Durian Season 2016 - Year End

Some are already craving for durian. After all, it's been 2 months since most last had their cravings satisfied.

Do not rush into it yet. I have not gone on my search but I believe what you see currently (since mid Sept till at least late Nov) are Thailand durians.

Thailand durians can be nice (as in, suiting taste buds of Singaporeans and Malaysians). Just make sure you are not sold passed off durians (Thai as Malaysia durians).

---------------------------

18/11/2016
Malaysia durian season has just started with some stalls selling Ganghai.  

01/12/2016
Have you started your feast?  Currently, there are several variants of durians available in the market, mostly D13, D17, MSW, Ganghai.  Information from source, D13 and D17 are good.  MSW and Ganghai, well, if your craving is strong, go for it.  Else, wait another week.

My simple self guide.  Feasting on popular variants of durians such as D24 and MSW supply from Johor and Pahang as follows:
-  Mid year, Johor
-  Year end, Pahang.


03/12/2016
Just tried D13, D17 and Tekka.

This particular D13 I took, weighs 2.5kg.  Very rich in color, smooth flesh, and the usual sweet (slight hint of bitter) taste.

D17 was said to be bitter but this one wasn't as bitter as I was expecting (around 8/10 bitterness).  Taste and durian pungent was acceptable, not exceptional.

Lastly, Tekka.  It was the best among the 3.  It satisfied my craving, for now.  The nice tone, rich taste, just what I wanted.  It's not so bitter, so it should go well with most consumers.

Will wait another week or so for Pahang durians to larger supplies to arrive.  There are small volume available, but cost is too high, thus not many durian stalls selling Pahang durian for now.

Penang Red Prawn

Red Prawns Red Prawns... are you flesh water or marine??? Will I get to see you when I go diving?

Penang's durian have always been much rave about on how good it is.  How about Penang durian grown in nearer States such as Johor?

The soil properties, terrain and weather is different down South from North.  This year's El Nino weather phenomenon may have changed things.  Besides, the wetter period, after El Nino strikes a balance, where there are ample supply of water, yet doesn't cause the soil to be too wet.

I had seen this Penang Red Prawn sold at a particular stall in Hougang but brushed it aside as just another namesake.  But... well, as a fanatic, I still needs to sink my teeth into it, to be convinced if it's worthy or just fad.

I took this large fruit, slightly above 2 kg.  When it was opened, I thought, it's a paler shade of orange, yet a little bruised look. It was very soft, wrinkled, all the sights of a durian I typically love.

I ate 2 sides and packed the remaining 3 sides home for next morning (as breakfast). Don't envy me.

The first piece that sank in. My eyes lid up. It was as I desired, bitter with a mild hint of sweetness!  It's everything nice, strong distinctive character... I'm lost for words how to describe the taste. Should I say,  the blend of bitterness from XO,  kum kum taste of D13 and the shiok aromatic factor of Tekka?  Goodness, I'm bought!

I'm awed! OK I'll eat it again.  After all, Tekka season is almost over.

Just a final note.  Some consumers loves their durian dry, but I love mine soft and somehow I'm happier if it's wet too (not as in, water droplet wet, but wet flesh).  Thus, this durian is not for those who wants their durian dry. Dryness is alienate here. I am convinced it has to be soft and wet. I'm in love. This is Durian Orgasm.

This particular Red Prawn I had is definitely worth 8.5-9 out of 10!

(I love a good durian that is nearly over ripe, where it is really wrinkled, soft and wet, where the flesh almost slips off the seed upon being picked up.  Ever insisted with a durian seller to sell such a durian to me, which he refused, as he said, it's over-ripe... hell NO! That's my fav!

An almost over ripe durian has the strongest character that the particular durian would be. It just gives me that knock out punch a great tasting durian delivers. That's me...)

Durian Season Taste Test - Aug 2016

---------- 17 Aug 16 ----------
After resisting MSW for the last few weeks, and focusing my desires on Tekka, I finally sank my teeth into MSW last night (17 Aug 16).  I wanted Tekka still, but since they finished selling, the seller suggested I try MSW.  As he said, this new batch is good, with a strong assurance.  He knows my taste.

