Sumo Citrus

The Sumo Citrus is the export name for the Dekopon (officially Shiranuhi) — a Kumamoto-bred Japanese mandarin originally developed in 1972 from a Kiyomi × ponkan cross. The fruit is unmistakable: a comically large mandarin with a distinctive bump on the top, a thick easy-peel skin and almost no seeds.

Flavour is what justifies the price. The sugar content is dialled to over 13 Brix on the best fruit, the acidity is markedly lower than any Western mandarin, and the aroma is concentrated, clean and floral. The flesh segments separate cleanly with no pith stuck to them. Each fruit is hand-selected, individually wrapped and shipped slowly to develop full sweetness before sale.

Peel by hand starting at the bump — the skin lifts off in a single piece. Eat the segments straight; they're seedless. Served whole as a single piece of fruit, ideally chilled. Best eaten within a week of arrival.