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chinense Ghost flavor

Is it just me, or do ghosts just not really have much flavor besides heat?
The little flavor I picked up on is basically tasting the scent, which isn't too great in my opinion.

Maybe I'm just not sensitive enough to flavor nuances, but they just don't seem that good at all raw.

I'm sure they're great in when mixed with more flavorful peppers though.
 
I have heard a lot of folks who feel the same was as you do about Ghosts.  I´ve only eaten a few Ghosts, but personally, I think they have a nice taste. Not one of my favorites, but they certainly qualify as ¨good.¨ Definitely have some chinense flavor notes in there before the heat kicks in, and there are some subtle differences in the flavor profile when compared to most New World chinense.  I guess it´s b/c they have some frutescens DNA as well?
 
I think that some folks who are new to superhots kinda overlook the flavors once the heat kicks in.
 
 
Heat can certainly overpower flavour somewhat if you exceed your comfort zone but I also find I get a lot more flavour from Ghosts when dried, powdered or in sauce form.
 
After munching on a few red and chocolate bhut today, the flavor is kind of starting to grow on me. Not my favorite (much prefer the fruitiness of something like a hab), but I'm starting to like it. I've also been able to taste the flavor a little more in the reds.
 
I found the flavour of red and caramel bhuts to be very intense. To me they tasted like 'pot pury' (that dried rose petal crap) and I hated them. Extremely hot and overpowering taste I cannot stand them!

On the other hand I love peach bhuts they are fruity.
 
They're more 'neutral' and 'dry' than other chinenses, and are in effect the only chinenses that i like.
I find the prototipical habanero flavor too perfumey and overpowering on most dishes.
Best use for ghosts is dried imho, taste wonderful, hit you in the face like a train and being very thin walled make the drying task easier.
 
Datil
 
 
Datil said:
...are in effect the only chinenses that i like...
 
So says the guy who calls himself "Datil." =D

Seriously, I agree with the point about Bhuts being more "neutral" than other chinense, and I suspect that's part of why I prefer a lot of the Caribbean chinense... And Fataliis. So good! Different strokes for different folks. Right?
 
Bicycle808 said:
So says the guy who calls himself "Datil." =D

Seriously, I agree with the point about Bhuts being more "neutral" than other chinense, and I suspect that's part of why I prefer a lot of the Caribbean chinense... And Fataliis. So good! Different strokes for different folks. Right?
 
Not meaning to hijack this thread but +1 on the Fatalii peppers. Yellow is all I've tried so far but love the citrusy flavor profile and the fact that all the heat hits you at once but fades fast compared to the ghost which slowly climbs and just seems to keep getting hotter for a long time.
 
 
To me, Bhuts have a very strong Chinense/floral flavor that I cannot stand. In fact, every superhot that I have ever tried has had pretty much the same taste. There does seem to be a common flavor profile between pods of the same color, ie. most yellows taste the same, browns, etc., but other than that, I am always confused when somebody talks about a sweet this, or a fruity that, or "this pepper tastes really good..." I just have never experienced that. I eat them simply for the heat, not the flavor. I really like the burn profile of the yellow pods the best, but the flavor is absolutely awful. Even the Aji Pineapples and Aji Fantasy that everybody raves about has a pretty foul taste to me. I guess my taste buds are just burnt!

Sent from my LG-K371 using Tapatalk
 
AndyW said:
Is it just me, or do ghosts just not really have much flavor besides heat?
The little flavor I picked up on is basically tasting the scent, which isn't too great in my opinion.
Remind me this was about ghost peppers and send me your name and address by PM.  I will send you some organic ghost peppers.  This is what I want you to do.  Slice them open, cut out the seed and placenta, and flush with cold water.  That will cut the heat down a bit so you can pick up on the taste.  Just let me know if you think there is a difference between what I send and what you have tried.

All I want out of it is the feed back.  I really think how things are grown makes a huge difference. 

Again, in the PM remind me what I am sending you.  I get confused easily.
 
I think it's quite interesting how different some opinions here are on the bhut flavour. I'm not talking like or dislike because that's totally subjective. What surprises me is some say the flavour is 'neutral' whilst other say they have a strong flavour.. surely we cannot be tasting the same chilli here. Perhaps there is huge flavour variance amongst the different strains or it could just be growing conditions. I can say for sure that if anybody tasted red bhuts that I have grown then neutral flavour would be the last description lol
 
I couldn't stand the taste of any ghost peppers until I grew some white bhuts a few years ago.  They are still the only ghosts that I think have good flavour, although crosses can have decent flavour.   The big red momma had some awesome flavour until the  heat just blasted any taste perceptions  away.. very nice flavour for that 15 to 20 seconds though until   :fireball:  :fireball:
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. Wasn't sure if it was just me or what.

AJ Drew said:
Remind me this was about ghost peppers and send me your name and address by PM.  I will send you some organic ghost peppers.  This is what I want you to do.  Slice them open, cut out the seed and placenta, and flush with cold water.  That will cut the heat down a bit so you can pick up on the taste.  Just let me know if you think there is a difference between what I send and what you have tried.

All I want out of it is the feed back.  I really think how things are grown makes a huge difference. 

Again, in the PM remind me what I am sending you.  I get confused easily.
Sure thing. I look forward to seeing how the growing conditions affect it myself. Thanks.
 
AndyW said:
Thanks for the feedback guys. Wasn't sure if it was just me or what.


Sure thing. I look forward to seeing how the growing conditions affect it myself. Thanks.
 

Really cool of AJDrew to make that offer. Please share with all of us what if any difference you notice. I've been curious too about flavor vs growing conditions/locations but unfortunately it's illegal to ship fresh produce to Hawaii without jumping through so many hoops and paying off too many greasy palms.
 
Will do. I think it'd be informative for a lot of people here. And it is indeed very generous, and I'm grateful for the opportunity.
 
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