Saijo has a better texture than Hachiya and other varieties at the soft stage that I've tried. I've grown up eating both and enjoy the texture of the non astringent types but when dried, fuyu types and Hachiya are no match for Saijo. Also, most non astringent varieties you find in the markets are harvested when still green or barely orange, including Saijo. The quality changes significantly when allowed to fully color up. Ideally, I like to wait until there are black markings on the skin.
I've been able to try many non astringent and pollination variant non astringent varieties, evaluating which one I want to add. A Korean variety had the best crunchy texture of the ones I've tried so far. I don't like how the pollinated non astringent varieties have so many seeds in the center and it's hard to tell when they've been pollinated to lose astringency. I also removed grafts from my Saijo tree that were pollinating it because of the seeds. I have an american persimmon x kaki hybrid to try in a week or so.
I've heard that American persimmons have a butterscotch flavor. If anyone has some for sale or would like to trade for Saijo, please message me.
Janet
