Is it odd that I fear eating Jalapenos and Fresnos more than I do hotter ones like Habaneros? I guess the burn is not quite as "hot" as a hab, but more "pain"... like a thousand needles being stuck into my tongue. It's hard to explain, but for me, Jals are way worse than habs... What gives?
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Very courious realisation...
- Thread starter joelwlcx
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Nope. I was shocked to realize the same thing late last year when I ate some pizzas with sliced jalapenos (Biker Billy Hybrid, Jalapeno M) and actually made a similar topic back then (a few months ago). I'm certainly not new to green store-bought jalapenos--I have got them from Giant Eagle a couple times (never again--almost no heat!) and Wal-Mart (big and surprisingly nice warmth but not really hot, I usually get them there). Yet when using my own jalapenos... I got my ass kicked every time. Note that the Early Jalapeno wasn't near as hot (similar in heat to store-bought) and didn't grow near as big for me either. I would put maybe five or six jalapenos sliced up on a large pizza, which I thought would be no big deal (you know--nearly cover the surface, same thing I've done with the store-bought ones with no problem). Jalapenos seem to seriously attack the inside of my mouth, especially my tongue, and with a sharp and concentrated force, and more of the top part of my throat.
Meanwhile, I can make tacos, enchiladas, chili, etc. with several habaneros or other chinenses cooked into the meat, and a get a nice-feeling all over but especially a nice back of the throat burn. I think I've gone up to 5 chinenses before.
I was hoping for something hotter than the typical store-bought jalapenos, but I honestly never expected a jalapeno to be THAT hot, to the point of being hard to handle. A ten minute break from eating to let the heat subside a bit isn't even enough; the next bite seems to bring every bit of it back, and then some. It's like that capsaicin is just waiting to be re-activated, but normally it takes water or some other drink to do it and stir it around and not just another bite of food. Ironically, a ten minute break would be more than enough for a typical chinense, but I almost never have to take one with those... and yet, I can tell the chinenses are way hotter the next day, because it burns a hell of a lot more coming out than the pizza with jalapenos... especially Nagas and Scorpions.
I never tried chopping up my own jalapenos to cook into beef for tacos for a more direct comparison. I would definitely try it if I could, but there are some serious drawbacks this year so I won't be able to grow any jalapenos. Next year I'd like to try this though. [I might have a few smaller ones frozen in the freezer though now that I think of it...]
It also might not mean much (and might come down to me underestimating the heat of a jalapeno and not being as careful), but so for my worst eye burn from cutting a pepper, ever, is the Biker Billy.
Those are pickled, I'm assuming. Pickled peppers are never anywhere nearly as hot as their non-pickled counterparts.
Could be a crappy (ie. low heat) variety as well.
No, I doubt that. I'm sure it's 100% due to pickling.
Either way, whatever. We're getting off topic.
I'm not doubting the process of pickling lowering the heat, I'm just saying that the variety or strain of the jalapeno itself could be at least part of the equation. So I can't agree with the "100% due to pickling" part.
Edit: By the way: I wrote a couple paragraphs absolutely on topic of the subject of heat from jalapenos vs. heat from C. chinense species, and get no responses. Then someone else mentions the low heat from jalapenos from Subway, which you immediately disregard as being caused by the pickling process. I add that the variety may be a factor, which you go on to flat-out deny and claim that we're going "off-topic" (really? only three short posts off-topic...). So when I am on topic I get no reply; when I'm not on topic but adding a response to someone (you), you complain about the thread going off topic. So, you can have your "topic" back; I'll go elsewhere.
I'm pretty sure that after pickling, the difference between whatever jalapeno strains wouldn't be noticeable... Whichever the case, if it's soaked in vinegar, you can rest assured it's not gonna be very hot, if at all. (unless it's something like a Red Savina/bhut/scorpion...)I'm not doubting the process of pickling lowering the heat, I'm just saying that the variety or strain of the jalapeno itself could be at least part of the equation. So I can't agree with the "100% due to pickling" part.
