cream banana which though small had an excellent banana flavor. Looking for a few more to consider so I have bananas to eat while waiting for my citrus to get ripe.
Richard
07-21-2016, 09:57 AM
... I would like to know which ones have the best flavor. ...
It greatly depends upon the environment in which they are grown.
mushtaq86
07-21-2016, 03:13 PM
It greatly depends upon the environment in which they are grown.
And individual taste
Richard
07-21-2016, 03:36 PM
Robert's profile states that he is in zone 9B, Friendswood. I believe that translates to Friendswood TX (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendswood,_Texas).
Based on the Average climate in Friendswood, Texas (http://www.city-data.com/city/Friendswood-Texas.html) reported by city-data.com, I recommend that Robert tries both Namwa and Pisang Ceylon. Given the wind in his area they will need to be staked.
Tytaylor77
07-21-2016, 03:39 PM
i haven't tried many. Only Orinoco, Namwa, Nino, cavendish, plantain. By far my favorite has been Namwa.
I have Goldfinger, Manzano, and Veinte cohol bunches now so my favorite may change later this year.
Try searching for taste reports. There are lots here and are very helpful. They are some of my favorite posts on here and I can't thank the taste report owners enough for sharing their info and opinions.
meizzwang
07-21-2016, 05:03 PM
I have only one experience with "homegrown" bananas, and it was with a dwarf cavendish. Others on this forum have described the flavor of Dwarf Cavendish as being the same as a store bought banana (ie. don't bother with this variety), but that wasn't even close to what I experienced. I tried one from the UC Davis greenhouse, and it was "vine ripened". Texture was like a regular cavendish, but the flavor had a strong floral and berry undertone to it....just out of this world in terms of flavor! Sadly, I've never been able to fruit it outdoors in zone9b...even after 7 years!
Long story short, aside from personal people's opinions, I believe any cultivar can have different flavor profiles depending on the environment and how it was grown/harvested.
Hamakua
07-21-2016, 07:13 PM
Tuu ghia
Richard
07-21-2016, 07:13 PM
... I tried one from the UC Davis greenhouse, and it was vine ripened. ...
Bananas do not grow on vines.
... Long story short, aside from personal people's opinions, I believe any cultivar can have different flavor profiles depending on the environment and how it was grown/harvested.
Very true.
Juicy Bananas
07-22-2016, 12:26 AM
Fe'i, as a cooker. The Pisang Awak ,"Namwa" is by far one of the best tasting.
trachcanman99
07-22-2016, 06:14 AM
It greatly depends upon the environment in which they are grown.
I am master gardener who specializes in fruit trees and am well aware soil conditions, climate, and conditions contribute to the taste of anything you are growing. Even what zone you live in may not produce the same caliber of fruit someone else grows in another part of that same zone. microclimates affect fruit production more than most people realize.
I am just looking for what people have eaten and thought were really good as a starting point.
meizzwang
07-22-2016, 11:52 AM
Bananas do not grow on vines.
Very true.
It's a figure of speech.... I think everyone gets the point :)
Richard
07-22-2016, 01:23 PM
I am master gardener who specializes in fruit trees and am well aware soil conditions, climate, ...
The best tasting banana I've had was grown and ripened in the tropics (zone 12). A pup of that plant when grown in here zone 10a produced poor fruit.
The best tasting banana I've had was grown and ripened in the tropics (zone 12). A pup of that plant when grown in here zone 10a produced poor fruit.Just a note but I've grown tomatoes for many years--yummy ones. Here in FL? The few I've managed to harvest taste like FL tomatoes which is not very good. I'll keep adding organic stuff to my garden and hoping for a change. But perhaps you just can't grow a delicious tomato down here...haven't tasted a banana from my yard yet...I sure hope it's not lousy.
trachcanman99
07-22-2016, 03:42 PM
Just a note but I've grown tomatoes for many years--yummy ones. Here in FL? The few I've managed to harvest taste like FL tomatoes which is not very good. I'll keep adding organic stuff to my garden and hoping for a change. But perhaps you just can't grow a delicious tomato down here...haven't tasted a banana from my yard yet...I sure hope it's not lousy.
you need to start testing varieties to find one or two that do taste good when grown where you are.Check the ones you can order from the University of Hawaii, they are heat tolerant and have good flavor.
In fact some guy in Florida developed a good tasting tomato that ships well and grows to consistent size and tried to get the commercial growers to look at it but they don't care about taste only are they all about the same size, get to picking size at the same time and ship well. I just wish I could have found out where to get some of the seeds but the article didn't say.
sputinc7
07-22-2016, 05:54 PM
I will second that Kat... I have tried many and even grown my own and Florida tomatoes suck. I, of course, will keep trying as there has to be something I am missing...
robguz24
07-22-2016, 06:59 PM
My favorites seem to change all the time. I can barely even eat Namwahs at this point. Tu'u Ghia is one of the best and relatively new for me but I'm sure I'll get sick of them too. Dwarf Brazilian remains my overall favorite still. Lately been eating Maolis ripe and they are surprisingly good.
sputinc7
07-22-2016, 07:11 PM
I know some don't like them, and I don't care, Brazilians are pretty doggone good if you ask me. The "apple bananas" I had in Kauai on my honeymoon were awesome, and those are supposedly Brazilians. Mine I grew here were good, too.
I have to say, Having tasted Mysore, thanks to Nick Naranja, They were much better than expected. I had heard how tart they were, and had not desired them, but they are not all that tart compared to manzanos.
I like Namwah's. They are tasty and reliable, because they are hard to kill and fruit every year. I also like Jamaican Red bananas. Two bad things about Jamaican Red plants are they take a long time to fruit and they are also cold sensitive. The third banana plant is Monrovia nursery Dwarf Giant. My plant only flowered one year, but the bananas were delicious.
I hope that helps. I might have a new favorite banana this year, because I have three new plants blooming. Gros Michel (probably), Armstrong Goldfinger (unknown), and Thousand Finger (definitely).
Susan
Richard
07-22-2016, 10:19 PM
... Armstrong Goldfinger ...
Namwa.
crazy banana
07-23-2016, 12:23 AM
Namwah and all Mysore varieties (Pisang Klotek, Pisang Ceylon).
hydroid
07-23-2016, 05:57 PM
I have only one experience with "homegrown" bananas, and it was with a dwarf cavendish. Others on this forum have described the flavor of Dwarf Cavendish as being the same as a store bought banana (ie. don't bother with this variety), but that wasn't even close to what I experienced. I tried one from the UC Davis greenhouse, and it was "vine ripened". Texture was like a regular cavendish, but the flavor had a strong floral and berry undertone to it....just out of this world in terms of flavor! Sadly, I've never been able to fruit it outdoors in zone9b...even after 7 years!
Long story short, aside from personal people's opinions, I believe any cultivar can have different flavor profiles depending on the environment and how it was grown/harvested.
When I lived in Bermuda there were a lot of Dwarf Cavendish it was nothing like a store bought Cavendish, they were the smaller, tastier fruit. Mine struggle along the Gulf Coast just to survive every year. But my Namwah make me look like a "Master Gardener" every year with big bunches of fruit and pretty darn tasty. It's fun to try the different bananas. Here in the Marshall Islands I like the "Mysore" for taste and not real fond of the "Ice Cream".
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