Has anyone grown a Chamapaigne Cocktail grapefruit tree?

14 years ago

I have recently ordered a Dwarf Honeybell tangelo and came across a Chamapaigne Cocktail grapfruit tree. I have never heard of it but saw it on t.v. The tree is a dwarf and they were saying that the parentage was the same as the honeybell. I know that companies will do anything to sell a tree but the woman who sampled the fruit and the juice said that it was sweet and had honeybell sweetness and was not tart like the grapfruit. Has anyone grown this variety and if so would you recommend it? i originally was considering buying a grapefruit tree but I really wanted the honeybell. Now I am torn since I really only have the room for one and not both. I all ready have a dwarf keylime and moro blood orange so whatever I decide on will be the last addition. Thanks for your help!

Andrew

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Comments (7)

plant54
14 years ago
Is this one that was on QVC.
Andrew Scott
Original Author
14 years ago
Hello plant54,
Yes, it is from Roberta's on QVC. I ordered 2 citrus trees from them last year and was very impressed with what I recieved. I bought the dwarf keylime and the dwarf moro blood orange. The keylime was well over 2.5 feet when I got it and the dwarf moro blood orange was about 2ft. I have had several blooms this winter on the keylime but no fruit yet. I am sure this summer outdoors will bring fruit. The blood orange is slower growing but is still a good quality tree. I found some more info on the champagne cocktail grapefruit and from what I have found it is not a grapefruit at all but a cross between the frua tangerine and a chinese pummelo. The flavor is supposed to be excellent and from what I have seen online people really like the fruit. I can't find it in my local stores but I trust what I have read. I am really excited about this tree. I can't wait till may way when it finally arrives! If anyone has considered ordering from Roberta's I would give them 2 thumbs up! There customer service is great too. The only thing that I didn't like was that they have called this an annual and for there guarantee they give it a 90 guarantee. I didn't have to worry about it, my trees are happy and thriving.
Andrew
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pecanman
14 years ago
Andrew is correct. The cocktail grapefruit is not a true grapefruit but is very tasty. It does not have the bitter after taste of grapefruit.
Andrew Scott
Original Author
14 years ago
Pecanman,
Are you growing this? Have you ever seen the tree? There is not too much info out there on it. I kind of like that, it makes me feel like I get to discover this fruit on my own. I can't wait to get it now. I am glad I changed my order from the honeybell to this, and I think Roberta's trees are excellent. I would reccomend them to anyone who wants to try growing citrus. They also offer other tropicals.
Andrew
softmentor
14 years ago
I know of 2 trees sold under this name. One for years was a tree that was simply multi-grafted, thus you had the whole cocktail of citrus on the same tree. The other, which is sounds like you may have, is a cross between pummelo and tangerine. The taste is not tangerine at all but live a VERY sweet grapefuit, really more like a pummelo. I juice a blend of these and grapefruit for a really great juice, or just peal and eat out of hand. The typical reaction I get from friends who taste it for the first time is "Wow, you got to be kidding me! That's amazing!"
Andrew Scott
Original Author
14 years ago
Softmentor,
Sounds great! Can't wait to try my own fruits!
Andrew
Andrew Scott
Original Author
14 years ago
Softmentor,
I wanted to add something to my previous response. You are partially right. There is something called cocktail citrus and yes it does have more then one fruit on the same tree, sometimes 3-4. I wish I could have found one of these before I bought my tree. They are a great option for someone who lives in a temperate climate and has to grow indoors at least part of the year but the name is cocktail citrus. It does not contain champagne or grapefruit in the name, that is what seperates the two from another. I just wanted to clear that up in case someone here sees that and buys what I got and ends up being upset because what they ended up with was just one variety of fruit. I am very torn right now. I really want one more citrus and I am having such a hard time trying to decide between the IM lemon and the washington navel orange which is my all time favorite. Ahh..decisions descisions. i eny the gropu of people here who live in zone 8 and higher and can grow whatever they want! I recieved a Logees catalog in the mail yesterday. The only thing that I really like about the catalog is the pictures. Well at least until I got this catalog yesterday! On the cover of the new catalog is a photo of a 'Day' avocado. I almost bought an avocado the last time I was in Florida. I remember the Home Depot selling them for $9.00! I almost picked it up but i was determined to buy a grafted condo mango and there was no stopping me! I remember seeing the cocktail citrus and all the other citrus trees they had for sale. It made me want to cry when I saw the price tag. I am now considering renting a van and loading up while i am there. When I checked out the price tags, it made me sick! They had huge citrus trees for under $50.00! You Florida peopole are so lucky, and even though it is not legal to buy citrus and take them out of Florida, I really doubt that anyone would have noticed or said anything. The security people at tampa airport didn't say much when they saw me carrying on a large box with my mango inside!
Andrew

Has anyone grown a Chamapaigne Cocktail grapefruit tree?

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plant54

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pecanman

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Has anyone grown a Chamapaigne Cocktail grapefruit tree?

Comments (7)

plant54

Andrew ScottOriginal Author

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pecanman

Andrew ScottOriginal Author

softmentor

Andrew ScottOriginal Author

Andrew ScottOriginal Author

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Andrew Scott
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Andrew Scott
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Andrew Scott
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Andrew Scott
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