These stickers will tell you the exact ripeness of your avocados

Did someone say guacamole?
 By 
Brian Koerber
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

An unripe or overripe avocado can ruin the week of any guacamole lover.

Most avocado aficionados have spent years perfecting their technique for figuring out if an avocado is truly ready to be consumed. Now, new fruit stickers from Freshmax in New Zealand have arrived to help produce amateurs determine an avocado's ripeness based on where its color falls on the spectrum.

A Redditor noticed the new sticker and uploaded a photo of it to the subreddit r/MildlyInteresting for all to marvel at just how many grown humans would gather to discuss a sticker on a piece of fruit.

The top of the sticker is a bright green and is labeled as "not ripe." Below that there is a "firm ripe" section that's a little darker, and finally, the darkest part of the sticker is "soft ripe."

While this may seem like common sense to someone who consumes avocados on a daily basis, it's nice to have something to compare it to, especially if you're looking to buy some avocados that will last you a few days.

But Redditors were quick to point out that ripeness should only be determined by the firmness of the fruit, not the color. Avocado experts from all around the world chimed in to give their two cents on the issue.

"Since my hometown is literally the avocado capital of the world, I feel I have some authority here," said one Redditor. "When holding an avocado, press slightly with your thumb. If you feel a bit of give then it's ready to eat. Too much give and it will taste rotten. Obviously if it's hard then it's not ready but there is a very fine line between ripe and rotten. Color is not a very accurate way to gauge ripeness."

One person who claimed to live on an avocado farm also had some gripes with the fruit sticker, claiming it will only work on some cultivars.

[h/t: Munchies]

photo of brian
Brian Koerber

Brian was the Culture Editor and has been working at Mashable on the web culture desk since 2014.

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