Yesterday (12/18) I paid a visit to Puckerbutt Peppers shop which is located in Ft. Mill, SC. It's about an hour south of where I live. The store is 5 minutes' drive off Interstate 77 exit #85. It's in a modest storefront location in old downtown Ft. Mill.
I went to try sauces, buy seeds, and hopefully meet Ed to congratulate him on the world record. I arrived shortly after opening (11:30) and before lunchtime. I was the only customer there for awhile, and got to talk with several very cordial and knowledgeable employees. The store is set up basically like other hot shop specialty stores, except they have a kitchen in the back where sauces are being made. The store front window was full of pepper seedlings in red solo cups, so I felt right at home. Ed's got a lot of crosses going.
There were a dozen or more sauces open for testing and the staff offered me to taste test anything available in the store. I worked my way through 12 sauces and 3 types of mustard and enjoyed most all of them. The Carolina Reaper puree was blazing, as expected. Tasted a little like bhut jolokia to me. Then I went window shopping for sauces around the store. I was very pleased to find that not only do they offer the Puckerbutt sauce line, but also many other brands. Among them were names familiar to THP such as Lucky Dog, Redhawk, and Cahons. Nice to see that Ed's not trying to promote only his own stuff, and working with other high quality sauce makers. I wound up purchasing 6 bottles and of course some Reaper seeds.
By the time I was ready to leave, there were other customers and also some business types waiting to meet with Ed. I headed out with my goods, and as I left the store who should roll up in his van but Mr. Ed himself. I waved and waited just a minute to offer my congrats. To my surprise Ed took time to talk with me about his business, the status of the Reaper and its relatives and the Guinness experience. His priority is the medical research being done with the peppers, not setting world records. That's a means to an end. I was ready to say farewell when Ed asked, " Hey, you wanna try a Reaper?"
He had just come from his greenhouse and had a peck of fresh peppers of many varieties. I decided to try a small slice of a Reaper, about 1/8 of a pod with no seeds. It was pretty tasty, somewhat like a mix of bhut and 7-pot flavor without bitterness. It didn't hit my mouth or throat too badly, as it was a small bit but when it hit bottom it exploded in my stomach like a miniature napalm bomb. Note to self: never eat super hots before lunch on an empty stomach.
Before I left, I got a quick pic of Ed with the Guinness certificate he'd just received (sorry for the poor quality):
There is a lot of buzz in the local and national media about the Reaper, Ed and his story. I think his company is going to be successful and good ambassadors for the pepper community at large. This is a very exciting time for them and I wish them the best. Stop by for a visit if you're in the Charlotte area.
Congrats, Ed & company!
I went to try sauces, buy seeds, and hopefully meet Ed to congratulate him on the world record. I arrived shortly after opening (11:30) and before lunchtime. I was the only customer there for awhile, and got to talk with several very cordial and knowledgeable employees. The store is set up basically like other hot shop specialty stores, except they have a kitchen in the back where sauces are being made. The store front window was full of pepper seedlings in red solo cups, so I felt right at home. Ed's got a lot of crosses going.
There were a dozen or more sauces open for testing and the staff offered me to taste test anything available in the store. I worked my way through 12 sauces and 3 types of mustard and enjoyed most all of them. The Carolina Reaper puree was blazing, as expected. Tasted a little like bhut jolokia to me. Then I went window shopping for sauces around the store. I was very pleased to find that not only do they offer the Puckerbutt sauce line, but also many other brands. Among them were names familiar to THP such as Lucky Dog, Redhawk, and Cahons. Nice to see that Ed's not trying to promote only his own stuff, and working with other high quality sauce makers. I wound up purchasing 6 bottles and of course some Reaper seeds.
By the time I was ready to leave, there were other customers and also some business types waiting to meet with Ed. I headed out with my goods, and as I left the store who should roll up in his van but Mr. Ed himself. I waved and waited just a minute to offer my congrats. To my surprise Ed took time to talk with me about his business, the status of the Reaper and its relatives and the Guinness experience. His priority is the medical research being done with the peppers, not setting world records. That's a means to an end. I was ready to say farewell when Ed asked, " Hey, you wanna try a Reaper?"
He had just come from his greenhouse and had a peck of fresh peppers of many varieties. I decided to try a small slice of a Reaper, about 1/8 of a pod with no seeds. It was pretty tasty, somewhat like a mix of bhut and 7-pot flavor without bitterness. It didn't hit my mouth or throat too badly, as it was a small bit but when it hit bottom it exploded in my stomach like a miniature napalm bomb. Note to self: never eat super hots before lunch on an empty stomach.
Before I left, I got a quick pic of Ed with the Guinness certificate he'd just received (sorry for the poor quality):
There is a lot of buzz in the local and national media about the Reaper, Ed and his story. I think his company is going to be successful and good ambassadors for the pepper community at large. This is a very exciting time for them and I wish them the best. Stop by for a visit if you're in the Charlotte area.
Congrats, Ed & company!
