Pear tasting notes | How do 5 random pears from Safeway compare
I know you’re ready. Ready to hear about five different pears and their taste and crunch and vibe. But who are the candidates for this fine fun time? Let’s get right into it.
Williams
Also known as the Bartlett pear, this one’s thought to originate from around 1765 in the UK. It was later acquired by a guy called Bartlett in Massachusetts, around 1799, which he then named after himself—unaware it was already in existence. Of course he did.
Look
A classic pear shape. Yellow-ish to green dappled skin. Plump.
Taste and bite
This one was super smooth, melty, and very sweet with a tiny bit of tart at the end. Sadly not as juicy as one might hope.
Persona
We thought Bartlett was loud, pretentious, and perfect for caramelisation or salads. It’s a fancy, no effort, no work pear. Were it a person, it would be some kind of classically trained pianist, merely by rich parents, so still somewhat lazy. New money.
Bosc
It’s known as the aristocrat of pears, and I can sure see why. Apparently it’s younger than the Williams pear, which surprised me—supposedly it’s from Belgium or France, around the 1800s.
Look
Elegant, classic, shapely—with a rich cinnamon colour. Willowy, for a pear.
Taste and bite
Very juicy, with much more crunch and snap. A good snap. The taste is delicate, floral, subtle, and sweet. There’s a little more grain, a little more complexity.
Persona
We thought it would be wonderful for picnics, as is—ideally in France. Not for salad. For cheese and wine. If it were a person, we felt a graceful older person, perhaps working in the vineyards, but refined and old money. Graceful.
Anjou (green)
Mid-19th century pear. It’s skin does not change color as it ripens, compared to other green pears.
Look
Short necked. Dumpy. A bright, attractive green. I liked looking at it.
Taste and bite.
Juicy. Very green and vibrant, extra sweet—almost sour. It had some crunch, medium amount, and lots of potential. As pears go, it’s the base model. A great starter pear.
Persona
In motion. Going somewhere. Not made it yet. A great young lad setting a positive example. We felt it might be nice in a fruit cocktail.
Anjou (red)
It’s much younger than the rest, and a bud sprout—a random mutation that grew from a green anjou tree. It came about around 1950s in Oregon. Supposedly very similar to the green, but for the skin.
Look
Deep red russeted skin. Similarly dumpy in shape to the green Anjou!
Taste and bite
Smoother, bright, very mouthwatering and you can taste the red, in my opinion. It’s very sugary. This one was grainy—perhaps over ripe. It went stunningly with Chardonnay, where none of the others worked at all.
Persona
The hard working-class woman next door. Honest and bright.
Asian
Not sure how old the pear is, but—quel surprise—very prominent across East Asia. It’s not typically used to make jams and such, since it has a much higher water content than Western pears.
Look
The skin clearly says something pearish, but the shape is all apple. It’s basically round.
Taste and bite
An incredible crunch—the crunchiest. More satisfying than an actual apple. It had the lightest, softest flavour, which is undeniably pear. It’s so hydrating and delightful to eat.
Persona
Not a person, but sheets drying in the sun after washing. Clean, fresh, drenched.
