Kohitoor / Kohitur

Kohitoor / Kohitur is a natural selection originated in Murshidabad, West Bengal, India. Kohitoor is widely regarded as one of the most prized and rarest mangoes in India — historically reserved for royal families. It boasts a very unique complex flavour — almost a perfect blend of tropical, honey, and camphor. It is intensely aromatic, a combination of floral and camphor-like fragrance. The pulp is extremely delicate and buttery. It tastes pleasingly sweet (TSS: up to 22 brix), unleashing a delightful, complex after-taste profile. Its average weight is 400 grams. It is harvested during mid-season (first week of June in West Bengal, India). The trees are vigorous with dense canopies (any mango tree in the world can be maintained at a low height if pruned regularly). Due to its exceptionally delicate pulp, Kohitoor is often wrapped in cotton to avoid any injury to its pulp. To get the best of Kohitoor, it must be harvested just before it reaches the full ripening stage on the tree and is to be wrapped in cotton. Then the sides of the ripened Kohitoor need to be altered at every 12 hours to maintain its delicate pulp. It is strictly a table variety — for the best experience, dip it into a bowl of cold water (not very cold) for at least 30 minutes and then use a non-metal knife to cut it. Kohitoor trees are notorious for their irregular and shy bearing habits. Low production and very high demand make Kohitoor very costly - often reaches INR 1,500/piece (i.e. US$ 16 / piece). However, of late, it has been noticed that young Kohitoor trees in mango orchards and terrace gardens / rooftop gardens are fruiting heavily with the help of proper care. This example needs to be replicated in the established orchards/new orchards of Kohitoor. However, the delicate, soft pulp along with low shelf life of Kohitoor still poses a challenge for the Kohitoor farmers to transport it from their farms (Murshidabad) to metro cities like Kolkata (almost 700 kms apart).  Kohitoor is no longer a well-kept secret for the royal families; now, its heavenly taste can be relished by a common person in India by ordering plants from Amrakunja Nursery & Farms.