chinense opinions on jolokia flavor?

[gardenvato]

i tried bhut jolokia for the first time just a few weeks ago, thanks to a friend in california who sent them to me. the heat was quite intense, but as far as the flavor goes i was a little disappointed. this isnt to say it had a bad flavor, it just wasnt as good as the classic orange habaneros im used to. i also tried devils tongue and red savina about the same time, and was far more impressed with their flavors, which seemed to be more of a tropical fruit type of flavor as compared to the bhut's...ill say..rougher flavor.

just wanted to see what everyone else's opinions/experiences have been with the bhut jolokia. also, i wondered how the bhut compares to naga morich and bih jolokia as well as 7 pod and trinidad scorpion?

at this point, my favorite pepper is still orange habanero but the red savina and caribbean red are close matches.

 

[chillilover]

i tried bhut jolokia for the first time just a few weeks ago, thanks to a friend in california who sent them to me. the heat was quite intense, but as far as the flavor goes i was a little disappointed. this isnt to say it had a bad flavor, it just wasnt as good as the classic orange habaneros im used to. i also tried devils tongue and red savina about the same time, and was far more impressed with their flavors, which seemed to be more of a tropical fruit type of flavor as compared to the bhut's...ill say..rougher flavor.

just wanted to see what everyone else's opinions/experiences have been with the bhut jolokia. also, i wondered how the bhut compares to naga morich and bih jolokia as well as 7 pod and trinidad scorpion?

at this point, my favorite pepper is still orange habanero but the red savina and caribbean red are close matches.

I grow them for the heat but I think they have a very strong, almost chemical taste probably due to the high cap levels?

 

[AlabamaJack]

the heat is intense, the burn delayed, you only get to taste the pepper the first few seconds after the first bite...I use them for heat in dishes I make...

if you haven't tried the 7 pot/pod...you need to...flavors much more to my liking and the burn is just as intense although different than the Bhuts...

 

[Tkromer]

The flavor is decent to good when you mix them in to something. When their flavor is the dominant one, you only taste the capsaicin/burn.

 

[The Hot Pepper]

As with anything it depends on what you're using it for. For Indian cooking, jerk sauce, a fruity hot sauce?? It has it's uses for sure, you just need to experiment.

 

[Masala Mojo]

I grow them for the heat but I think they have a very strong, almost chemical taste probably due to the high cap levels?

I cannot live without Naga/Bhut flavor in my sauce and pickle.
I cannot live without heady flavor of Bydgi in my home cooking.

NJA

 

[POTAWIE]

They're not my favorite flavor but not bad, and I've never noticed the "almost chemical taste". Many compare the taste to apricots or green apples

 

[gardenvato]

As with anything it depends on what you're using it for. For Indian cooking, jerk sauce, a fruity hot sauce?? It has it's uses for sure, you just need to experiment.

i didnt do any cooking with them, only put them into salsa that i normally make with habaneros. because of the fruity taste of habs, the salsa usually turns out having a fruity taste, but using the bhuts, it had a taste that was really unlike anything ive had before, but it was lacking the sweetness of habaneros. i cut the tip off of one just to see how it tasted by itself (not quite ready to eat one whole) and i liked it for the four seconds i could taste it before the burn started, but habanero flavor is still tops by both tests.

at first i thought it may have been just because i had put too many in (3 peppers in a 6 cup bowl of salsa) but i made another with 3 jolokias 1 devils tongue and a red savina, and the flavor was really improved, much sweeter.

i still plan to grow a few plants next year just because i have the seeds, also i think being in a different zone can have an effect on the flavor. but so far im pretty unimpressed with it.

alabamajack, i havent tried 7 pot, but have been thinking about buying seeds for them. the only problem is i already have so many other varieties of seed i dont know if ill have room for another one.

thanks for the replies, everyone. i think ill try some sort of an indian/asian recipe with them and see if i like them any better that way

 

[bjs2006]

IMO, The Naga Morich has more flavor than the Bhut. Similar flavor but stronger. Still, it doesn't tend to overpower a recipe.
Habs seem to dominate a dish flavor wise.

 

[The Hot Pepper]

i didnt do any cooking with them, only put them into salsa that i normally make with habaneros. because of the fruity taste of habs, the salsa usually turns out having a fruity taste, but using the bhuts, it had a taste that was really unlike anything ive had before, but it was lacking the sweetness of habaneros. i cut the tip off of one just to see how it tasted by itself (not quite ready to eat one whole) and i liked it for the four seconds i could taste it before the burn started, but habanero flavor is still tops by both tests.

at first i thought it may have been just because i had put too many in (3 peppers in a 6 cup bowl of salsa) but i made another with 3 jolokias 1 devils tongue and a red savina, and the flavor was really improved, much sweeter.

i still plan to grow a few plants next year just because i have the seeds, also i think being in a different zone can have an effect on the flavor. but so far im pretty unimpressed with it.

alabamajack, i havent tried 7 pot, but have been thinking about buying seeds for them. the only problem is i already have so many other varieties of seed i dont know if ill have room for another one.

thanks for the replies, everyone. i think ill try some sort of an indian/asian recipe with them and see if i like them any better that way

Try them in a curry, stir fry, or Italian dish with red sauce.

 

[Omri]

I absolutely love the Jolokia flavor!

 

[The Hot Pepper]

Ditto that.