Asian pears
Kosui
The Kosui (“good water” in Japanese) has a tender, flavorful flesh and is small with a slightly flatter, round, copper appearance. Similar to the Hosui, it ripens in mid-September.
Hosui
The Hosui is one of the earliest of Asian pears to harvest, appearing as early as September. It is large in size and pear shaped with a brown russet color. This is a sweet, juicy variety that has a long storage period of up to 6 weeks! We think this Asian pear has the best flavor of them all.
New Century
This is a popular early season Asian pear. The fruit is yellow-green to pale yellow, smooth with small lenticels and is a very large variety. The flesh is white in color and sweet with a firm, crisp texture. New Century pears can be stored for 7-8 months and ripen in late August to early September.
20th Century
Created in Japan, the 20th century or Nijisseli pear is considered to be the best flavored and most popular of the Asian pears. It is a yellow, clear skinned apple shaped pear. It ripens as early as August and stores incredibly well, up to 5 months.
Yoinashe
The Yoinashi pear has the highest sugar content of any Asian pear and is extremely juicy, crunchy and large in size. To all of you ice cream sundae lovers, the taste has been compared to butterscotch.
Olympic
With nicknames like, A-Ri-Rang, Olympic Giant, or Korean Giant, the Olympic may have been called that due to its sheer size (at times weighing in at 16 oz.). Cultivated in Korea, this Asian pear is the last of its kind to ripen at the beginning of October. It is earthy in flavor and less sweet than other varieties, but also has the longest storage life of all Asian pears.