I’ve tried a few and while I can get past and even begin to enjoy the “mashed banana” texture I really don’t like that it leaves me with a bitter aftertaste in my mouth.
So similar to how there are non-astringent persimmons, are there any named pawpaw varieties that have NO bitter aftertaste?
From my sampling and reading, none of KSU or Peterson named varieties have bitter aftertaste- one objective of their breeding projects.
What hambone said. That’s my biggest issue with wild pawpaws. In my area most of the wild ones I’ve tasted have at least some amount of bitterness to them. It is hard to get past. If you eat a bunch anyway over the season, like I do, you can end up getting sick of pawpaws. Luckily some of my grafted trees are bearing fruit this year so I don’t have to rely on the wild fruits anymore lol.
For the older varieties, I never hear mention of bitterness with Overleese, Mango, or NC-1. I don’t know enough about the Jerry Lehman varieties to say if they have bitterness, but I only hear good things about them.
I find if you eat them when just soft they don’t have an aftertaste. If soft with spots they have an aftertaste. Sort of like a banana.
I found that all 157 of my paw paws were very tasty for the racoons.
Yes - virtually all named cultivars should be free of bitter aftertaste. Sunflower is one that perhaps still has this trait.
I also think we have to be careful describing flavor elements. I’ve very rarely actually encountered bitterness. Instead what I detect is what Neal Peterson referred to as “resinous.” It’s a noxious chemically taste that fills the sinuses and tells your brain “I probably shouldn’t eat this”
It’s not an aftertaste though.
So if you’re actually getting an aftertaste that reminds you of dandelion greens, that’d be bitter.
I agree that bitterness doesn’t seem to be the word I’d use to describe the off flavors I’ve tasted in wild pawpaws. I’d be inclined to describe the off flavor as metallic tasting.
Yes , metallic seems right to me. Resinous is how certain mangoes are described and is a positive attribute. Pawpaws don’t taste at all similar.
Right, I think the resinous description in mangoes is more of a pine flavor. That’s not at all what I mean when using the word vis a vis pawpaws.
Someone here I think coined the term “annonaceous,” harkening to the annonaceous acetogenins. maybe that’s what we could use 
Good to know as I’m generally eating them once they have fallen on the ground. Not sure which ones they are as its one of the trees in the neighborhood someone planted and doesn’t harvest - so I help clean up the ones by the sidewalk, haha.
Seems like the concensus is named varieties don’t have an aftertaste, is this true even when they are very ripe?
Well, I suppose if they are very overripe where they have a strong maple/caramel/burnt sugar flavor, you can have some bitterness like you would from actual burnt sugar.
I have seen that. In my opinion that’s not a problem because it fits with the overall flavor.
I just got a taste of wild fruit for the first time today after a successful hunt. I would go as far as saying astringent is the word I’d describe the aftertaste as. I’m not sure that I’ve associated resinous with any food, but I’d say that is closer than bitterness to describe this particular topic (at least to my taste buds).
I had some astringent wild pawpaws for the first time ever this year. But it was very minor.
Yeah its kind of like astringency without the chalkyness. Kicks in a bit 20 seconds after your first bite and builds up as you eat more. Makes me nauseous after I eat more than one.
I’m seeing this with only slightly ripe fruit so it must be a wild variety.
I’m going to take the word of people here and get a named variety.
Shenandoah and it’s children from Red Fern Farm www.redfernfarm.com are probably good bets for a mild fruit.
Bitterness seems to be strongest around the seeds and/or skin. It also can be amplified or come about when the fruits get more ripe and start to turn brown. Leaving them exposed to sunlight can cause the skin to darken faster and develop a toffee/burnt sugar aroma on the skin and flavor within the fruit on that side. That toffee/burnt sugar flavor can really amplify the bitterness if the pawpaw has bitter components or aftertaste to it. I’ve tasted a lot of wild fruit where letting them ripen too long (or even just exposing the pulp to oxygen for several minutes) causes that burnt taste and associative bitterness, so I’ve been wary of my taste bud associating that taste with bitterness. That doesn’t seem to be the case as much with better named varieties though, as I’ve been eating some Shenandoahs and Wabashs that sun ripened til they got brown on one side and developed some toffee flavor but I’m not sure I would consider them bitter.
Anyway, these are just my observations. These aren’t facts. I could possibly change my mind later. I’m willing to admit that I could be wrong or that I’m not tasting things as well as I could, but I’m trying. Taste is subjective and can be very tricky to figure out and objectify when it comes to complicated fruits like pawpaws. I’m always trying to challenge my palate and experiment with how fruits can taste. Thank you to everyone else here giving your own thoughts, opinions, and experiences on this thread!
Would it be fair to say feijoas have a resinous taste?
I have two fairly mature fejoias that have not produced fruit, so I’m hoping to be able to answer that question with my opinion next year.
Yes, kind of resinous. I’ve heard the flavor described as myrtaceous – tropical guavas also have this flavor. I really like it.
I really like it, too, at least in feijoas, which is the only fruit I can think of that I’m familiar with that has a flavor I’d describe that way.
