A Tasting Flight of Mangoes
Did you know there are over 1000 varieties of mangoes in the world? The Bahamas is home to 65 of them. Summertime means mango season, and this year had a unique opportunity to sample a flight of some of the more popular varietals of mangoes with Backyard Harvest Bahamas. Here are our tasting notes.
by Mariah Moyle
10 August, 2026
Julie
Tasting Notes:
Smooth, non-fibrous (no strings in your teeth!), not too juicy. It’s meaty/rich with flavors of citrus and custard.
Overall impression: “The Perfect Mango”. This mango isn’t fibrous, and has a wonderful balance of citrus and sweet. Also a bonus that the juice doesn’t run all over your hand (even though this one was quite ripe).
Hayden
Tasting Notes:
Juicy, fibrous, flavors of sweet melon with very little citrus notes. Very sweet.
Overall impression: The melon notes were nice but it was a bit too sweet and fibrous compared to the Julie
Tommy Atkins
Tasting Notes:
Medium fiber with flavors of apple, stone fruit, and custard
Overall impression: A lovely mango with balanced flavors
Keitt
Tasting Notes:
Juicy, fibrous, with flavors of sweet orange, apricot, and honey
Overall impression: A nice balance of citrus and sweet, but it’s fibrous
Valencia Pride
Tasting Notes:
Firm and not fibrous, tastes of sorbet. Very sweet, doesn’t seem to have a balance of citrus flavors.
Overall impression: The pro is that there were no strings, but the con is that it was too sweet.
Honey, Ice Cream, Alfonso?
This one is the mystery one. In Asia, the Ice Cream mangoes are known as Rumani and Jill Pansath and they are native to India. Honey mangoes are native to Mexico, also known as Ataulfo or Champange mango. Alfonso mangoes are another mango native to India.
Tasting Notes:
Firm, smooth, non-fibrous, less juicy, with flavors of orange sherbert and citurs
Overall impression: A contender with the Julie for the perfect mango. We wish we knew exactly which varietal it is!
Mangolas vs Mangoes
Have you heard of the term Mangola? Evidently in the Bahamas it refers to the nice big mangoes without strings (versus the mango varieties that are fibrous). In reality, there are many species of mangoes, which we have discussed, so it is just a general term for the more desirable mangoes like Julie or Valencia Pride or our mystery Ice Cream/Honey/Alfonso. We’d love to hear your input if you are familiar with this term!
A Personal Story
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and I love a good tree-ripened apple in the fall (one of the many, many varietals) and of course the various berries of summer— strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, marionberries, loganberries. But I’ve always been a bit squeemish about fruit. As tasty as apricots and nectarines can be, stone fruits are generally too juicy and messy for me. Mangoes have also been especially challenging, however I never had much interaction with them until I moved to the Bahamas 15 years ago. In all that time here, I’ve only had a mango every now and then. When I do, I have a difficult time with the sweet, sticky juice on my hands (I know, everyone always says to eat them in the water, but I’m not going to drive from my kitchen to the ocean just to eat a mango and then also add in a salty mess) and I usually end up with fibers stuck in my teeth that have me running for the dental floss. Yes, I’m a bit high maintenance.
But this year was a game changer. After trying Julie mangoes, my life has been completely turned upside down. I found myself craving the nourishing mood-boosting sunny orange fruits each day. The Julies didn’t leave strings in my teeth, nor did I have juice running everywhere. Now, I can proudly say that I’m on Team Mango. Can’t wait until next summer.
If you love mangoes, be sure to follow Backyard Harvest Bahamas on Instagram.