It wasn't a large fruit, since I don't want to pack home.  I asked for a mid size fruit, but he warned, smaller fruit means lesser flesh/seeds, which I'm ok with that.  I'm not into quantity!  My simple logic is, in a single durian, if there are 5 seeds, the nutrients and whatever feeds that goes into the durian, is spread to 5.  If there are 15 seeds, it is spread to 15.  Quality would have dropped with more seeds.  Oh well, that's me.  I prefer to have the omph factor than the oh (so full) factor, but... like my personal quote goes "The stomach is full, but the soul is empty".  I hate that!

Coming to this particular MSW.  It was about 1.7kg and there are 7 seeds in it.  All seeds are flat!

The flesh is consistent in color tone, deep rich yellow.  The texture is soft and glossy, which some would refer to as, wet!  If you want a strong tasting MSW (or many other durians), bitter, flavourful, it is usually soft or nearly wet.  The softer the better.  Have you ever tasted an awesome XO that is dry???  

It taste...... WOOOOOOOoooo the MSW that I like, 80% there, little presence of that kinda 'coffee aroma' factor. So yes, though it taste so damn good, it just came close to my perfect MSW (the 'coffee aroma').

People living elsewhere (from Singapore or Malaysia) but craving for durians, the Malaysia durian is in season.  It is likely to last till October this year.  But right now, I think it's good time to eat durian.  Fly on in.  


---------- 19 Aug 16 ----------

Just did a taste test on sellers claim of "Penang Red Prawns".  

Shall not describe much here but in a new post since I've not done any on the infamous Red Prawns.

In summary, I'm bought! It's that's a large fruit weighing about 2kg or sometimes heavier. But for the roughly 2kg fruit i had, there were about 15 seeds with rich tasting flesh. It's money worth.

That's going to be my chase for the next week or 2, while stock last. I'm sure this Red Prawns won't be for long, since it's quite new and not many plantations in South end of Penisular Malaysia grows it yet.

---------- 21 Aug 16 ----------

Am I sounding like I'm eating durian almost daily?  Well, literally, since last Wednesday and till tonight, 5 nights running.

Latest I tried, D2.  It's got that pleasant easy to like taste, bitter with mild sweetness after taste.  Easy on the platelet.  Each fruit is about 1.2-1.5kg only.

Also tried Tai Yuen (or Black Pearl) last night.  The flesh is sticky, I wonder if it's going down or staying in the throat, yet the bitter-sweet isn't strong, but easy.  Aroma is nice.

Tonight, I'll go back to D101 (packed 1 home last night).  Will give my tummy and waistline a few days break after tonight.  It's just so sinful.

Kun Poh

I was told last year, Kun Poh and Wu Zi Guo (Five Fingers Fruit) looks similar but are different.  I don't know.   I had Wu Zi Guo in July 2015 and fell in love with it, for the smoothness and 'grown on you' kind of quality it presented.

Just recently, 10 August 2016, I was lured by one of my trusted durian seller, whom called to tell me, "I got 2 odd durians, suspect it's Wu Zi Guo and Lao Tai Po".  So I made a trip down.  The outlooks of both durians, one looks like a Wu Zi Guo but the other, well, a little like Lao Tai Po, but dubious too.

My trusted seller told me,
-  Durian 1 : it's either Wu Zi Guo, otherwise it will be Kun Poh.
-  Durian 2 : Could be Lao Tai Po or D17, which I doubt it's D17 right from the start.

I brought both durians home, whole.  Fridge it overnight before opening it the next day.

Kun Poh or Wu Zi Guo?
Upon Opening, the color and texture of the flesh doesn't look like Wu Zi Guo, so I took a photo and verify it with the seller.  He said it should be Kun Poh.

Wu Zi Guo has soft texture, with the milky beige color look, while Kun Poh is yellowish orangery in color.  Texture is also firmer and dryer.

Visual

The exterior shell is similar with Wu Zi Guo, having that sectional look, with a pointy 'backside'.  The thorns are tough and rough, firm and kind of ugly. 

