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Astringent persimmons are usually acorn-shaped and labeled "Hachiya," at least outside of Asia. They must be eaten when soft, practically bursting into mush. The skin should be smooth and semi-translucent, with a deep orange color. Read the identification guide above if you're not sure about your persimmon type. If you eat Hachiya persimmon before it is completely ripe, you will have the strongest mouth puckering experience of your life, due to its astringency. This numb feeling is temporary. Drinking and eating other food will help it go away. Astringent persimmons ripen within 710 days of purchase, but can sometimes take a full month. To speed ripening, store in a closed paper bag or airtight container. If stored in an airtight container, it may become moldy. Add a ripe apple, pear, or banana to the paper bag or container, or add a few drops of rum or other spirits on each of the leaf-like growths. To ripen these without causing extreme mushiness, wrap each fruit in three layers of non-porous plastic wrap. (Avoid wraps labeled with recycling symbol 4 or "LDPE"). Heat in an oven at minimum temperature or with just the pilot light on, no more than 120F (50C). Leave for 1824 hours, checking occasionally. Once the fruit is soft, pop it in the refrigerator. When you're ready to eat it, cut off the leaf-like flower stem, then slice lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and inner stem if present. Eat the rest with a spoon. The peel is edible as well, but eating it is messy when the fruit is ripe. Some people add cream and sugar, or a squeeze of lemon juice. There are a few tricks you can use to remove the astringency of an unripe persimmon. These will change the taste and texture, but you won't have to wait days before eating the fruit: Freeze the soft fruit instead to create a sorbet-like texture. If you prefer it warm, defrost it in the microwave. Alternatively, soak the persimmon in salt water for about a minute.
Let your astringent persimmon ripen completely. Speed up ripening. Eat chilled, with a spoon. Use shortcuts to eat unripe persimmons.