More importantly, Reed avocados are often celebrated as the best-tasting avocado variety thanks to their rich, nutty flavor. Reed avocados are classified as type A avocados, meaning their skin remains green even when ripe.
The most popular varieties of avocado are the Hass (shown above) with its pebbly purple-black skin when ripe, and the pear shaped Shepard which has smooth, thin, green skin. The yellow-green flesh has a rich smooth consistency and a nutty flavour. Choose ripe avocados which are soft but free from dark sunken spots.
Green-skins tend to have less fat and oil. That makes them healthier by some standards but less delicious by others. However, Evans says “when you want a real tasty avocado you got to eat a green-skin avocado. You know, a green-skin avocado is far more flavorful than the Hass avocado.”
When it comes to nutritional content, Hass avocados are higher in fat than other varieties, which gives them a richer taste and smoother, creamier texture. 80% of avocados consumed in the world are Hass avocados, meaning all other varieties make up only a small proportion of the remaining 20%.
There are three races of avocados – Guatemalan, Mexican, and West Indian – with cross-pollination allowing for unlimited hybrid varieties. West Indian types are said to be the most tropical in character with the sweetest flavor.
The two most common varieties grown in Australia are the Shepard and Hass. Shepard avocados have smooth, glossy green skin that doesn't change colour with ripeness. They are rich and nutty in taste, with a buttery texture.
Arguably the king of the avocado world, Hass (or Haas) avocados are dominating the market with their long shelf life and variety of culinary uses. These avocados are a favorite of grocery stores as they can be picked as unripened fruit, stored in bins for shipping, and become ripe in the grocery store.
Both bananas and avocados are rich in potassium, which reduces vascular calcification - a common complication in both heart and kidney disease. Banana is beneficial for the health in more ways than one, while avocado is a great choice for people on a diet.
Hass avocados have a higher oil percentage (usually around 18 percent) making the texture more creamy, and is therefore considered as the preferred variety. Indian avocados on the other hand have a lower oil percentage (around 12 percent) making the texture slightly less creamy but a little more nutty in flavour.
They have a longer harvest season than other avocados and, perhaps most importantly, the Hass's thicker skin makes it superior to Fuertes, Pinkertons, Zutanos and other once-popular varieties when it comes to handling fruit and shipping it long distances.
But according to experts, you're likely eating too much of the superfood. Unlike other fruits, a recommended serving of an avocado is not the entire thing. Instead, a healthy portion is about one-third of an average-sized avocado, according to Shauna Lindzon, a Toronto-based registered dietitian.
Florida avocados are the larger, smooth-skinned choices. California avocados sold in supermarkets are the Hass variety, and are smaller and have a pebbly skin that turns from green to a purplish-black when ripe. The biggest nutritional difference between California and Florida avocados is their fat content.
They are grown in QLD, NSW,VIC, SA and WA. Hass avocados are usually available May to February while Shepard avocados are only available from February to May.
Aldi keeps produce prices low by buying locally, saving on transportation costs, and only selling pre-packaged items eliminating the need for scales, and cutting back on needing employees to regularly cull produce for bruised items. Aldi produce, as with most of their store is designed to be the best price in town.
This study suggests that an avocado a day can improve diet quality, she noted, which " is important because we know a higher diet quality is associated with lower risk of several diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers."
Eating an avocado a day is good for your health. Avocado consumption has skyrocketed in the last two decades, from an average annual consumption of 1.5 pounds per person in 1998, to 7.5 pounds in 2017.
“Usually, I would recommend that ½ to one avocado a day is reasonable,” she says. She notes that since avocados are a pretty significant source of healthy monounsaturated fat, they make you more satisfied and are harder to overdo because they tend to fill you up.
Australian avocados are produced all year round, with production mainly in Queensland (March-September), northern New South Wales (July-October) and Western Australia (July-March). The main varieties produced are Hass and Shephard.
Hass Avocado, also known as the “King of Avocado”, is a nutrient-dense and excellent variety with the richest and creamiest flesh. Every drop of oil is harvested from the delicious ripe Hass Avocado pulp through the centrifuge method, and then naturally refined without the use of chemicals or additives.
Hass avocados are ripe when they turn a purplish black colour and feel soft near the stem. Shepard avocados are ripe when they feel soft near the stem, but they will still be bright green.
In alphabetical order, the most common varieties in Australia are: Type A - Gwen, Hass, Lamb Hass, Pinkerton, Reed, Rincon, Secondo and Wurtz. Type B - Bacon, Edranol, Fuerte, Llanos Hass, Ryan, Sharwil, Shepard and Zutano.
Avocados should have a glossy skin that is free of cracks and dry spots. The vast majority of avocados sold in Australia are Hass avocados, which tend to darken as they ripen. For these, bright green avocados should be ready in a few days, while darker ones are more likely to be ready to eat.
"A flowers" are female (receptive to pollen) in the morning and male (shedding pollen) in the afternoon. "B flowers" are male (shedding pollen) in the morning and female (receptive to pollen) in the afternoon. For the most part, avocado cultivars have only A flowers or only B flowers.