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Comparison chart of dates

Jumbo Medjool date	Large Medjool date	Amir Hajj date	Deglet Noor date	Empress date	(ruler)

Not pictured above: our Super Medjool dates, which are even larger than the Jumbo Medjool; we sell our Super Medjools only at our packing house. Also not shown: barhi dates, which are shown below.

PLEASE NOTE: These pictured dates are representative samples selected at random from our packing house. Dates are not identical. They are sold by weight. Therefore, what you get will vary in size and appearance.

Jumbo Medjool date		inside Jumbo Medjool date

Medjools are sweet, moist, meaty, and firm-textured. They were brought to the U.S. from French Morocco in 1927. Medjool dates vary greatly in size; at present there are no industry standards for size.

At Brown Date Garden, length doesn't always determine whether a date is a Large, Jumbo, or Super. A date can be long and skinny, making it a Large. But a date can be large and fat, making it a Jumbo or Super.

We also sell blonde medjools, which are actually seedlings. They look like Empress dates, but they are not a true variety like an Empress.

Amer (Amir) Hajj Date

Amer Hajj date		inside Amer Hajj date

Similar to a medjool in color, but a little different texture (Amer Hajj are softer). The meat is more spicy-tasting than sweet like a medjool; also, Amer Hajj is a smaller date with caramel flavor and texture. The Amer Hajj date is known in the Middle East as "the visitor's date" because it is a delicacy served to guests.

The Amer Hajj date is scarce and comes from the oasis of Mandali, about 90 miles NE of Baghdad. Of the 62 offshoots which were brought to the U.S. from Iraq in 1929, only 13 survived.

We no longer grow Amer Hajj dates at Brown Date Garden, but keep the photos here for your reference.

Deglet Noor date		inside Deglet Noor date

Deglet Noor dates are amber-colored, with a great delicate flavor although not as sweet or moist as the Medjool. They are more firm-textured than the Amer Hajj. Deglets were introduced to California in 1900.

Empress date		inside Empress date

The Empress date is elongated, soft (but still a little chewy), and not too sweet. Most Empress dates have a distinctive yellow crown at the top.

Barhee dates in yellow (Khalal) state, when they are the size of fresh apricots and as crisp as apples		Barhee dates in yellow and brown states; as Barhee dates ripen, they turn brown and soften, and taste even sweeter

Barhee dates were brought to California from Basra, Iraq in 1913. These dates are large and round. When picked in their yellow state, they are referred to as Khalal dates; they taste semi-sweet and are as crisp as apples. At Brown Date Garden, barhee dates are picked and packaged on the stem in 30-pound boxes; they are shipped by air on the same day as harvested, to assure freshness. They are harvested only in August and September, and sell out immediately. When Barhee dates are picked in their brown state, they are softer and taste even sweeter.

Brown Date Garden's land-mail address = 69245 Polk Street, Thermal, CA 92274
Office phone = (760) 360-6307.
E-mail address = here
Website address = http://www.browndategarden.com
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Photos at top of page [left to right] = Empress dates, Yellow Barhee bunch weighing 124 pounds (more than twice the "average" size bunch), Medjool dates, some of our prize-winning dates at the annual Indio Date Festival, Deglet Noor dates, and our prize-winning citrus fruit.
All photos on this website were taken by Brown Date Garden staff; © 2012-2023 Brown Date Garden.