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Superhots v. The Others

midwestchilehead

midwestchilehead

eXtreme
Looking at everybody's grow lists, superhots are all the rage. I never dreamed there were so many varieties of superhots out there. I'm growing a few myself this year, and just have a few questions since I have never had a successful crop of superhots so far (after a cutworm mowed down my only Bhut Jolokia, I ordered six Bhut Jolokias from Hirt's gardens last year and ended up with some really nice Caribbean Red Habs):

1. Do people really eat these things? I've seen the videos of dumba**es eating a superhot pod, but haven't seen them too much otherwise except in sauces.
2. Is efficiency driving the market for superhots? I started making my own sauce last year, and was amazed at how many pods it took to make a decent sauce. I suspect that using superhots would give me more bang for the buck.
3. Which one makes the best powder?
4. Which one makes the best sauce?
5. Is there any end to the rapid proliferation in varieties? It seems it has exploded in the last 10 years or so. Even your local Orange or Blue Home center seem to have a lot more varieties than they used to (although not necessarily superhots). Will folks return to heirlooms at some point?
6. What is your favorite superhot and why?
 
I won't eat a whole one...and I have fairly high tolerance, even by THP standards. I've cut off slices to try them, but I'm not eating a whole one unless someone is paying me money. :D I like a good endorphin rush but that's just painful...especially the next day. :o

I like the flavor of them, they're really cool looking, and they're fun to mess with friends and people who think they have a high tolerance. A bhut jolokia or trinidad scorpion is just a lot cooler than an orange habanero or serrano. Plus they do go a long way in cooking or making sauces.

I think many of the superhots actually fit the definition of heirloom pretty well, "a cultivar that was commonly grown during earlier periods in human history, but which is not used in modern large-scale agriculture." Maybe not all the numerous newer strains that are popping up all the time, but the basic bhut jolokia, trinidad scorpion, 7 pot, etc. fit that definition imo, they have been around a long time in their countries of origin, they just didn't become well known outside of those countries until recently. And they definitely aren't highly engineered plants grown in large-scale agriculture.

I don't know about powder...I've only had fresh ones. I think the news strains should start slowing down as the novelty wears off and they start becoming more redundant or only slightly different. But, maybe I'm wrong. It seems like a lot of people feel like they have to have every variety and strain of the superhots around and then after awhile come to the conclusion that there isn't a ton of difference among them and pair the number of varieties down.
 
In Mexico, where chiles are an integral part of the cuisine, no restaurant serves superhot chiles. No mercado has any superhot chiles.

I've had habaneros in Campeche but in a salsa on the bar, not in main dishes.

Eating superhot chiles is a machismo contest.
 
i eat them several times a week. after a while they become like any other pepper out there. i don't have joint pain. or digestive troubles since i started doing this. i haven't had a cold or flu in a long time. i guess i'm one of the dumbasses too but oh well. i don't do that for a macho factor. i want to see the difference between the strains heat and flavour wise so i can make up my own mind where they are on the scale. it's fun. as far as powders go , the 7pods are great for that. as far as sauces , the superhots eliminate the need to use extracts (which taste like crap) the superhot sauces being made are excellent.
 
I grew all bhuts last year and I used them in everything. Pasta sauce, chili, salsa, pulled pork, stew, sauce... I ate a few whole pods but I primarily cooked with them. I liked the heat and the flavor that was given by them. This year I am growing a wider variety of super hots to see which I like the best, taking both heat and flavor into account. Then I will narrow the list down to decide what to grow next year.
 
I think Numbness hit on something. I work in an environment full of all kinds of nasty chemicals that have played havoc on my sinuses. Living in north TX we are exposed to crosswinds full of every seed and pollen you could list. I now have allergys that I never had in the past. This will be my first ear with superhots, but I have always grown peppers. I notice a BIG difference in my immune system when I have a fresh garden full of hot stuff.

Plus, I don't smoke or do any substances. Peppers are my shot of endorphins!

They do have a place in machismo as well. I have that ass at work that can do everything better than you. He gets to meet MR Jolokia in a few months.....
 
midwestchilehead...I just want to get this straight. Are you calling people who eat superhot chiles dumbasses? Also, are you calling people who make videos of themselves eating superhots dumbasses? If so, I think you are referring to many of the fine people here.

willard3...I have seen many of your posts and know that you don't have a problem with being blunt. Let me be blunt. You're wrong. Maybe in your world eating superhot chiles is a machismo contest. Sometimes it is, for sure. Many of us who eat superhot chiles simply love the taste, the burn, or maybe just the way a little can turn a tasteless meal into a wonderful experience. Some of us even like that occasional endorphin rush.

