Today I took a trip down to the south of Israel to Eilat. On the way, I stopped by Moshav Ein Yahav, where Kobi Ziv Av breeds and grows the Arava Scorpion. I managed to pick up a sack of dried peppers of 50 or 60 grams for 25 shekels from Kob Ziv Av himself. According to some stuff on the internet, people are saying it's a cross between the Ghost Pepper and the Trinidad Scorpion. Contrary to what I've read, I believe he said it was a cross between a red habanero and a lantern habanero, if I understood correctly. The claim is it is somewhere between 800,000 - 1,000,000 scoville units. If this be the case, I might have gotten a weaker one. Personally, I did not find it to be on par with the Ghost Pepper for heat. Still, a nice burn, though. I've eaten two so far and they both have had varying heats. The first one was a tiny one and about as hot as a mild habanero where as the second was a fairly hot habanero. The burn was mostly in the back of my mouth and lasted about 10 minutes for the intense part and another 10 or 15 to dwindle down to baseline.
As for flavor, it's kind of hard to give it a fair rating as it was dried and I think they lose their complexity when they're dry. It was very tasty, though. It had a fruity back taste to it after the dried flavor went away. I would describe it as somewhat between a cherry and blueberry. At first I wasn't sure as to the flavor since I'd eaten a piece of blueberry cheesecake before hand. So, I cleaned out my mouth properly and waited some time to eat another... and sure enough, it was berry like. For habaneros, it was one of the better tasting ones I've tasted dry. All in all, I like it. Whenever the seeds hit the market, I say go for it! It's definitely got good flavor and a nice heat.
I'll try and get better pictures when I have a better camera to use. Right now, I just have my laptop webcam and I'm in a hotel with sub par lighting for photography. So, I'll keep you all posted. If I have the chance, I'll return to take some pictures of the set up. Due to the heavy rains and flooding in the area, the plants weren't so accessible. Also, I'll try and clarify a few things about it. I'm still not 100% clear on a few details about the cross. My Hebrew is only so-so when it comes to discussing plant breeding and things like that.
Here's a link I came across to tell you a bit more:
http://www.peppersbymail.com/arava-scorpion-new-pepper-israel/
Again, sorry for the bad pics. I'll post better ones when I've got the time.
As for flavor, it's kind of hard to give it a fair rating as it was dried and I think they lose their complexity when they're dry. It was very tasty, though. It had a fruity back taste to it after the dried flavor went away. I would describe it as somewhat between a cherry and blueberry. At first I wasn't sure as to the flavor since I'd eaten a piece of blueberry cheesecake before hand. So, I cleaned out my mouth properly and waited some time to eat another... and sure enough, it was berry like. For habaneros, it was one of the better tasting ones I've tasted dry. All in all, I like it. Whenever the seeds hit the market, I say go for it! It's definitely got good flavor and a nice heat.
I'll try and get better pictures when I have a better camera to use. Right now, I just have my laptop webcam and I'm in a hotel with sub par lighting for photography. So, I'll keep you all posted. If I have the chance, I'll return to take some pictures of the set up. Due to the heavy rains and flooding in the area, the plants weren't so accessible. Also, I'll try and clarify a few things about it. I'm still not 100% clear on a few details about the cross. My Hebrew is only so-so when it comes to discussing plant breeding and things like that.
Here's a link I came across to tell you a bit more:
http://www.peppersbymail.com/arava-scorpion-new-pepper-israel/
Again, sorry for the bad pics. I'll post better ones when I've got the time.
Shalom!
