I think GRB is one of those older varieties that was good way back when, but is seedy and somewhat mediocre nowadays compared to what we have now. Lots of older pawpaw varieties are in this camp. I find most pawpaws pretty much mehhh compared to the best Peterson, KSU, Lehmans, etc. One source of conflicting information is folks who have not eaten many different pawpaws over many seasons and so think anything is delicious. But, if they like it, they like it. Jerry Lehman always said ‘taste is subjective’ and so he was mostly after large size, less seed, and heavy production. On that note many of his pawpaws have that banana goop flavor that I honestly find mehhhh. Maria’s Joy stands out with a strong tropical flavor. JBG rates high but I’ve never tasted it. KY Titan (a LEhman seedling) is supposed to rock and is giant, but my trees have not born fruit yet.
I have high hopes for Chappelle. Im seeing some fruit buds on my 2 or old graft from twigs I bought from you. Also looking forward to Florence White of which I ordered twigs from you this spring so looking forward to getting that one in my collection.
KSU Chappell is my favorite of the older KSU releases. It’s just large and super tasty and really productive. Probably under rated. Florence White is IMO a phenomenal wild find and has improved with age as I’ve grown it. Timothy Lane tried it and said it was ‘luscious’ and I have to agree, and it gets large fruit at over 1lb. It’s been consistently one of the best in the orchard. With 4.5% seed and marshmallow vanilla flavor for the win.
how does Maria’s Joy compare to Tropic Treat (if you’ve tried it)?
What pawpaw would you say compares the closest to an actual mango? (in flavor)
I’m actually not sure sure how they compare. I’ve never had a pawpaw I thought tasted remotely like a mango! That would be amazing though. I think ‘mango flavor’ gets thrown into pawpaw descriptions but the only tropical notes I have really detected are pineapple, cherimoya, banana and maybe jackfruit / durian in subtle forms.
interesting, i thought the mango paw paw did have a mango flavor when i tried it, though i know people disagree.
I do agree banana, moya flavor, and jackfruit are around though. not sure ive tried pineapple.
Halvin, KY Titan and a few others claim to have a slight pineapple flavor
Mango definitely has a mango tone to it
I have tropical treat but it hasn’t fruited yet
Mango/pineapple is my favored flavor tone for pawpaw
Mango/pineapple flavors are what I would also like in my pawpaws. Any idea what the best varieties are for this? I’ve heard mixed reviews on ‘Mango’… soft, poor flesh to seed, etc, but is it worth? Are there any other substitutes to fill this mango-tasting category?
Also, can anyone give a better description of Halvin and KY Titan generally? This is the first I’ve really heard much about these varieties…
Id pick titan over halvin.
Mango is one of edible landscaping most popular varieties and they do a large taste test with many varieties in the fall at their property
I have heard tropical treat and nyomis have this flavor profile
Working through this thread still, but from my experience working on reclamation in the legacy mining industry, I highly recommend managing your pH to remain above neutral to limit bioavailability of copper. If you make your soil acidic with too much copper present you’re going to have a bad time.
My nose associates the ‘funky smell’ of pawpaws with the funk in mango and papaya. I’m not a fan of it but it’s tolerated with tasty fruit. Lack of the funk is probably a good quality to select for in grocery store focused breeding efforts.
agree with this. papaya smells like a foot to me
Taste like one to or the one I had did
Smells like a foot but sure are tasty 
I want to piggyback and highlight what Blake pointed out, cause it’s a very good point. It’s probably been at least 300 posts since someone pointed this out. It’s been oft repeated but not repeated enough.
When many of us here who have tasted a lot of pawpaw cultivars say [X] tastes like mango, pineapple, banana, etc… we mean hints of.
It’s NOT really a mango-flavored pawpaw. It’s like when people describe Granny Smith apples as tasting lemony or citrus like. Or like Autumn Glory tasting a bit like cinnamon apple pie. Or Golden Delicious tasting like pear. They still all tastes like apples. No doubt about it, they just have hints of x, y, z flavor.
A pawpaw no matter what tastes like a pawpaw. There is no pawpaw that actually tastes like a mango. There are hints of flavor. How strong is the hint is subjective. I often find even within the cultivar it can vary season to season depending on the weather, kind of like tomatoes.
A little surprised papaya is the one that you choose to associate that smell with. I would have chosen durian 10 times over.
I think the important consideration with flavor is lack of undesirable flavors in pawpaw: metallic, bitter, turpentine, or just bland. Banana flavor is the strongest and most distinct ‘other fruit’ flavor I would say is present in a lot of pawpaws. But yes, it is nearly always ‘pawpaw flavor’ with a background hint of pineapple, cherimoya, banana, etc.
Have to agree. The wilds around here have a horrible metallic aftertaste and once you get that it really takes away your desire for more. It’s one of the main things named varieties strive to avoid.
I would put pawpaw into two taste categories. White and orange. White having the stronger “taste like” (often vanilla, marshmallow, ect.) IMO. Orange is basically different intensities of pawpaw flavor with subtle notes.