The South Coast Research and Extension Center opened up it gates to invited guests, the California Rare Fruit Growers Assoc. and the UCCE Master Gardeners on Friday, January 23, 2015. Attendees were treated to the fourth annual cherimoya tasting held at the UC ANR South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine.

A crowd of (107) were lined up out the door to evaluate this tropical treat grown at the Center. Through a blind tasting, evaluators were asked to rate the (10) varieties using a basic one to five scale based on texture, flavor, and overall performance.

The cherimoya collection at the South Coast REC contains various cultivars that are not widely available, and sought after by avid fans of this fruit. The varieties that were evaluated included ‘Big Sister', ‘Booth', ‘Chaffey', ‘Concha Lisa', ‘Deliciosa', ‘El Bumpo', ‘Nata', ‘Orton', ‘Ott', ‘Oxhart', and ‘Pierce'. The harvest at the time of the tasting was limited this year due to the cold temperatures and rain in December and early January, in addition to the uncharacteristically dry June during pollination.

Unlike the previous open tastings where ‘El Bumpo' reigned as the unanimous winner, there was a shift in the favorites.

South Coast REC 2015Cherimoya Tasting Top Three Varieties
2015 (Blind)	Texture		Flavor		Overall
1	Orton		Orton		Orton
2	Deliciosa		Booth		Booth
3	Booth		Deliciosa		Deliciosa