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favorite Chocolate/Brown/Black Habanero options.......?

Hi Guy's

My friend highly recommended the Chocolate Habanero aka Black congo or Congo Black to me as a "must try" Habanero a long season but we'll worth it fr flavour, heat and production.

Now I ordered Chocolate Habanero seeds from a reputable UK chillie seed supplier........ really struggled to get them to germinate despite treating them the same as my other extremely hot and super hots ..... 🤔 finally got some to germinate but they seemed weak/feable and they keeled over in the light box 🤔 I treated them no different from my other chillies........gutting worried I ordered two more packets of seed from two other reputable UK seed sites this time I decided to germinate on wet tissue in a plastic bag in the propergator........one lot completely failed 🤔 the other I finally got two seedlings these seemed slightly more vigorous than the first seedlings of which I've two left they seem very very slow compared to everything else.

Currently I have 4 poor Chocolate Habanero seedlings from two different sources all four I'd call weak and feeble.......but I'll soldier on .......

Beginning to panic I ordered some Jamaican hot Chocolate habanero seeds which are currently on wet tissue I'm expecting germination and day !

I'm can't believe how hard this is turning out !! I'm NOT Confident at all I'm going to get decent plant's to trial this year there already so far behind my other trial participants.

I'm now thinking about forgetting my chocolate Habanero project for this year ?? I'll see how it goes ........


This has lead ne to possibly make 2024 my chocolate Habanero trail year ...............After abit of research I'm looking at the following.....

Chocolate Habanero
Jamaican hot chocolate habanero
Habanero Ebony giant
Black stinger Habanero
Chocolate Habanero long
Black habanero
Giant chocolate Habanero

Any recommendations or suggestions most welcome...............??

Anyone else experienced such issues with Chocolate Habanero??

Stephen
 
Not labled a "Habanero" but Machu Picchu pepper is an interesting Brown Chinense from Peru. I tried to grow it this year but it didn't work out.
Good suggestion @Grass Snake I grew it 3 years ago and I really liked it; productive, quite early, smoky and earthy flavor with heat a tad under Habs level. I'm currently waiting to get a sprout from the seeds I saved back then🤞

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To your list @Englander I would also add the Swiss chocolate (Habanero relative) and the Dulce marron (a low heat pepper created by Pepper Lover).
 
Awesome I hope you can get it going again!
I hope so too, it makes a delicious powder👌 If I succeed I'll let you know and if you are still intersesting I'll send you seeds next fall.
 
In addition, or if it’s easier to get, Ají Panca (“brown chile”) is a chinense very similar to Machu Picchu. I understand it’s a staple dried chile across Peru, similar in usage to Ancho in Mexico.
 
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In addition, or if it’s easier to get, Ají Panca (“brown chile”) is a chinense very similar to Machu Picchu. I understand it’s a staple dried chile across Peru, similar in usage to Ancho in Mexico.
It might be similar but Aji Panca takes agesssssss to ripen so not very adapted for my short growing season 🤷‍♂️
 
I grew Jamaican hot chocolate habanero. It was good, but I didn’t find the flavor to be particularly unique compared to red habaneros. The reds also made a more appealing sauce color.

My Congo black seeds didn’t germinate.
 
So does the colour of a pepper affect the taste?
In that a chocolate hab tastes different to a normal red hab?
 
So does the colour of a pepper affect the taste?
In that a chocolate hab tastes different to a normal red hab?
With brown peppers, the coloration is a result of a mutation (cl) that causes the chlorophyll in the pod to remain throughout the ripening process without degradation; the green chlorophyll turning what would otherwise be a red pepper, brown. I'm not a big fan of the taste of chlorophyll, so brown peppers can be hit or miss with me depending on how the chlorophyll impacts the overall taste.
 
With brown peppers, the coloration is a result of a mutation (cl) that causes the chlorophyll in the pod to remain throughout the ripening process without degradation; the green chlorophyll turning what would otherwise be a red pepper, brown. I'm not a big fan of the taste of chlorophyll, so brown peppers can be hit or miss with me depending on how the chlorophyll impacts the overall taste.
It's strange that some brown peppers do have that unpleasant grass (chlorophyll) flavor while others have a more earthy/nutty/berry-like flavor. Same goes with mustard and "green when ripe" varieties; some have an awful taste but some are just amazing and fruity!
 
It's strange that some brown peppers do have that unpleasant grass (chlorophyll) flavor while others have a more earthy/nutty/berry-like flavor. Same goes with mustard and "green when ripe" varieties; some have an awful taste but some are just amazing and fruity!
Yep. That's exactly it - and an apt description of the good flavors from the chlorophyll interplay. Drying the pods can help sometimes, whether for powder or dried pod use, making some more palatable to me than they would be fresh.
 
I am skeptical that there is enough chlorophyll to affect the taste significantly. If you chop up a brown habanero and add it to your burger, you are already getting plenty of chlorophyll from the lettuce and cucumber.

I am growing a sweet annum brown pepper variety this year. This should allow me to taste any unique brown flavor without the distraction of heat or the strong chinenense flavors.
 
Thanks Guys

For the suggestions I'm after hot stuff :onfire:

MarcV- I currently have WHP chocolate scotch bonnet and WHP Scotch Brains chocolate F3 growing like weeds :dance:excellent germination and both varieties very vigorous :cool:

I already had chocolate Habanero seeds sown when I ordered from WHP so I didn't order from them...... then my chocolate Habanero failed :( so I reordered from two other uk shops one lot failed 100% only a couple of the others lot germinated and some frail and weak :scared:

On the bright side I recently sowed 5 Jamaican hot chocolate habanero seeds I've had 4 germinate much much faster than the chocolate Habanero and they seem much more vigorous and healthy than the standard chocolate Habanero so fingers crossed 🤞

Stephen
 
Hi Guy's

Chocolate Habanero update

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These two are in 5 litre pots, left is my only remaining congo black habanero from 30 seeds ! From 3 different sources !! Sown 27.11.22 and on the right it Jamaican hot chocolate habanero sown 23.02.23

I'll soldier on the congo black but I've high hopes for jamaican hots chocolate Habanero 🙂

As a fall back I've got chocolate scotch bonnet from white hot peppers which I've heard good things about
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My chocolate scotch bonnet from white hot peppers already in bud is the same age as the congo black both sown 27.11.22

How you guy's getting on with your chocolate Habs this season ??

Stephen
 
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