So you see, we are not all dumbasses or just trying to be machismo. We are just normal happy people with a passion for good food.
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No, addict, I wouldn't dream of calling the fine people here dumbasses. :shocked: I was referring to the idiots on You Tube. You know, the ones that eat a hot pod, then hurl or otherwise convulse . . . Kinda like I did when I swallowed some crystallized pure cap. :fire: I'll just shut up and listen to everyone else now. :silenced:

chileaddict said:
midwestchilehead...I just want to get this straight. Are you calling people who eat superhot chiles dumbasses? Also, are you calling people who make videos of themselves eating superhots dumbasses? If so, I think you are referring to many of the fine people here.
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Never ate a ghost pepper and probally won't. Like you I've seen what can happen and I don't need to go out of my way to get to the hospital. Habanero is as hot as I need to go and they are for cooking and salsa. I've found out the thinner skinned peppers are better for making powder. I don't do trends they come and go and come again when everyone forgets. Pretty soon heirloom will be in and hybrid will be out. Somewhere there will always be the mad gardener crossing peppers for the hottest ever. There's something to be said for old standbys or they wouldn't still be around ( Bells, Jalapeno, Habanero, ect ect). If I had to run my garden as a business the old standbys would be my base crop with a few new ones added in.
 
1.
I can't eat anything hotter than probably a fatalii whole. But I agree with the people who say a superhot pepper adds a new flavor to any dish. And there is a pepper for ANY dish, even waffles or ice cream!! I never imagined the differences in flavors of peppers. Maybe the superhots are SUPERHOT. But they can be toned down and give a flavor different than any other "LESS" hot variety.

2.
More bang for the buck, but definately different flavor. So I doubt established sauces will change.

3.
Fataliis and Home grown Cayennes make GREAT powder. SilverSurfer gave me some Fatalii/Datil powder that was freaking awesome!! Thanks again SS!!

4.
I like the Heartbreaking Dawns 1498. It is a Trinidad Scorpion base. Best sauce I have ever tasted.... PERIOD

5.
I think most the exotics and superhots will never make it to the Orange or Blue. But maybe since the the Bhut is the "Guiness Record Holder" it could end up there.

6.
Tie between the Fatalii and the Trini Scorpi.
 
NorTexChiliJs said:
4.
I like the Heartbreaking Dawns 1498. It is a Trinidad Scorpion base. Best sauce I have ever tasted.... PERIOD
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I just bought a case of this from peppers.com, and it does have a very nice flavor. I thought the consistency was a little too runny though for my tastes, it doesn't stay on food very well and it's easy to poor a ton out on accident. I bought a case of Melinda's Naga Jolokia too and I took the plastic poorer from it and switched it to the 1498 to slow it down a little. Maybe it was just my batch, I was wondering if anyone found theirs to be really watery? I have to say I don't really care for the Melinda's flavor that much, it's really vinegary.
 
I have not tried the Melinda's. I'll look into it,,,

I did find the 1498 to be a bit thin as well. It does not take much to do the trick for flavor though. I have never attempted sauce making and do not know what is involved in perfecting thickness and consistency, but I agree it could/should be thicker. However, this won't stop me from purchasing more.

Ultimately, my opinion was for what pepper gives sauce/salsa the best flavor/taste... But I guess the """Which one makes the best sauce""" is kinda' variable. What does "best sauce" really mean?? Consistency?, Flavor?, Uniqueness in ingredients?, Highest HEAT kevel?, Best overall?..... Mine was based on taste, I am in LLLOOOOOVVVVEEE with the T. Scorp!!

Happy Growing!!
 
I have limited experience with all of these, but I will tell you everything from my perspective for fun :)

1. Yes, you probably will see me eating a jolokia soon XD. The idiots on youtube simply are uneducated people who don't understand how hot hot can be. And I can't blame them for being uneducated, superhots are difficult to find to a point, but unless they practice eating really hot food, they wont ever understand.
2. I would like to think that in the future, more varieties will be available and not just the mild ones, I welcome that gesture!
3. I find the ones with distinct flavour not including habaneros. Habs make a decent powder but once you can handle it you can handle it. the flavour isn't that great. From my experience, Jalapeno or Chipotle, Fitali (for principal purposes not from experience), definitely 7-pods and chocolate superhots /drool.
4. Any chilli really, depends what you want from your sauce, but if I had to choose, 7-pods. For heat and flavour.
5. No, it will continue to uproar, which isn't a bad thing, but they all have funky names like they're unique. Take the naga viper for example. These chillies will continue to appear without fail. Why? cause people want their own exclusive pepper. I think its rediculous, if you want 2 pepper flavour, put 2 peppers in a sauce like the rest of us!!!
6. I'm going to have to say 7-pods, they are a sure fire winner for me. Scorps yeah I want to try bad but only for their monstrous heat, I would rather a lot of heat with a lot of unique flavour. :)
 
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