The Complete Handbook of Mangoes

As a produce manager, I thought I knew mangoes. This book corrected a few misconceptions I had about ethylene and made me realize I was storing my Kent and Tommy Atkins incorrectly. It's thorough, and the section on grading is useful. That said, I wish it had more photos or diagrams, especially for identifying varieties at a glance. A lot of the text-heavy descriptions blend together. Still, worth the shelf space for the ripening tables alone.

This is the most concrete reference on mangoes I've read, and I've been in the import business for nine years. The grading specs match closely with what we see in practice, and the troubleshooting chapter on anthracnose is spot on. I deducted a star only because the future trends chapter felt a bit speculative and light compared to the rest. If you're buying mangoes in volume, the first six chapters are worth the cover price.

I bought this for our restaurant's menu development. The variety breakdown helped me choose the right fruit for our ceviche and salads — finally understand why the Manila mangoes were better for us despite being smaller. The business opportunity chapter was a bit slow for my role, but the installation and handling chapters are great. My only real complaint is that the binding is tight; the book doesn't lie flat on the counter while you're following a process.

Finally, a mango handbook that treats the reader like a professional. No fluff, no 'magic ripening tricks' — just real numbers and procedures. The chapter on storage temperatures and humidity alone has probably saved us hundreds of dollars in spoiled fruit this month already. I particularly appreciated the clear explanation of hot-water treatment and how it affects shelf life. I've already recommended this to three of my wholesale contacts. This is exactly the reference I've been looking for.

This book sits on my desk as the go-to for our small orchard operation. The grading spec descriptions match what our buyers ask for, and the ‘choosing field' gave us a better idea of how to market our softer varieties like honey mangoes to high-end restaurants. The chapter on maintenance and troubleshooting is worth it if you deal with sap burn on your own fruit. Five stars — this is the real thing.

Very well organized for a reference work. I went straight to the FAQ when I needed a quick answer about if you can refrigerate mangoes, and it was there, direct, and clear. The glossary is also better than average. The reason I'm not giving five stars is because the book leans heavily on the commercial side — box sizes, freight conditions, etc. — while the home-enthusiast side (container or small plot growing) gets only passing mention. But for the stated audience, it's excellent.

The tone is dry, but if you work in the food industry, that's probably what you want. It's informative, absolutely, but I found the chapter on future trends and expert resources a bit thin. I expected more detail on organic certification and the new phytosanitary requirements for importing from Southeast Asia. The chapter on types and specifications was solid, though. I'd say it's a strong reference that should have gone deeper in a few places.

I'll be honest, I'm more of a hobbyist, so parts of this handbook (like the volume purchasing sections) were more than I needed. But the sections on variety differences and ripening at home were really informative. The explanation of why you shouldn't store mangoes in the fridge before they're ripe was worth the read alone. It's well-written, but I wish there were pictures of the diseases — I couldn't tell if one of my tree's issues was anthracnose or just sap burn. Text descriptions only get you so far.