I grew Aji Panca last year. I chose them because I really loved using commercially available dried Aji Panca pods in sauces, long before I started growing. Like other folks mentioned, the plant grew large, strong, and impressive... But it was late to produce. The few earliest pods got a nice size but took long as hell to ripen. The second wave were smaller, but more numerous... And most were still green when the first frost killed them. Most disappointingly, the ripe pods I got to try lacked the distinctive flavor I enjoyed in the dry pods. They were pretty bitter, too, especially for being so low in heat-- maybe a few hundred shu.
Incidentally, I agree that bitterness tends to increase along with heat, in most cases. Some very hot pods have enough residual sweetness to mitigate that somewhat (eg, Brainstrain), but many Superhots tend to be pretty bitter. Browns seen more bitter than reds, and reds more bitter than yellows...
Incidentally, I agree that bitterness tends to increase along with heat, in most cases. Some very hot pods have enough residual sweetness to mitigate that somewhat (eg, Brainstrain), but many Superhots tend to be pretty bitter. Browns seen more bitter than reds, and reds more bitter than yellows...
