Cayenne pepper variety question

turbo

turbo

I just love cayenne peppers.  Their heat is perfect for me and I LOVE their flavor. 
 
I've grown a fairly large variety (Portuguese Cayenne I think).  About 6-8 inches long and 1 - 1.5 inches wide at the top.  They have a wonderful flavor, but not much in the way of heat. More like a jalapeno.  
 
I've also grown the long skinny ones (both red and yellow).  I LOVE their heat. For me they are just perfect.  But they are pretty thin and don't offer very much in volume per bush.  I always end up wishing I had more.
 
So here is my question.  Does anyone have a recommendation for a cayenne variety that is fairly large, but (for a cayenne) has a fairly high scoville rating?  Basically, what is the biggest, hottest cayenne variety?
 
Thanks,
Turob
 
Long story short is you're never going to get "a fairly high scoville rating" out of any annuum pod. I grew long thick cayennes and their heat varied greatly throughout the season, hottest at peak season, then not-so-much in the fall. Also, they really aren't all that hot, but have a different sensation than others - more of a stinging burn than a heat burn. The stinging sensation can kind of throw you off in heat perception. That said, I also love cayenne flavor, and found that I love congo trinidad, too. The congo trinidad has a much higher scoville rating, without being massively hot like a TScorp or Moruga. You might give the congo trinidad consideration.
 
One more thing - the congo trinidad plants have been much higher-volume producers for me than the cayenne varieties of any type I've grown. They're good-sized pods, smaller than some cayennes but much larger than others, and not terribly seedy like some cayennes.
 
Geeme, are you trying to say that the congo trinidad doesn't have that distinct chinense flavor but instead tastes similar to a cayenne? I've never tasted the congo trinidad, but the only chinense that I have ever had without that distinct flavor is a paper lantern.
 
pepperjoe.com sells a cayenne type called "charleston". he claims they are 20 times hotter than a regular cayenne but you would have to talk with someone that has grown this variety.
 
good luck in your search.
 
Burning Colon said:
pepperjoe.com sells a cayenne type called "charleston". he claims they are 20 times hotter than a regular cayenne but you would have to talk with someone that has grown this variety.
 
good luck in your search.
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I grew them last season, the plant did not fair well compared to my others and they did not make the 2013 list. 
 
Jeff H said:
Geeme, are you trying to say that the congo trinidad doesn't have that distinct chinense flavor but instead tastes similar to a cayenne? I've never tasted the congo trinidad, but the only chinense that I have ever had without that distinct flavor is a paper lantern.
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If you are referring to the ammonia after-taste I get with some chinense pods, such as habs, no, I don't get that with congo trinidads. There is such a huge variety within the chinense family, I assure you "that distinct chinense flavor" isn't uniform at all.
 
And no, I'm not saying they taste like cayennes, just that I like them as much as I do cayennes, and use them about as frequently - which is a lot. 
 
ring of fire
santaka
dagger pod
Carolina cayenne
kung pao
giant yellow Thai
there all high heat taste great too and very prolific, but there all smaller fruit species
GEEME is correct and I will add that it seems the larger ones tend to not be as hot as the smaller
 
your solution is simple grow more plants that's what I would do
 
hope this helps
 
thanks your friend Joe
JoynersHotPeppers said:
I grew them last season, the plant did not fair well compared to my others and they did not make the 2013 list. 
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yeah they always look kind of sickly too and im told that that is the nature of this species
 
I second the Indian Jwala recommendation!
 
The Congo Trinidad is an amazing flavored chile but keep in mind it tastes nothing like the cayenne flavor you are seeking.
 
Nepali from past season:
 

 
Nice plant, big pods, VERY high and lingering heat level for an annuum (i suspect is a frutescens cross of sort).
 
Cya
 
Datil
 
Wow...I got busy this week and forgot the check my post for replies.  Thanks for so much information!

kentishman said:
And I've just saved a lot of Congo Trinidad seeds, which I can supply.
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Kentishman, I think I would like to try the Congo Trinidad.  I'll message you to get details about how to go about getting a few seeds.  Thanks!
 
allaKAZAAM said:
...what he said!
I recently returned from my visit to Indonesia, and their cayennes are VERY nice anf flavourful...with a wonderful burn.
They have a few varieties available (I now have in my collection 3 of them)!
Here is a link to some of the Indonesian hot peppers:
http://indonesianfoodculinary.blogspot.ca/2009/06/indonesian-chili-peppers.html
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allaKAZAAM, would you be willing to sell me some seeds?  I'd love to try them!

ajijoe said:
 
your solution is simple grow more plants that's what I would do
 
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ajijoe, I think I've maxed out my garden capacity (according to my wife).  Going forward I'm going to have to grow smarter, not grow more  ;)

Jeff H said:
... the only chinense that I have ever had without that distinct flavor is a paper lantern.
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Jeff, thanks for the idea about the paper lantern pepper.  I just looked them up and it looks like they have a shorter growing season, and are good for northern climates, which is great for me since I'm in Seattle.  I'll definitely add them to my list for next year.
 
Jeff H said:
Geeme, are you trying to say that the congo trinidad doesn't have that distinct chinense flavor but instead tastes similar to a cayenne? I've never tasted the congo trinidad, but the only chinense that I have ever had without that distinct flavor is a paper lantern.
Click to expand...
 
I love the Congo Trinidad too, but I agree with others that it tastes nothing like a cayenne.  Excellent general-purpose kitchen pepper though.
 
I've been on sort of the same quest for a cayenne that combined decent heat with good flavor.  My current winner is Maule's Red Hot, but it's not as hot as the long thin types.  If I wanted to trade off in the other direction, a bit more heat for a bit less flavor, I might look at the CPI's "Las Cruces" cultivar.
 
There's a _chinense_ cluster---limo rojo, scarlet lantern, and maybe paper lantern and some others---that seems to have a much more "bright" flavor than the typical _chinense_.  You wouldn't mistake them for a cayenne, but they're distinctly hotter with a flavor that at least comes from the same galaxy.
 
-NT
 
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