Texture, Taste, Aroma (Flesh)
The color is orangery yellow, but not as orangery as D13, Red Prawn, D101, etc, yet not near yellow like MSW.  It's just a...cross.

The flesh is rather firm and dry, a little closer to Thai durian, but minus the crunchiness bite.

The taste is mild, with a simple nutty taste.  Generally, light bodied, mildly sweet mildly bitter.  It's not the general taste of Kun Poh (since I didn't have choices to choose from but just 1 odd piece), so I'll leave this as is.

This one piece of Kun Poh, I'll give it a 3/10.  Not saying it's not good, but this particular piece isn't able to let me conclude anything.  Given a chance, I will try it again, so I can have a better idea what it is actually like.

Photos

Heaty Remedy

Chinese medicine tends to establish our general health into "heaty" and "cooling" (not exactly sure of the proper TCM terms).  

Heatiness leads to fever, sore throat and the likes.  Cooling leads to weak health where our energy is weaken, probably feels cold in our lungs too. (I'll try find out a little on these another day).

Food and fruits and it's weighing on our health includes cooling and heatiness.  Durian is said to be one of the most heaty fruit while Mangosteen is said to be cooling.  There are many fruits that falls into either of these brackets.

Why do people associate durian as heaty (no I'm not challenging it)?  I'm sure some of us knows or heard friends saying they gotten a sore throat the next day after eating durian the night before.  But is that necessarily heaty effect caused by durian?  

Using some logical balance.  If we consume durian shortly before bed, there will still be some durian flesh lodged in our throat.  The 'fermentation' while we sleep, will cause the throat to feel inflamed the next day.  It is natural.

The 'trick' to try and avoid a sore throat the next day, it is better to consume durians hours before bed and wash it down with water.  If it is taken too near bed time, there isn't enough fluid to wash it all down.  That bit stuck in the throat is what is causing the problem.  Try it!

Even when we drank too much beer (some claimed it is cooling, but I am almost convinced it is not), do you get phelm in the throat the next morning?  I do.  So, to what extend is beer cooling?

Coming to mangosteen.  Is it really cooling?  An extract from another site shared some insight.

THE FACT is there is NO scientific proof that mangosteens can reduce heatiness

THE VERDICT: Honestly, mangosteens had a limited effect in countering “heatiness”. It was just our minds trying to psyche ourselves that they did. We experienced a “heaty” feeling a few hours later.

According to conventional Chinese wisdom, a mangosteen, being a cooling fruit, will reduce the heatiness associated with durians. However, there is no scientific research to support this. The habit of eating durians and mangosteens together probably stems from the fact that the two fruits are harvested at about the same time.

https://says.com/my/lifestyle/eating-cooling-fruits-like-mangosteen-will-cool-you-after-eating-heaty-durians

Now, let's say you are feeling a little heaty.  What can you do about it? Some cuts down on heaty food  (eg fried food) and drink more water or some falls sick and take medicine.  My personal remedy, mini bitter gourd (called Bitter Melon in the West). Not the full grown ones but the baby ones.  Not that full grown ones doesn't work, but I think the mini ones works better.

Bitter gourd is a vegetable so it is unlikely going to be too cooling for health, but it effectively purge heatiness. Only problem is, not that many can accept the taste.  Learn to!  It brings a host of benefits to our health.  (happened to watch on TV, mini bitter gourd juice [as in, using juice extractor] is good for diabetic).

If you have access to mini bitter gourd, all you need is 4-5 pieces of mini bitter gourd, de-seed and do a few slits across.  Boil (approx 2 liters water).  Once it started boiling, add 1 teaspoon of salt and leave to cool. Drink like you drink water daily.

Try it. This is my own remedy which I use every time I feel heaty.

To sum it up.  

-  If we approach this from scientific point, a lot are unproven.  So, do we take more to the side of Science or Traditional Believes?

-  Both durians and mangosteens are high in calories.  

    ~ Durians are said to contain 50 calories per seed while 

    ~ each whole mangosteen (approx 100g) contains approx 60 calories.  

    ~ Do take it in moderation.

