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chinense Which chinenses are the muskiest?

G

gogurt

New pepper enthusiast here. I recently got my hands on a copy of "Peppers of the Americas" and learned that a distinctive flavor which I LOVE in hot sauces seem to be a family characteristic of the C. chinense family--Scotch Bonnet, Habanero, etc. I'm not really sure what to call this flavor--it's kind of a musky, smoky, slightly sweet taste. It's actually more of an aroma for me, as I can smell it right off the bat in most Habanero/Scotch Bonnet-based hot sauces. 
 
I first got acquainted with this when I visited my friend in St. Kitts and tried a bottle of Scotch Bonnet hot sauce local to the island. I used to think it was due to another ingredient in the sauce, but now I understand that it's the peppers themselves that supply the taste/aroma. Anyway, now I'm obsessed with finding peppers that have this delicious aroma.
 
I'd really like to grow some peppers which are strong in this flavor next year and make some sauces out of them. In your (obviously subjective) opinion, what cultivars should I be looking for that are strongest in this characteristic aroma?
 
My heat tolerance is acceptable but not tremendously high--I can handle a habanero in cooking, but I wouldn't really eat a whole one raw--so bonus points if it's on relatively milder side as well.
 
Really any chinense, it's in the preparation... the fresher the more "bite," so if you made a fresh salsa or a fermented hot sauce that would be the max, if you cooked a hot sauce the less you cook it the better for this characteristic.
 
The hot sauce you had in the Caribbean may have well been fresh and not cooked so you got a serious chinense bite!
 
I had a raw fermented red hab sauce that was insanely chinense!
 
If you are after the chinense flavor, I would suggest cumari do para.
Cumri Do Para.JPG

 
A small pepper with the most intense chinense flavor I have found in a single pod.
 
If you can find seeds, Windchicken had crossed a chile he calls Bonda Mahala, it's stank is legendary. If you can't score those, one of the parent cultivars is called Bonda Ma Jacques. It is very aromatic and chock-full of chinense stankiness.

A lot of folks complain about that chinense/Habanero character, but i personally love it. That's the very thing that got me into growing peppers, and that's the very reason why at least 75% of my grow is chinense. My favorite is and probably always will be Yella Scotch Bonnets
 
I grew some peppers this year that were supposed to be "sweet datil".  They looked nothing like a datil in that they were red and shaped kinda like a habanero.  
They also had "0" heat but did have that strong chinense flavor and smell.  
I could send some seeds your way if you want to try them to see if the flavor is what you are looking for.  
PM me if you are interested.
 
Edited to add that these were open pollinated and grown near other chinense peppers (bonnets and scorpions) so there is a chance they may have crossed.
 
Bicycle808 said:
If you can find seeds, Windchicken had crossed a chile he calls Bonda Mahala, it's stank is legendary. If you can't score those, one of the parent cultivars is called Bonda Ma Jacques. It is very aromatic and chock-full of chinense stankiness.

A lot of folks complain about that chinense/Habanero character, but i personally love it. That's the very thing that got me into growing peppers, and that's the very reason why at least 75% of my grow is chinense. My favorite is and probably always will be Yella Scotch Bonnets
Click to expand...
 

Yeller bonnets and curry are a match like no other. That funk goes good with some beans too. Caribbean style slaw with pineapple and just a little chinense funk...Oh mon.
 
I grew Trinidad perfume last year and was not very impressed with the flavor. Rather bland all the way around including aroma.
 
Some of the no heat habs get great reviews like Numex Suave, Habanada and Zavory. Ive tried a couple aji dulce and none of them really did much for me. Im gunna try the Habanada next year i think. Pods look pretty cool and production is supposed to be good.
 
ShowMeDaSauce said:
I grew Trinidad perfume last year and was not very impressed with the flavor. Rather bland all the way around including aroma.
 
Some of the no heat habs get great reviews like Numex Suave, Habanada and Zavory. Ive tried a couple aji dulce and none of them really did much for me. Im gunna try the Habanada next year i think. Pods look pretty cool and production is supposed to be good.
Click to expand...
 
I tried the Trinidad perfume and the Aji Dulce 2 this year also.  The perfume was a very small plant and I only got a couple of pods from it and I didn't like them at all.  The Aji Dulce 2 wasn't much better in my opinion.
 
Im always on the look out for a pepper like this just for sauce and sofrito. Im using aji panca atm but the "funk" is very minimal. Need one better suited for sauce that needs more bulk without more heat.
 
My last 10ish pods off the CARDI Scorpion were FUNKY!!! Man the smell was strong. I didnt notice it nearly that much during peak season.
 
I've often seen people write about the "distinctive" "unmistakeable" scotch bonnet smell and I'm embarrassed to say I can't smell it myself.  I do really like the fruity flavour of Bahamian Goat to the extent that I can't imagine ever not growing it, and the MoA bonnet I also like but I haven't tried many others.
 
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