Alphonso- The King

Article  by Jaidev Sharma, February 13, 2026

There are mangoes and there is Alphonso– the King of Mangoes. Who made it the King? Is it really the best mango? Never heard of it? What is the whole deal?

It is the King’s followers who make a King. And so is the case here. This mango is native to Maharashtra, India, in particular the Konkan West coast of India. People of this region are whole heartedly, devotedly dedicated to the King. To them mango-is-alphonso and alphonso-is-mango. When the reign of Alphonso ends, then they reluctantly choose an alternative, such as a cousin of Alphonso- the Mancurad or Payri or the Queen of mangoes, Kesar. 

This poses a question (silly question for an Alphonso fan) to t;he rest of the mango loving humanity- Is this a legitimate king? One thing is certain- Alphonso is certainly the most popular mango in terms of sales- it outsells all other varieties 3:1. This is in spite of the fact that Alphonso is one of the most sensitive variety, highly prone to spoilage and also among the costliest. This certainly legitimizes the king !! 

Another trait of a legitimate King is that others want to emulate it and get a piece of the legitimacy !! Alphonso is grown not only in the Konkan region, but in other regions of India as well- we have the Dharwad Alphonso, the Valsad Alphonso, the Andhra Alphonso, the Kerala Alphonso etc.. In the past 100 years, Alphonso has spread to many other countries, such as Malawi, Egypt, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Brazil and Colombia, where farmers grow the fruit with all their passion. Enthusiasts are also trying to grow it in California and Florida !! Everyone wants to grow the Alphonso, but it is difficult to grow. Getting it to taste as good is even more difficult !!

Let us delve into some history- How old is the Alphonso variety? It is certainly more than 500 years old getting this name from the Portuguese General based in Goa Aphonso de Albuquerque. Garcia de Orta (Portuguese botanist) based in Mumbai (erstwhile Bombay) mentions this mango as famous and better than the mango grown in Goa, so this mango was already known at that time, possibly by another name. In the local region, the mango is called Hapuz or Hapoos and could have existed for thousands of years- mango does find a mention in many of the Indian scriptures !! There are many instances where folks have told me that the alphonso is called by another name in their region in India and abroad, but on closer inspection the mango turned out to be a different variety. As a rule of thumb, if the mango is not called Alphonso or Hapuz, it is not the real thing (AI is particularly stupid in spotting the naming truth). Among the many versions of the King Alphonso, the Alphonso which come from the Ratnagiri and Devgad regions is the best- the King among Kings !! Alphonso is good in itself, but these mangoes are considered the real deal and everything else at best a compromise…

What is so great about the Alphonso? The taste profile of Alphonso is complex and it covers a wide range of flavors. If I had to put it in words, without you having ever tasted it, Alphonso is more than how good you can imagine a fruit on earth to taste !! Alphonso is nature’s gift to humanity- it demonstrates how to achieve salvation by the simple act of consuming a fruit. Alphonso is also nature’s way to shatter human ego. No matter what your stature is, when you cut an Alphonso and it turns out to be either spoilt or spongy inside, you instantly realize that  nature truly treats everyone equally !! Every once in a while we are assumed to possess superpowers to be able to manipulate the fruit. But if a fruit is not built to realize its full potential, it will fall short in some way and no one can prevent it. We certainly try to filter out such fruit and prevent it from reaching you !!

Is Alphonso the sweetest of them all- no it isn’t. This is not the sweetest mango that we import- the sweetest is Chausa.  Is it the biggest of them all- no it isn’t. Infact, a medium sized alphonso is more flavorful and has less imperfections. Is it the most expensive- no it isn’t, that distinction is enjoyed by its cousin, the Mancurad mango from Goa. Is it the most reliable- no it isn’t. Infact, it is one of the most unreliable of the varieties and hides many flaws inside the fruit- by one study, 30 percent of the Alphonso suffers from sponginess of the seed. This condition develops when the seed absorbs nutrients from the surrounding tissue in a bid to germinate- something like the seed eating the mango before we do. Unfortunately, we get to know only when we cut it. Still, Alphonso is the most sought after mango.

When a human tastes a good mango and wakes up to the possibility that an entire life has been lived in ignorance of the good mango, the quest to find the best mango begins. For some humans, the realization is different- they have had a good mango, but they realize that other varieties exist that are equally good or better. This is when the fame of the Alphonso mango catches on. But the mango is nowhere to be found !! Why? Because its growing season and growing regions are limited- moreover only experts can grow it properly. The King also needs royal treatment and can throw a tantrum at any time- this level of sensitivity can become difficult to handle. 

During the Alphonso season, the whole planet is trying to get the Alphonso from Ratnagiri and Devgad, including the locals. The best of the Alphonsos vanishes in no time. We use all our contacts and our ability trying to get this fruit to you- if we blink, we can miss the boat !! That is where we try hard to get folks to order early so that we get a chance to secure the best fruit for you. Your order starts a long journey for the mango- a journey of thousands of miles where it survives a plane load of logistics and flies past logistics, economic and political hurdles. Finally we  prepare your mango and ship it to your table- from the Tree to your Table within 7 days !!