No wonder my diet never succeed.  DIET = DIE Trying!

Jing Feng Jing Feng (Phoenix), Soar To The Skies

Funny how I missed out writing on this till I received a message asking if I can write on this.  I have always been under the impression I must have done this already since it is one of my favourite durian.  

The Name
As heard... Going back decades ago, this durian farmer has this wonderful durian but doesn't know what to name it, so he called the durian Jing Feng, which is the name of his wife.  I think he must have loved his wife a lot.

This durian is rumoured to originate from Tangkak (Johor) and the original tree is easily 60 years old now.

Visual

It is usually a small durian, regular roundish shape.  From exterior looks, it won't catch your fancy, as it looks a bit more like an ordinary durian, or the kampung durian.  Thorns are small and regular and color of shell usually off green (tilting towards yellowish brown).  It really doesn't look outstanding.

Typically
It can range from 500g up to 1.5kg but personally, from my eating experience:
-  Smaller Jing Feng are usually sweet and weak tasting.
-  Bigger Jing Feng above 1.3kg are usually weak tasting too (I tends to perceive it's from a young tree)

Ideally, I would want my Jing Feng to weigh between 900g to 1.2kg, and the color of the shell to be not so clean/fresh green.

Texture, Taste, Aroma (Flesh)

The color is off white, not exactly biege but just off white.  Sometimes you get a shade of grey patches akin to what we perceive from biter durians.

The durian flesh is very thick and sticky.  Upon swallowing, you really wonder if it'll flow down, or up, it's just 'STUCK' in the throat kind of feeling.  This would suggest the moisture level is lower than some other durians, thus the very sticky and thick feel.

It has pleasant and strong aroma, flora effect, and not overwhelming like MSW would.  The only durian that seems to be closer in comparison would be Cai Yuen.  Not forgetting, small seeds.

Choosing
Light smelling is good enough.  Go for those that are less appealing than the nice bright/fresh green.  I seriously would avoid big Jing Feng.

Noteworthy 

This fruit is not so popular with those who have never tried Jing Feng.  Ok if you have never tried it, stay away (if everybody tries and likes it, I won't be able to get sufficient Jing Feng).  

I would rate this durian as the most value for money durian.  Why so?  Let us compare this with, the extreme, MSW, in a few aspect:
-  Weight : A typical Jing Feng is about 1kg while MSW is 2-3kg.  The per kilogram price of Jing Feng is about the same as MSW (or sometimes more expensive).  If you buy the equivalent in weight, you get more in flesh.
-  Flesh : Very thick, pound for pound more than MSW
-  Seeds : Small!  MSW is not consistently small while Jing Feng is.
-  Shell : Jing Feng has rather thin shells while MSW are thick and heavy.

If we extract flesh out of Jing Feng and MSW (say, equivalent in weight), minus the seeds, I would think you get more weight from Jing Feng than you would from MSW.

This is possibly the most worthy durian!  It never fails with anyone so long as you are a durian lover.  Be it from a children, to anyone with a sweet tooth or those who simply knows how to indulge in a good durian.

However, if you are a "one-type' restrictive consumer (eg, strictly sticking to MSW), you are just loving 1 durian and not a fanatic or lover.  A durian lover/fanatic will try different durians and appreciate the various taste that comes with it.  Typically, I would zoom in on a certain 2-3 durian variants per season than stick to only one type.

Personally

Of Malaysia produced durians, there are two variants that makes me forgo D24, MSW, or any other variants that are commonly available.  I would choose a good Jing Feng or Tekka anytime.  This is one durian I tends to eat every year and never gotten sick of (while I'm quite bored with MSW)

In my perception.... 8.5/10.

------------------ Photos and Crash Test Dummies ------------------ 

I'll go on a hunt this week and update with photos (I don't happen to have any in my collection).

D101, Something I never Consider Previously!

D101 Durian - Typically
Previously, this durian's quality is...forgettable!  It is usually sweet, soft in texture, flesh isn't thick, no omph factor, and has a sourish after taste.  It goes well with those who likes sweet durians, and children.  Considered value for money since during peak, prices are much lower than many variants, yet it's a big durian with lots of seeds.

