favorite Your Favorite C. frutescens

Spicegeist · Jan 21, 2013

I grew a Tabasco a couple years ago and wasn't too impressed. This year I'm giving C. frutescens another go... growing Donne Sali and maybe a Malagueta.

Do you have any favorite C. frutescens for taste or productivity?

RedtailForester · Jan 21, 2013

Duke Pequin and Peri Peri

Burning Colon · Jan 21, 2013

why weren't you impressed?
i have 3 plants that haven't produced yet, i know i would be unimpressed if they ended up tasting like cayenne.

JoynersHotPeppers · Jan 21, 2013

Thai Hot

Pr0digal_son · Jan 21, 2013

All are productive. I have eaten 5 kinds with tabasco being my least favorite. The chuncho will produce a couple thousand pods for you on a 6' plant. Packed up a few kinds and shipping them out to you tomorrow. If you don't like the taste you will still like the growth pattern of them.

Redtail reminded me of another. Throwing peri peri in too.

Spicegeist · Jan 21, 2013

Burning Colon said:
why weren't you impressed?
i have 3 plants that haven't produced yet, i know i would be unimpressed if they ended up tasting like cayenne.

It's been a while, so I can't accurately characterize the taste anymore, it was hot, but the flavor was nondescript as I recall...

Pr0digal_son · Jan 21, 2013

Burning Colon said:
why weren't you impressed?
i have 3 plants that haven't produced yet, i know i would be unimpressed if they ended up tasting like cayenne.

Not like cayenne....taste,heat,versatility are way better IMO. Biggest problem with tabasco is they turn to mush before they are ripe. I like the smaller podded c.frut for that reason. They suck to pick though.

Jeff H · Jan 21, 2013

The Bohemian pepper is a little known but fiery little frutescens that I think Pepperlover.com sells under the name Bradley's Bohemian. At just under 100K, it is probably one of the hottest of the species.

I have them growing this year as well as tobasco. I like them both.

geeme · Jan 21, 2013

Pr0digal_son said:
Biggest problem with tabasco is they turn to mush before they are ripe.

That makes me think of early-stage BER. Were you giving them sufficient calcium?

Pr0digal_son · Jan 21, 2013

geeme said:
That makes me think of early-stage BER. Were you giving them sufficient calcium?

Not unripe green,but about a day before 100% ripe.

Spicegeist · Jan 21, 2013

I don't suppose anyone actually prefers a frutescens to a chinense? Maybe if you want a more snackable pepper while in the garden...

kiddc · Jan 21, 2013

i prefer the frutescens to a chinense, maybe because they are more readily available (they are very productive) and since they arent as hot, most of family and friends can eat them.

Spicegeist · Jan 21, 2013

kiddc said:
i prefer the frutescens to a chinense, maybe because they are more readily available (they are very productive) and since they arent as hot, most of family and friends can eat them.

Okay, that makes sense, you can just throw them straight into the food and add a few more if you want the food hotter... with some chinenses chopping and guessing can be cumbersome compared to frutescens...

pepperhog · Jan 21, 2013

i had 6 tabasco plants last year they were 3 feet wide 5-6 feet tall and loaded with a few 1000s pods got tierd of pickin em. Taste to me is good i made hot sauce and supplied a few mexican familys and could never run out once they got going they whent hard till november till cold temps killed em have no room for em this year but will try more c fruc, next year i want to try some duke peqin but seems more like a C annum pepperlover has som diff kinds im lookin at tho,Tabasco are very versitille peppers you can dry em but the juice they contain makes it hard, cuz they rot, paste sauce is were they shine and raw on food i would put a few in my mouth wille i piked peppers in the garden i was dippin peppers LoL :mouthonfire:

Indiana_Jesse · Jan 22, 2013

My favorite is a pequin type very similar to the "Duke Pequin" or "Chile Del Diablo" that I got from a local Mexican-American guy that a family member brought him from Mexico. Very strong flavor and aroma, as well as a big punch of heat!

RedtailForester · Jan 22, 2013

I also prefer C. frutescens to C. chinense for taste and burn. I find the frutescens burn is a sharp, tip of the tongue burn.

Spicegeist · Jan 22, 2013

RedtailForester said:
I also prefer C. frutescens to C. chinense for taste and burn. I find the frutescens burn is a sharp, tip of the tongue burn.

How interesting... I suppose I'll reconsider this year with the Donne Sali I'm growing... I'll also start some Tabasco seeds I have laying around...

wayright · Jan 24, 2013

You are gonna love the Donne Sali man!
To be so small it packs a mean punch!!!
My favorite for garden snacking

Kevin

Trippa · Jan 24, 2013

I am yet to try a tobasco (growing one this year) but I do have a prik ki nu which has a great stingy burn. I think there is some debate between whether it is a C. Annum or a C.frutescens but if its the latter that would be my favourite ... I know jungle rain has it listed as a annum but I have read it referred to as either or both ... not sure

theghostpepperstore · Jan 24, 2013

Trippa said:
I am yet to try a tobasco (growing one this year) but I do have a prik ki nu which has a great stingy burn. I think there is some debate between whether it is a C. Annum or a C.frutescens but if its the latter that would be my favourite ... I know jungle rain has it listed as a annum but I have read it referred to as either or both ... not sure

Trippa, we are doing a prik ki nu growdown over in the "Glogs" area if you want to get in on it. It is definitely my favorite C.frutescens. At least I believe it is a frutescens, it sure looks like one to me.

Also I have heard that Donne Sali is sometimes Annuum and sometimes frutescens, or more accurately, there are two distinctly different peppers in Guam referred to as Donne sali. I have some growing now that definitely look Annuum to me, but Wayrights look different than mine.