A ripe mango will "give" to a gentle palm squeeze. An aromatic fragrance at the stem end is another ripeness indication. A red color to the skin is nothing more than a sunburn and is NO indication of ripeness. What you look for is the burnt orange color of the skin.

Some things to watch out for ... some wrinkling, and a few brown sugar speckles is OK. Major shriveling or any black spots is a mango no-no. If you run across a sickly green/ gray specimen, pick another. It will rot before it properly ripens.