Visual

The durian is usually large, ranging from 2-3kg, very regular shape and usually has 5 sides.  The color of the shell is usually richer and darker shade of green.  The thorns are long and spiky, that I sometimes pity the sellers, as they tends to get prick by D101 thorns often.

Texture, Taste, Aroma (Flesh)

Usually sweet with sourish after taste, orangy in color (which sellers and consumers will relate to as, 'ang bak' in local terms or Red Meat [when it's actually not red]).  The flesh is usually soft and not as 'thick/sticky' on the throat. 

Seeds are often regular full size.

----- Personally -----

D101 was something I rather forgo all these years.  However, the other night, the seller rave that this season's D101 is as good as last year.  So I bought some on Sunday, and true to his words, it left me wanting more.

I asked the seller to choose 2 for me, of different taste (1 sweet, 1 bitter) as much as possible.  Here's what I thought...

Durian 1 - Sweet D101
Weight : 2.1kg 
Sides : 5
Number of Seeds : 15

Taste Test : 
This pick is on the sweeter side, mildly bitter,  6/4.  Flesh is smooth and soft. There is a 'kam kam' taste. Aroma wise, it goes well for those who prefers sweeter durian with a bit flora taste. 

Seed Shape/Size : Mostly flat, with some regular size.  Evident below.

Durian 2 - Bitter D101
Weight : 2.3kg 
Sides : 5
Number of Seeds : 17

Taste Test : 

The one!!! I simply love the bitter yet mildly sweet taste, 8/2.  A bit alcoholic and numbing sensation on the tongue, leaving me questioning myself, is it an XO?  Hard to really describe aroma. Good pungent. Overall, I wondered if it's blended with MSW and XO. Complex... This one got me!!!  

Just to note, flesh is very soft and seemingly wet,thus the bitterness with XO sensation.

Seed Shape/Size : Mostly flat, with a few regular size ones.  

Note :
If you want a nice tasting D101, be prepared for the flesh to be soft, almost falling off the seed.  If you expects a firm flesh D101, the taste tends to be sweet.  So don't expect otherwise.


Conclusion For This Season, Mid 2016

I'm never a supporter for this durian previously, but I'm impressed with the current supply.  This quality doesn't come year after year, thus I would indulge in D101 for now, before turning to other variants later in the season.  

Given the price I paid, pound for pound wise, this durian is worthy.  No regrets!  

I give it 8/10 rating.  Will definitely be back for MORE!  High chance I will stock up some, and probably make D101 ice cream in future.

(There goes my diet... any slimming centers around?)

Don't take my word for it, go try it yourself.  A real durian fanatic will try all types, than stick to limited few durian choices, thereby missing out on a lot of other good quality durians.

Durian Supply And Review - 26 July 2016.

Most recent durian consumption was just last night.  In the last 1+ week, I have been consuming a fair bit of durians, should have about 6 or 7 session in 10 days.  So what's the going?

Not in exact sequence of consumption but some of the durians I had lately includes XO, D13, D101, Kang Hai, Jing Feng, Tai Yuen, Tekka, Mao Shan Wang, just to name those of can recall.  So, what's my experience?

XO isn't my favourite durian as it has mild character but just bitterness. Kang Hai is not my choice either but it's doable. D13 is OK.  That leaves D101, Jing Feng, Tai Yuen, Tekka and Mao Shan Wang.

The most popular durian among Singaporeans is Mao Shan Wang. Hmm it's distinctive in flavor but it's so so so predictable. What's so great about this king? So far I haven't been impressed this season.

Tekka I had last night was great. I would pick a good tekka over a good MSW anytime.  Tekka is grainy as usual, but has a complex taste, coupled with the bitter sweet taste in it.

Tai Yuen is not always that great but I had really nice Tai Yuen too. This variant isn't always available, as in, the supply is short lived. So if you chanced upon it, it's a good durian to have.

Last night Jing Feng has great flavour of flora and nuttiness in it.  Few friends swing by to join me at the stall I went and we swept at least 20 Jing Feng.  It's a really good durian that beats a lot of variant.

