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Commercial cayenne pepper and buying online

M

mralaska

Pepper purists would probably argue fresh peppers as my only alternative but unfortunatly joining this board is about as close as I can get to that elite group at this time.
 
With my current diet, location and budget restrictions, I have been relying on organic cayenne pepper powder for my daily enhancement. I was using 90k SHU but it was losing its kick so I ordered 160k SHU this time. When it arrived I was struck by the deep dark color and the strong smoky smell/taste. When I mixed a tablespoon into a scoop of rice I was surprised the heat was less than I remembered from a similar quantity of the 90k SHU.
 
When I googled [cayenne pepper dark smoky smell] I found sites remarking that such characteristics indicate the powder was over-heated during the processing but before I return it I was hoping for impressions from people possibly with more practical exerience. In my shopping cart I have a pound of 200k SHU Habanero powder which I have never tried but wondering if I would be happier with or if I would be at risk of a similar dissapointment. 
 
On a side note I am also wondering how I can buy 160k SHU cayenne powder when the cayenne pepper itself maxes out at 50k on the chart. 
 
All tips and tricks for online ordering of organic pepper products on a budget will be seriously considered.
 
Thanks!
Paul
 
:welcome: to THP!
 
Hopefully some of our dry pepper "specialists" will chime in, but what you say for the dark, smoky characteristic sounds probable.  There are a TON of hotter chiles than cayenne, and a lot of people who make those powders have them for sale here in the Forum Ads and are organic.  Habaneros are a great next level of heat.  If you can find red habanero, I like that better than orange habanero.
 
Good luck!
salsalady
 
Joynerspeppers, Sicman, Cycadjungle, Buckeye Pepper Company (mmcdermott)...I don't follow all the forum ads, I know there are several others.   
 
Plus there are several Spice businesses that have websites.  
Firehouse Pantry
Oregon Spice (might have to contact them directly for a bulk order)
 
it seems odd that you can buy Cayenne pepper that is 90 or 160 shu. The heat rating for Cayenne is 30,000-50,000 shu. Either they're pulling your leg or they're adding something to make the powder hotter. IMO
 
Wow, thanks! I had never bothered to scroll down far enough to discover there is an active member market, nor had it dawned on me how many types of powder might be available (upon consideration, even dried pepper or flakes might do the trick). I have not even checked out all the specific sellers in this thread yet but so far I have only seen a few that claim organic. However, as my vegan friend tells me, it is more important to know your farmer than it is to trust a label so I will be looking into my options which have gone from hardly any to possibly overwhelming. As far as organic goes for me on a personal level, I don't mind deviating for samples or meals but something I am planning on making a daily and significant part of my diet I would prefer to keep my sources chemical and gmo free.
 
Thanks again!
Paul

Smokin James said:
it seems odd that you can buy Cayenne pepper that is 90 or 160 shu. The heat rating for Cayenne is 30,000-50,000 shu. Either they're pulling your leg or they're adding something to make the powder hotter. IMO
Click to expand...
 
I have little baseline to compare but the 90k shu definitely seemed much hotter than 50k to me. The 160k was not as hot and might have been closer to 50k or less. I am sure they have some legitimate basis for claiming the heat levels. It seems they would need to disclose if they enhanced the heat but perhaps they use a work-a-round similar to orange juice manufactures who can reconstitute with concentrated mixtures and still call it "premium". If that were the case, however, it would not explain why the heat level plummeted on my possibly overcooked batch unless they forgot to add it or something.
 
It remains a mystery to me. I tried to contact the seller with no response after which I tried twice to contact Starwest where I got a CS rep who seemed concerned and forwarded my call to a QA rep who did not return my call. Nobody at Starwest answered my follow-up detailed email either. The main reason I am going through Amazon is simply because they accept alternate payment methods that I can earn passively without spending money I don't have, but dealing with the corporate machines is turning into a value-subtracted feature I may need to learn to live without.
 
EDIT: Upon further thought; getting 160k SHU from cayenne pepper might make sense, I think, in light of the fact the Scoville scale is based on the amount of dilution it would take to diffuse the heat. Once dried and ground into a powder the cayenne pepper should be around three or four times more compact so it would take three or four times the volume (relatively speaking) of sugar water to diffuse it thus driving up the SHU rating. Or, this could be one of those "Interesting theory, but totally ridiculous" ideas. 
 
Hmm- edit is being wonky- but...
 
A lot of growers use organic/non-chemical/whatever type growing practices.  FWIK, it takes a lot for them to be able to get certified and use the word "organic" in their advertising.  If you see someone with some interesting powders, contact them directly and ask what their growing practices are.  Likely they are growing in a way that works with what you are looking for. 
 
Good Luck and Have Fun with your new powders when you get them!  :)
 
mralaska said:
Wow, thanks! I had never bothered to scroll down far enough to discover there is an active member market, nor had it dawned on me how many types of powder might be available (upon consideration, even dried pepper or flakes might do the trick). I have not even checked out all the specific sellers in this thread yet but so far I have only seen a few that claim organic. However, as my vegan friend tells me, it is more important to know your farmer than it is to trust a label so I will be looking into my options which have gone from hardly any to possibly overwhelming. As far as organic goes for me on a personal level, I don't mind deviating for samples or meals but something I am planning on making a daily and significant part of my diet I would prefer to keep my sources chemical and gmo free.
 
Thanks again!
Paul
 
Click to expand...
 
Thanks a lot everyone! I have later found at least some of the sellers mentioned do indeed use unadvertised organic methods. I have also found out a lot of the sellers have local restrictions that prevent them from advertising powdered or crushed products but I did not contact any to ask about work-a-rounds. As luck would have it, when I first got directed to the forum ads I did a search to find one recently active member mentioning organic growing methods and the first picture I clicked on happened to include a bunch of powder packages so I set my sights right then.
 
I have just received a package from Randyp and breakfast will never be the same. The powder was ground the day before he shipped it and I cannot describe the difference between fresh super-hot pepper powder and store bought powder. The powder was triple bagged but just opening the first bag permeated my kitchen/dining room with a wicked odor that was both compelling and frightening. Upon tasting the first spicy bite I swear I heard the angels sing. The powder, ground from a 7 Pot xxx Chocolate Bhut blend, was exquisite in every way. Even the burps are better!
 
I am not sure what I am going to do with the extra surprises included in the package which look too beautiful to eat. Perhaps feature them in a shrine built to meditate their future consumption. It seems a crime to just grab one and bite into it (plus it would probably knock me to the ground in excrutiating agony).
 
RandyP-PepperOrder.jpg
 
I was wondering last year why Cayenne was so weak compared to when I used to eat it in the 70-80's. I was growing them then discontinued since they were about as weak as jalapeños.
So Im wondering is their a "Heritage" version, and the stuff out now is so diluted strains or something else?
Thanks :) 
 
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