servatusprime

TEXTURE- It is fairly smooth. More so than a Cavendish, less than a Goldfinger. The texture has a little more fluff than a Cavendish. The fluff diminishes as it gets riper.

FIRMNESS – Pretty close to a grocery store Cavendish, maybe a little more.

SWEETNESS- Pleasantly sweet. It’s sweeter than Goldfinger or SH 3640. The sweetness is similar to namwah perhaps a little more.

TARTNESS- A little more tart when less ripe, but it becomes more pleasant as it gets more ripe. The tartness is not unlike that of the SH 3640. It’s tarter than Goldfinger.

RIPENESS- Fully yellow with some brown spots during testing. I would avoid any green for eating fresh out of hand. I liked it progressively more as it continued to ripen.

FLAVOR- There is a reason people will refer this as an “apple banana”. (Not as strong as Manzano) When just ripe, you will get a noticeable apple flavor similar to Fuji or Gala apples you can find at the grocery store with a hint of lime. The apple flavor does mellow out and you taste a more typical banana flavor. (Almost like an apple banana smoothie) The apple flavor diminishes as it ripens and starts reminding me of key lime pie (the not so sweet custard variety) or mellow ripe kiwi. Then it tastes a bit like flan with perhaps a hint of strawberry.

OTHER: Overall I like this variety but it wouldn't be my first choice if I had other options. The fruit is a little small to eat just one and regularly has those annoying banana strings, but they come off easily. Also this variety ripens very quickly so pay attention when you harvest it. However it has a nice “ripe window” for you to enjoy it. (unlike SH 3640).

GROWING IT: The plant isn’t very stately, but it’s been reliable. This was my second harvest from the same mat. The flowers were nearly a year apart and I have another bunch filling in as I type, even though I have been neglecting it. For this harvest I had 64 fingers on 6 hands weighing about 20 lbs. The plant was leaning fairly significantly and I should have supported it.



OVERALL RATING: 7.5 Some of you may think that this banana deserves a higher score. It’s a nice a banana, don’t get me wrong. The flavor is really good once you get past the maximum intensity of the “apple stage”. The small yields and stringy fruit are also a little disappointing. Additionally as a plant, this variety isn't as attractive as others that I have. If you have plenty of space grow one just for the fun of it, especially if you like some apple flavor in your banana, but don’t expect high yields.

SUGGESTED USE: It’s nice out of hand and have a hunch that it would be good for baking.

Julian

Thanks for sharing. What are your favorite varieties?

servatusprime

Well I don't think I have grown/tried enough varieties to say which banana is the best. However out of the ones I've grown I rather enjoy Kandrian, Goldfinger, and Namwah (wife's favorite so far). These are all robust varieties that produce great tasting fruit without too much effort on my part. If I can help it, they will always be in my yard.

Now on the flip side of things, if you are limited on space I would not recommend Pisang Raja or Double Mahoi. I have grown both and they are still in my yard for aesthetic reasons until some other varieties out grow them. If you don't grow/taste them ever, I don't think you will really be missing out.