More info on both Tai Yuen and Jing Feng have been written in previous post.

Lastly, D101.  I'm not a consumer of this durian but I must say, I am left very impressed with D101 this season. It matches up to last year's stock.

The typical D101 is sweet and has a sourish after taste. Flesh is average and soft, yet pound to pound, the yield isn't that good.  But truth be told, this season D101 is awesome. Barely any sourness, can get a good bitter mildly sweet do fruit too. Texture is quite good and seeds are semi flat. Pound for pound, it's worth it. Evidence of my experience below.

 1 whole D101 durian weighing approximate 2.3kg (this particular piece) in 1 box, total of 17 seeds.

Some small seeds,some semi flat and some usual large seeds.

I'll try post a write up on D101 soon.

--------- update 1 Aug 2016 ---------

Tried Tekka on 1 Aug 2016. It was really good!  Photo evidence below.

It is really good! Good aroma, nice texture, bitter sweet, citrus like, everything I seek in a good Tekka. 

Not many seeds in 1 whole fruit but it is very much worth it. I am not a firm believer of quantity but quality. Rather have a durian with lesser seeds but solid quality than one with lots of seeds but lacks quality.

Good amount of flesh. Refer to above photo on e depth of shell.

---------------- 04/08/2016 ----------------

Irresistible!  Pictures speaks a thousand words they say.

---------------- 5 Aug 2016 ----------------

Different sellers carries different variants but the general range of durians includes, XO, D13, D101, D24, Tekka, Jing Feng, Tai Yuen, Mao Shan Wang, and maybe a few other common variants.  The MSW quality has improved.  I'll still stick to Tekka and sometimes MSW.

Facts or Myth - More on Mixing Durian, A Notch Higher

We heard too much about not mixing durian and how lethal it gets, with people dying.  Let's take this myth a Notch higher.

On 13 July 2016, Dr Roy invited me and a couple of friends for XO durian. That was pretty much the limited variety of durians available.

Upon arriving at his place, inviting us was a bottle of Cordon Bleu and a bag of durians on the ground. What? Are we having durians or XO, or he means XO with durians equals XO durian. Knowing he always has some mischief, we can't take this as a joke.

So... we started with a can of beer, follow by 1 shot of XO. OK that's about nice... than came the durians. Had our fill, and clear it with a second shot of XO.  As he said the next day, all died, except him living to tell and I'm here living past by 2 weeks to write this.

Next day, 14 July, his friend told him, someone he knew drop dead on Essence of Chicken and durian.  OK this isn't funny
 But he actually took it upon himself... OK I think he lived because I met him last night 27/7/2016 for more durians


Last night, after a wholesome lot of durians, he actually washed it down with cola. I think he is still alive right now as I'm writing this, or he isn't?  Nevermind, he said,you only die once.

So what's the myth again?

What next Roy?  Beer with XO with Essence of Chicken with Chinese Herbs (the worm herm) with cola concoction with durian?? You are one crazy durian worm.

I'm not saying it's harmless. Take at your own risk. Not everyone's health can take such combination. Don't try it without your doctor's advise. Roy probably knows his own health best since he is a medical professional.

Durian Supply - Mid 2016

It was reported in the local papers (Singapore) that this season's peak durian supply is delayed by up to 2 months.  Definitely, it has been.  Mid year durian season usually starts sometime in May and will peak in June and July.  However, this season's supply hasn't even peak, and the quality is inconsistent.

In the same news article, it mentioned extensively, the dry and hot weather having drastic effect on durian supplies, as well as the quality of durian, citing interviews with some sellers.  This seems to have echoed what was reported in M'sia newspaper sometime back.

Just some thoughts.  No evidence to back up my thoughts.

Hot and Dry Weather
This year's weather is indeed adverse due to El Nino effect.  However, the weather in Pahang during mid year has always been hot and dry, except that it is hotter and dryer this year.

Initially, I took the news article (Malaysia) as reported, having some truths.  But after some thoughts, Pahang and Penang tends to be hot and dry compared to the southern states.  