Now if they were fresh, I would go for fresh habs instead, better tasting, more tolerable burn, and definitely more of a "bad-ass" factor. Pickled habaneros just sound disgusting to me IMHO...
What's your take on the Jal burn? I've heard from a few people that they too thnk it's way worse, even if not as "hot" as habs...
Sorry, I got you mixed up with hittman, the guy who kinda did veer off... sorry about that.I'm not doubting the process of pickling lowering the heat, I'm just saying that the variety or strain of the jalapeno itself could be at least part of the equation. So I can't agree with the "100% due to pickling" part.
Edit: By the way: I wrote a couple paragraphs absolutely on topic of the subject of heat from jalapenos vs. heat from C. chinense species, and get no responses. Then someone else mentions the low heat from jalapenos from Subway, which you immediately disregard as being caused by the pickling process. I add that the variety may be a factor, which you go on to flat-out deny and claim that we're going "off-topic" (really? only three short posts off-topic...). So when I am on topic I get no reply; when I'm not on topic but adding a response to someone (you), you complain about the thread going off topic. So, you can have your "topic" back; I'll go elsewhere.
Habs and hab types are always hotter than jalapenos to me, and I usually only grow the extra hot jals. The burn is different though, and the jals are much thicker and crunchier.
Some people even find C.pubescens hotter than hab types but not me, and not Mr. Scoville
You should definitely be able to taste the difference between hot jal varieties and regular grocery store jals, even when pickled. My own homegrown pickled jals are always nice and hot, and it always catches people off guard who think the "regular" mild types are hot.
Let me just jump in and say that I have actually heard about that claim that some people perceive C. pubescens species as hotter than a habanero, and I just put that to the test with a nice big red Rocoto just the other day. I ate about half of a fresh one. The flower was pollinated just before bringing the plant indoors for the fall and did all of its growing in my room, so maybe that has something to do with it. Either way, my home-grown Jalapeno M and Biker Billy Hybrid were wicked hot even in small pieces, and I would say far more painful than both the Rocoto plain and the orange habanero when cooked in food.
BUT... I should add that I have eaten whole habs a few times before, and that really changes my perception of their heat. Intense sustained burning and pain for 12+ minutes, slowly dwindling eventually, and a nice warmth more than a half-hour later. I haven't tried a whole jalapeno, but damn, at the heat of those little slices on pizza, I'm not sure I want to any time soon. The three different species/varieties have extremely varying types of heat I've noticed, though. Finding out what type of heat and where it affects is somewhat more interesting to find out than what the actual heat level itself is, in my opinion.
The problem is that different peppers affect people differently. The people I know who find pubescens too hot can handle habs much better, where like most people I'm the opposite.
Some people will find more heat in "the back o' the throat" where others will feel a completely different burn. It must have something to do with differences in people's capsaicin and capsinoids receptors (TRPV1 receptors)
+1 on Potawie's comment. I like to just hold a piece of a pepper I've never tried before in my mouth for a while, both to find where it burns as well as how it burns. Some definitely have a stinging sensation - possibly the perception of heat is increased because of this. Others do have more of a "plain" burning sensation. And of course, where it burns varies from one variety to another. But also keep in mind the variances between pods on a single plant - you can pull two pods off the same plant at the same time, and one will be noticeably hotter than the other. So sometimes your perception that a particular variety seems hotter or milder than another may really have to do with the individual pod itself, rather than truly the variety.
Yeah subway jalapenos are a real waste of money, no heat and just an overwhelming taste of vinegar.
I guess I can describe Jalapenos as more of a "fire" and Habs as more of a "burn" to me. I like both feelings, but was definitely surprised when I tried some locally grown Early Jalapenos this year and I was weezing, tearing, coughing, and smiling afterward. The habs(Fatalii, Chocs, Orange, and SB's) don't do that to me anymore unless I eat them straight/fresh/whole. Needless to say I will be growing three varieties of Jals this year, as the store bought ones just don't give me the fire.