TEXTURE-Pasty and a bit mealy. Kind of like a grocery store Cavendish, but more dry, almost like it is crossed with an Iholena. Strings from the peel stick to the fruit, which I don’t like.
FIRMNESS-These remain surprisingly firm, given how ripe they appear.
SWEETNESS-Sweet, less than a ripe Cavendish.
TARTNESS-It has just a little bit of tanginess which makes the overall flavor more interesting than a Cavendish. Similar to, but less than in a ripe Iholena.
RIPENESS-Terrible with green on the peel. Tried also with just a bit of green on the stem, but ultimately best when totally yellow with some brown.
FLAVOR-Really like a Cavendish/Iholena cross. Classic banana flavors without the cav aftertaste, and just a bit of tanginess.
OTHER-Fruit is somewhat fragrant. Flesh is a pleasing orange. These were bought at a local health food store and they’re Big Island grown. Even when very ripe, they don’t open from the stem as easily as most others at the same stage of ripeness.
OVERALL RATING-6. I had high hopes for this one, mostly because of Dan Koeppel’s opinion on wanting them to be a Cavendish replacement. I don’t think I would buy these again. The ones I grow myself will hopefully be better than this, or I may not keep it. I’ve had local Williams that I prefer over these. I am biased because I don’t like bananas with pasty, mealy textures, and this had dryness added to that, which didn’t help. The flavor is just OK.
SUGGESTED USE-Use them like a Cavendish.