I grew a bunch of varieties last season. TFM, Foodarama/Beth Boyd, PDreadie, generic ones labeled "Jamaican Yellow," Schneider Farm, SB "Long," Papa Joe's. (I also grew Safi Reds... Great pepper, but i cannot bring myself to consider them to be Scotch Bonnets.)
The good news is, all of them were really good. The Long ones threw me off due to the shape, but the flavor was there. The same can be said of the Schneiders... They were a little elongated/droopy, but they tasted right. One standout favorite was the Foodarama; big, impressive, crazy-looking pods with thick, meaty walls... These could be useful if you're trying to smoke the pods or you need then to hold up on a stew or something.
My overall favorite was the TFM, possibly because i had eaten more of those than any other prior to growing my own, so they kinda defined my concept of what a Bonnet should be. But they are also awesome plants-- strong, hardy, productive, pretty. The pods were all very true to phenotype, and the flavor is at least as Bonnetacious as any other SB I've tried. Way more Bonnetacious than most others...
I wanted to love the Dreadies, as they have a great backstory and Erin's contributions to this site, the pepper hobby, and this planet in general are inspiring. But, TBH, i had trouble germinating the seeds and the plants that grew last year struggled for me. The pods i did get were incredible. Looked great, tasted great. But, at this point, I've kinda concluded that the Dreadies just ain't up to the challenge of growing under my ham-fisted, ineffective gardening practices. Others have had better luck with them, obviously, but i kinda suck as a grower and the other varieties have thrived for me. (Tried growing Dreadies again this year but germination problems persist. Maybe I'll need new seed stock??)
I had MOAs in mixed boxes and they're good enough but honestly, they have too much annuum character for my liking. The Bonnet flavor is present, but it ain't front and center, where is need it. I have also noticed that a lot of folks on this site and FB are growing MOAs that lack the classic Bonnet shape. I've always said that flavor is the most important aspect, but the shape is part of the magic that creates the SB mystique.
Despite all that, i decided to grow some MOAs this year, just to give them a fair shake. I just put 33 yellow Bonnet plants in the ground yesterday, including Foodarama, the mysterious Walton Farm, some MOAs, and no less than 21 TFMs. (I'm also growing some red Safis and orange-ish Freeports, but i think real SBs ought to be Yella...) I guess, for now, I've picked a favorite in the TFM, but I'm keeping an open mind and I'm always willing to try new varieties, or give familiar strains another go...
Sorry to write so much about this, but i am obviously a little obsessed with Yella Scotch Bonnets, so this thread pushed my buttons pretty good...
PS- i want to thank THP members Trident Chilli and Fauxton for hooking me up with seeds that i might otherwise never have gotten ahold of. Y'all are the best!!