flavor Taste of Malagueta (and others)

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UltraZelda64

I'm trying to come up with a list of plants to grow this year. I have tried the Tabasco and grew it two years in a row (currently trying to keep last year's plant alive as an overwintering experiment), and was considering trying the other more popular C. frutescens variety, Malagueta. But I'm low on both space and money, and to make it worse I might be moving this year, so the number of peppers I am able to grow is going to be very low. So I was wondering, what does the Malagueta taste like? Is it anything like Tabasco, or something that stands out and is truly worth trying? Is it juicy like Tabasco, and does it make good powder like its cousin?

Similar question about the Aribibi Gusano; it sounds interesting, but is its flavor unique and good enough to grow at a time when few plants can be grown? And Wild Brazil?

I'd like to grow all three as well as dozens of others, but under the current circumstances I just can't. I unfortunately will have to mostly stick with those I have tried and *know* I like, but would like to make exceptions for new varieties I haven't tried that are truly worthy. I probably won't even be able to grow any jalapeno plants this year either; they have proven to take forever to ripen and not produce many peppers in my experience, and C. chinense varieties tend to be my favorites for flavor and heat for my uses (cooking into food). It really sucks, having to slash interesting peppers off my list.

By the way, here are some I didn't get to try yet, mostly chinense varieties--has anyone tried them? Are they any good?

Bazuka, Black Cayman, Cleo's Dragon, Regina's Hots, Safi Red, Solar Flare, Tazmanian, West Indian Red, Rocoto Yellow, Ole (jalapeno)
 
Guam Boonie is another popular C. frutescens. Grew a little too wild for my space, but really hot and tasty. I've never tried Malagueta, by the if you get seeds, I'd like to work out a trade for some. Yellow Rocoto is fantastic along w/ all other pubescens I've ever tried, just needs a second season to really produce.
 
ZanderSpice said:
Guam Boonie is another popular C. frutescens. Grew a little too wild for my space, but really hot and tasty. I've never tried Malagueta, by the if you get seeds, I'd like to work out a trade for some. Yellow Rocoto is fantastic along w/ all other pubescens I've ever tried, just needs a second season to really produce.
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Well, the problem is, I will probably be getting plants instead of seeds for various reasons (past bad luck starting from seed plus the possibility of moving this year, etc.), so I won't be able to help on that unless I can somehow manage to prevent cross pollination with other plants (and breeding/manual pollination/isolation are some things I have absolutely no experience with).

Did the Guam Boonie taste similar to Tabasco, or different and unique? Also, I had a Rocoto Red last year--I definitely know what you mean by needing a second season, mine sat and grew all spring and summer not producing anything until fall, when everything else was dying. I'm overwintering the Rocoto Red because it seemed to show some promise, and it really seems to be good for overwintering. Is the Rocoto Yellow similar to the Red in flavor?
 
I didn't grow Tabasco in the same year, and didn't grow Boonie in 2010, but I do believe they were different. Don't know if you plant source will have it though, but it sounds like you've got some great options. For the varieties that I've tasted, Red and Yellow Rocotos were quite different. The red was richer in flavor with a bit of a fig aroma, and the yellow was light and lemony. Both were hot, but the red was hotter, more complex and lasted longer. I think the yellow may produce more pods per plant, while the reds produce heavier pods. If I had to pick one, probably red, but we'll see how my yellow does next season. My favorite pubescens of all though is the Orange Manzano, but that's the only one I've got that's older than a year.
 
Interesting. I definitely think I'll grow the Rocoto Yellow. If I can find more info on the Malagueta and Guam Boonies, I might possibly try those. But the Rocoto Yellow is a must-try, I think. The Rocoto Red was a surprise gem in my garden by fall, so I'm betting on its cousin...
 
Malaguetas are great peppers. One of the ancient C. frutescens and the national pepper/chile of Brazil. I don't know how to describe them but I prefer the flavor over tobasco peppers although the plants I've grown were not nearly as productive as tobascos

"There are two sizes seen in markets, which will sometimes have different names: the smaller ones are called "malaguetinha" in Brazil and "piri-piri" in Portugal and Mozambique, and the larger ones are called "malaguetão" in Brazil and "malagueta" in Portugal. They are not different varieties, just peppers of different maturities from the same plant"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malagueta_pepper
 
Potawie, are Malaguetas similar to any other pepper in flavor? Or unique? This alone is probably what will sway me toward growing them; I wouldn't mind growing them if they're good, I just need a reason to dedicate a pot and some potting soil to it. I originally intended to grow many plants including pretty much all (or most) of the ones I mentioned, but that fell through--at least for this year.
 
I'd say they are quite unique, although I'm sure there are similar flavored peppers out there. Personally I seem to really have a thing for Brazilian peppers, they just don't always grow well in my climate
 
I've got my list down to 28 plants. I'm most likely going to get both the Rocoto Yellow and the Malagueta if I can (assuming I get to order before they're sold out). Problem is... I need to get that number down to 24 if I can (lower would be better really, but I had a hard enough time getting it down to where it is now...). ChilePlants.com requires orders in multiples of 6 plants, so the next step down would be 18... and that would just be too hard to do, so I'm aiming for 24.

The following are candidates for removal:
Aribibi Gusano
Bazuka
Cleo's Dragon
Regina's Hots
Safi Red
Solar Flare
Tazmanian
Wild Brazil

The main reason to consider forgetting about the Aribibi Gusano and Wild Brazil this year is because I have a preference for bigger peppers with more "meat" to them (of course, with good flavor and heat as well, but I never know what the flavor will be like until I try it), and with limitations something's got to go. The rest of them I just know very little about. Any suggestions of plants to postpone until next year? Which of these are definitely worth growing? Any suggestions?
 
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