Following on from our first exploration with different apple varieties, this time we tasted different varieties of pears.
Here’s what we found:
Nashi (Green)
The first impression is fresh and clean. The acidity is quite bright, but there’s enough sweetness to keep it balanced. It’s juicy and the flesh has a slightly coarse texture. The finish is refreshing and light.
Sweetness: 6/10
Nashi (Brown)
This one immediately feels sweeter than the green Nashi. There’s a brown sugar like sweetness with a subtle herbal character underneath. The flesh is very watery and juicy. The herbal note becomes a little more noticeable on the finish.
Sweetness: 7/10
Red Angel
The aroma is one of the more interesting parts. Super floral, reminds us of cloudy apple juice and has a honey like sweetness. The acidity is gentle rather than sharp and the flesh stays crisp & juicy. It feels aromatic, clean and quite delicate.
Sweetness: 6.5/10
Packham
The sweetness is very direct, clean and simple. The flesh is firmer and less juicier than the Nashi. There’s some mild acidity so the sweetness stands out more. The finish becomes slightly dry and the flavour feels a little muted overall.
Sweetness: 7.5/10
Corella
This was one of the sweetest pears in the tasting. The aroma is floral with a slightly fig like character. The flesh is quite dry and has a powdery texture. There’s also a gentle bitterness and drying sensation towards the finish.
Sweetness: 8/10
Beurré Bosc
The texture was quite interesting for us, soft and almost milky rather than crisp & watery. It has rounded sweetness like honey with the finish is a little dry and herbal. Compared with the brighter pears, this one feels softer.
Sweetness: 7/10
Shingo
The first thing we notice is the fragrant aroma and there is also a lemony acidity that makes it taste particularly fresh. The flesh is fine and crisp, but at the same time super juicy. The sweetness is clean and the skin is noticeably thick and rough, which contrasts well with the delicate & juicy flesh inside.
Sweetness: 6/10
This was a simple exercise to explore flavour, build our sensory memory and better understand how we describe what we taste in coffee.
Thanks for reading.