Going back to my trip to Penang on Labour Day, it doesn't appear like the hot and dry weather hit durian growing.  I don't see bush fire burnt grass patches, but I saw durian trees with lots of durian on Balik Pulau.  I don't have past years' durian growth as backup, but I doubt it is as bad as reported.

Supplies Shrunk
It was mentioned that this season's supply have shrunk by 30-50% compared to last year.  But, last year was a bumper supply, that only happens once in many many years, so how do we compare last year's supply to this year?  

I do not know what was the average supplies in previous years before 2015, but if we use last year's supply, which was maybe doubled of previous years.  In that case, a 30-50% drop this year compared to last year just pretty much averages out to the past doesn't it?

The last major bumper supply I recall was in about 1997/98 (can't recall which year), where D24 selling price dropped to as low as $1 or $1.50 per kilogram.  In 2008, durian quality was very good, but supply, could be just a tad higher but not like 2015.

Durian Flowers Falling Off
Durian flowers grows in a huge bunch and only a few will mature into fruits.  This isn't new.  The below photo is how durian flowers blossom in a bunch.

Below photo is how only a few will grow into full size durians.  Although they are not the same bunch, but it is general.  Of course there are some bunches of flowers where more than 1 or 2 will mature into full size durians.

The Delay
From past years durian supplies, the season usually starts with Johor durians, follows by Pahang durians few weeks later.  This will result in a 'crash' thereby when supply is high, price falls.

This season's durian supply from Johor is delayed severely.  Johor's weather usually isn't as dry as Pahang especially in mid year period.  This year's extreme hot and dry spell has affected Johor's durian flowering period thus the supply is expected to peak only in July.

Unevenly Ripe Durian
Durian itself, needs some water.  In my layman opinion, it is like human skin, our skin breathes.  Durian itself also needs some water, not just from the roots.  Thus the hot and dry weather in mid year, always affects durian quality during mid year.

Like I blog previously, Johor tends to have some rainfall in mid year flowering/fruition period while Pahang is drier.  Year end, Johor has too much rainfall while Pahang is just nice (for durians).

In mid year, Pahang's durian having this 'lokok' (unevenly ripe) durian is not uncommon, so this season's supply is like all other mid years' from Pahang, nothing surprising.

Conclusion

Yes, durian cost is high currently as compared to past years.  Durian supply is delayed too.  But to squarely believe what is reported, which is based on what plantations and sellers claims, is just blind faith.

Durian cost will be higher as the years goes by.  This is due to operating cost going up with inflation, as well as the Chinese market's huge appetite.  The Chinese (China) have all these years, been eating Thailand durian (Monthong aka Golden Pillow).  

It is in recent years, they are slowly being exposed to Malaysia durians.  Once their palate adapts, the market will be huge.  Opportunities will also result in more and more plantations growing the King of Fruits.

The Competitors - Chanee & Mao Shan Wang

Most Singapore consumers shun Thailand Durians for the lack of aroma and pungent. 

In early May 2016, I was in Penang and tried a few fruit which was OK but didn't impress me.  From mid May owards late May, I tried MSW back here in Singapore and was left disappointed. It's after all, beginning of the season.  Since MSW didn't impress, I decided to go for Thailand Durians instead!  

Thailand Chanee (or as I like to spell, Cheng née).  Most consumers swear against Thai durian but never mind, I'm not spilling.

Late May 2016, I had asked my favourite durian guy to reserve some Cheng née durian for me.  Here's how a nice Cheng née looks like

Yes it taste like Cheng née due to the mild gassy taste typical of Cheng née. Texture wise there are a little more bite crunch associated to Cheng née too. Other than that, it has a nice durian aroma and kind of flora smelling too.  So, is it really not good? 

More recently, over the weekend (Mid June), I had some Mao Shan Wang. Quality has improved tremendously since mid May, and prices have since, came down.

Last night's evil deed photo courtesy of Alfred.

Conclusion.... When Malaysia durians are in season, Thai durian are not common.  But when Malaysia durians are not in season, or at beginning/end of season, Thai durians are a worthy alternative.  Seriously, it is worth the calories if you get a good Thai durian.