Non-Astringent Persimmon Varieties: Eat Them Crisp
Persimmons divide on one question: can you eat it firm? An astringent variety such as Hachiya is loaded with tannin until it goes jelly-soft, and a bite taken early is a mouthful of chalk that people remember for years. A non-astringent variety loses its tannin on the tree, so the fruit is eaten crisp and sweet like an apple, sliced into salads or off the hand, weeks before an astringent type would be ready. For most growers that is the whole reason to plant one.
These 10 are the non-astringent set. Fuyu is the standard and Jiro its blockier cousin; Ichi Ki Kei Jiro is the compact, hardiest sport and the one to choose in zone 6; Izu and Coffeecake ripen earliest, in September; Suruga is late and wants a long autumn. Two of them, Chocolate and Coffeecake, are pollination-variant types: their spiced brown flesh is non-astringent only when the fruit is pollinated and seeded, so they need a pollinizer persimmon nearby, which the pure Fuyu types do not. All are Asian persimmons rated to zone 7 unless the table says otherwise. Sorted by ripening.
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| Variety | Ripens | Zones | Self-fertile | Notes | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffeecake | Sept-Oct | 7-10 | Partial | sweet, brown-sugar/spice; crunchy brown flesh only when fully seededAn early-ripening (about a month ahead of Fuyu types) pollination-variant (PVNA) persimmon. It must be fully seeded by a pollinizer to lose astringency — unpollinated fruit behaves like an astringent type — so plant a pollen source such as Chocolate alongside it. | Buy $74.99 |
| Izu | Late Sept to Oct | 7-10 | Yes | sweet, mild non-astringent (PCNA); eat firmOne of the earliest-ripening non-astringent varieties on a naturally small tree; good where the season is short or space is tight. | Buy $64.99 |
| Chocolate | Oct-Nov | 7-10 | Partial | spicy, rich; cinnamon-brown flesh when seededA pollination-variant type whose signature spice-brown, non-astringent flesh develops only when the fruit is seeded. It bears many male flowers so it can partly pollinate itself; grown truly alone the fruit tends to stay astringent. | Buy $74.99 |
| Fuyu | Oct-Nov | 7-10 | Yes | sweet, mild; eaten firm and crisp like an appleThe classic non-astringent (PCNA) persimmon eaten while still hard. Self-fruitful and sets seedless fruit without a pollinizer; the best all-around choice for most home growers. | Buy $74.99 |
| Ichi Ki Kei Jiro | Mid-Oct to mid-Nov | 6-9 | Yes | sweet, crisp non-astringent (PCNA); eat firmA compact, cold-hardy non-astringent sport of Jiro, widely sold as one of the hardiest PCNA kaki and a good pick for smaller yards and colder sites (protect young trees). Zone 6 is the tested edge. | Browse growers |
| Jiro | Mid-Oct to mid-Nov | 7-10 | Yes | sweet, crunchy when ripe; eat firmA flatter, blockier non-astringent (PCNA) cousin of Fuyu that ripens slightly earlier. Self-fruitful; a distinct cultivar from Fuyu despite shared marketing. | Buy $74.99 |
| Gosho | Midseason | 7-10 | — | Non-astringent, sweet, eaten firm; seeded fruit has better flavorNon-astringent type adapted to the Southeast. Unseeded fruit may still reach good size, but seeded fruit has better flavor — and seeded fruit requires a pollinator, so plant a pollinizer such as Gailey if flavor is the goal. | Browse growers |
| Hana Fuyu | Midseason | 7-10 | — | Non-astringent, sweet, eaten firmbut may be slow to lose astringency — A large-fruited non-astringent type in the Fuyu group, of medium vigor, that regulates its own crop load well — a good homeowner cultivar. Fruit are slightly larger than most and generally free of imperfections, but can be slow to lose astringency, so give them time to colour fully before eating firm. | Browse growers |
| Matsumoto Wase Fuyu | Midseason | 7-10 | — | Non-astringent, sweet, eaten firm — An earlier-ripening Fuyu sport. Recommended as the midseason non-astringent choice for Florida, bridging the gap between Izu and Fuyu. | Browse growers |
| Suruga | Late | 7-10 | — | Non-astringent, very sweet — A late non-astringent type, which means it needs a long enough autumn to color up before hard freezes. | Browse growers |