food Heat vs Flavor

6

6StringFire

Figured I would ask here since this forum section has an emphasis on flavor.

Which pepper do you find strikes the right balance?

Jalapeños are great but sometimes they just don't kick. But I don't find Reapers and Scorpions practical when I feel like digging into a hot pepper.

So, where's that middle ground for you?
 
definitely habs or scotch bonnets. I've also heard great things about the aji limon, but have yet to taste one.
 
While this doesn't answer the question at hand, I don't see the draw to the aji lemon.  I haven't grown them myself, but have tried pods from two different sources and they've got a funny aftertaste for me - kind of soapy.  I've eaten some as is and eaten some in a salad and both times was not very pleased with the aftertaste.  IDK.  Maybe it's just me.
 
Habaneros are my "go to" pepper.  Hot enough and flavorful enough for most applications.  The do have the "chinense" flavor though that say, a jalapeno, doesn't have but they each have their place.
 
j
 
Habs are the right balance for most sauces i've made.. but to go up a notch i did some yellow cardi' s...very good flavor but hotter.. if you do fruit mixes like i do, you get heat but with  different flavors.. i tried 7 pots with cherries in a jelly it was really really good, red bhuts would work well too. My  hab. and mango wing sauce got good reviews at the tailgate party before the redskins game..
Most of my friends that arent into peppers can handle the  fruit buffered habs .. the others can with some ranch dressing to tone it down some. So it all depends on your group.. I gave peter peppers in jelly to all my non pepper loving family.. and of course i put the pict on the jar... lots of laughs.. and they actually liked it with bagles and cream cheese.
The question is what kind of flavor are you looking to give and what heat level do they/you like? There are 1000s of peppers out there all with different flavors. so I would suggest you experiment..
 
Just my 3 cents
 
You cant get to the flavor with out some heat, jalapenos now taste like pickles to me now (blows), bhuts are in the perfect range for me, I did eat 3 scotch bonnets for breakfast in hashbrowns for 2, but was little heat, not much flavor, but the wife loved it, and was max heat for her
 
Its true. There is a weird flavor that follows with the aji lemon. But the initial flavor is sweet, with citrus notes. That pepper flavor that I don't know how to describe is what persists, taste-wise. But I do agree there is a weird, I guess you could say soapiness to the finishing flavor. Good heat level though for a little thing.
 
On the Ajis Lemons the ripe ones never have a bad aftertaste to me but anything but fully ripe tastes really bad and soapy. Honestly perfect pepper for flavor & heat would be a pequin or tepin, they're just so small that they're not much fun to work with. Fataliis are also really flavorful but on high end heatwise, not a superhot by any means though. Probably the best overall tasting pepper IMO.
 
This year I'm growing a few habanero types that are supposed to be completely mild. Trinidad Perfume, Trinidad Seasoning & Sweet Datil. The two Trinidads aren't ripe yet but I must say the Sweet Datil I've tried was pretty awesome. Thick meaty flesh for how small the pod was, juicy sweet strong habanero flavor but 0 heat. My mouth was having a hard time with it because it tastes just like it should be a typical hot habanero but there was no burning. Very prolific too. So for strong hab flavor in a dish could mix a bunch of sweet datils with a couple real habs & tune the flavor/heat ratio as you see fit. 
 
+1 for Scotch Bonnets & Red Savina Habaneros

Also +1 for Aji Lemons tasting like soap. great upfront flavor, but weird aftertaste.
 
My always on hand standbys are Scotch Bonnets and Jamaican Hot Chocolates. For me these go with many things be it pork, chicken, beef in w/veggies, eggs...you name it.
     Many say the bonnets and habs are one in the same family but to me have a distinct flavor with the bonnets winning easily (slight fruity citrus flavor) and the Jam.H.C. have a great natural smokey flavor just before the heat smacks you. I've been told the JHC's I grow were hotter than habs they were use to eating....dunno about that but I do luv'em.
 
(Just made some Hawaiian marinaded wings w/SB-JHC smoked/dried peppers too) Awesomeness !!!!
 
OhioHeat
 
I don't know if any single pepper variety has the perfect balance of flavor and heat. They all have a place. The sweetness of a Nardello (no heat at all) is just amazing. The mild, green, bittery taste of jalapenos and serannos can't be beat in salsas; the thick and fruity milds like fresnos and hot cherry peppers are perfect for stuffing; fatallis and habs are great for stews, powders, and stuffing also. The super-hots are perfect for smoked powders because a little goes a long way when adding heat to foods. For me, the fatallis and habs are as hot as I can go while still enjoying the flavor. Anything hotter is more about heat than flavor. As taste preferences tend to be subjective, I would recommend experimenting until you find your own specific "perfect" balance of heat and flavor.
 
Tabasco, at the medium-dark orange stage. Pretty good fresh, really good as a quick pickle with vinegar+salt+sugar. It all depends though. Sometimes I'm in the mood for habs, or Thai, or a roasted Hatch pepper. So many choices.
 
There are 1000s of peppers out there all with different flavors. so I would suggest you experiment.
Click to expand...
 
Thus the fun, the journey.
 
Great question, OP.
 
Interesting commentary on the Ajis.  (I'm waiting . . . and waiting.  Ajis may be especially good for developing patience.)
 
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"Soapy" is a criticism of cilantro (which I like with food) by those who don't like it, so we'll see about the Ajis.
 
Subjective tastes and heat-tolerances also emerge in this thread.  I've had jalapeños that could induce tears and others that might as well have been bell peppers . . . and that can happen with side-by-side plants from the same seed!
 
Serranos may be considered utility chiles, but I like 'em quite a bit, and, roughly, that's about as hot as I can eat raw.  Well, wait, I ate a red tepín from the plant yesterday, but it was small, of course.
 
Black Hungarians are new to me and have been useful with, I'd say,  a sub-average jalapeño heat.
 
Black pearls are fun and beautiful with a reasonable heat level, but the Texas heat is killing the plant.  I actually just dug it up yesterday, transplanted to a container, and set the thing in the shade; it already looks happier.
 
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On the first black pearl I tasted (raw), the heat deployed in three distinct stages.  It was interesting, complex, and long-finished. 
 
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I've been chasing the dragon ever since and have never quite recaptured that experience.
 
Fataliis are in the ground but dropping their blooms in the 100°F heat.
 
The quest for flavourful fire goes on.
 
 

 
 
I think it's really interesting that some people identify a soapy taste with the Ajis and as swellcat pointed out, this is a common criticism of cilantro.  There's a particular set of aldehydes that are found in cilantro, and soaps (also bugs!).  It's quite possible a similar set exists in the Aij.
 
I was excited for aji lemon at first and now they have become my least favorite pepper I grow. I will try making a sauce out of them and see how that suits them.
 
I Love Lemon Ajis  i have dried and powdered them to make a chili. but there is no perfect heat. i grow over 50 varities from bells to super hots. taste them all raw. each one has its own unique properties that can be enhanced thru proper cooking and ingredient selection. I like cilantro so i guess i didnt notice the soapy aftertaste. i will have to rexamine a fresh pod when i get home this evening. bottom line grow many peppers taste and enjoy them all!!!!!
 
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