I have two named figs in the same size 7 gal pots next to each other with a purpose of comparing them and leaving only one (since the Excel is a hybrid of Kadota) . Today I picked up 2 fairly ripe figs and here is what I think about them.

Taste-wise, for me, they are very close. On a honey side, quite sweet, with tougher than usual skin, not crunchy. Those were the first figs this summer (there are more on the trees) and they were not very large but tasted very good.
They are equally vigorous and productive, I used the same soil for both too.

Kadota has some red color present, it could be caused by caprification. The Excel was also pollinated but almost doesn’t have any red color.

At the end, I liked the Kadota a bit more. It was juicier and with a hint of some more complex flavor that I cannot describe.
I cannot tell you anything about the rain tolerance and such because the last rain we had was 4 months ago. We are in the middle of a super dry year.

In general, I do not think there is much sense to have both if what you are looking for is a variability.

Enjoy the photos!

 

Very interesting experiment. I rooted both types this year and have also wondered if I need both.

Could you please explain how to determine if a fig was pollinated?

Greenfig: Very tasty figs. The Strawberry Verte looks big. How do you compare Strawberry Verte to other figs. Thanks for sharing.

Best,
Tam

Guys,
In my opinion, the SV is the distant leader.
It produces a lot of large figs with a super taste. When I pick up the ripe figs from several varieties, I eat the SV last because it has the strongest taste.

All my figs have been pollinated for sure.
I see the wasps almost every day. The figs change appearance a bit after pollination.
They loose shinyness of the skin and the color inside.

To verify if your figs were pollinated, test the seeds in a cup of water.
Sinking full kernels indicate the pollination occurred (and the wasp presence ) while the floating empty kernels would tell us otherwise.

Shailesh,
Yes, they are all very good figs and would be keepers for many.
I just do not have a huge back yard since live in a city and must select the best taste representatives.
My goal is to have some variety of tastes.
So either the Kadota or Excel would have to go.

Thanks for the info, Igor.  I'm growing Excel myself.