Spicemad's Chilli Pepper Hall of Flame
.JPG "Chilli Harvest - 11th September 2022")
Given that most of my chilli plants are grown indoors in windows and in a small porch, a variety needs to produce a good crop of chillies for it to be worth my time growing it. I see little point in using up valuable growing spaces for varieties that only produce a few chillies when those same spaces could be used for growing much more prolific varieties instead. Flavour is also an important factor and one that needs no further explanation. We all want to grow chilli varieties that taste good. However, flavour is always subjective, and what I perceive to be a tasty variety might not necessarily be so to you. Most of the chilli varieties I've grown tasted just fine, whilst some didn't really have much flavour at all. My two favourite Capsicum species are Capsicum chinense and Capsicum pubescens, and my favourite chilli is the Chocolate Habanero, with Fatalii being a very close second.
To make the most of my valuable growing spaces and to ensure that my chillies go as far as possible in the kitchen, I typically avoid growing very mild varieties and I focus more on the hotter varieties instead. This is not to suggest that every variety I grow is blow your head off hot, but all of them do contain a respectable amount of heat. However, being a chilli-head I'm also fully aware that there is more to chilli peppers than just heat! Some people say that flavour is more important than heat, but I think it's a combination of both. After all, one of the reasons why we grow chillies in the first place is because we like the heat. How hot a person chooses to go is all down to personal preference. Some people struggle with the heat of a Jalapeño; others can eat Habaneros and Scotch Bonnets like cherry tomatoes, and the hardcore among us wouldn't settle for anything milder than a Dorset Naga.
Although I do grow and use superhot varieties, they are not my go-to chillies of choice for everyday cooking. In my opinion, the whole superhot chilli stuff has been done to death and has reached the point of ridiculous. As of writing this, the Carolina Reaper is now also available in colours purple, brown, orange, yellow, peach, white, mustard and caramel. There are also many new superhot hybrids which are the result of crossing other superhot varieties with the Carolina Reaper, no doubt in an attempt to create something even hotter. It's only a matter of time before some of these new designer superhots start making an appearance in Vogue's designer collections or until someone starts modelling them on the catwalk as this summer's must-haves. 😁
The varieties listed below have ticked all of the correct boxes and have become favourites of mine. However, there are still several close contenders that didn't quite make it into Spicemad's Chilli Pepper Hall of Flame. The following varieties have all proven themselves to be good choices for indoor growing, although some have more favourable growth habits than others. All of them have proven to be prolific, and all of them produce very tasty chillies with a respectable amount of heat. The following list of my favourites is subject to change. New varieties could be crowned and existing varieties could be dethroned.
Number of varieties: 10
Aji Largo
Species: Capsicum pubescens | Pungency: Hot
Aji Largo plants can be very prolific when grown outdoors under optimum conditions, but even when grown indoors they can still perform reasonably well for a Capsicum pubescens variety. C. pubescens isn't the easiest species to grow indoors and some varieties just don't perform very well at all. The juicy, elongated peppers have an excellent flavour and pack a serious punch, and aside from being a good variety to use in chili con carne, thinly sliced Aji Largo peppers are also nice on sandwiches, but you should always forewarn your diners because watching someone turn bright red and cough up a lung can be very unpleasant!
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| Aji Largo - 26th July 2020 |
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| Aji Largo - 31st October 2021 |
Aji Mochero
Species: Capsicum chinense | Pungency: Very Hot
Aji Mochero is a stunning Peruvian beauty and one that should not be confused with its yellow cousin, Aji Lemon, which belongs to the Capsicum baccatum species. Originally from the Moche Valley — thus the name — the strong plants grow well in windows, and the bright yellow, conical-shaped chillies have an excellent flavour and a nice fiery kick. Cutting open one of these gems is like having the pantheon of ancient Peruvian Gods congregate in your kitchen to bestow their blessings upon you for a successful upcoming growing season, something which every chilli-head needs during the dark times of winter.
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| Aji Mochero - 8th September 2019 |
.jpg "Aji Mochero - 7th September 2024") |
| Aji Mochero - 7th September 2024 |
Chocolate Habanero
Species: Capsicum chinense | Pungency: Extremely Hot
Chocolate Habanero is my favourite chilli, with Fatalii being heir to the spicy throne. How would I describe this queen? Like a random individual with hidden talents who blends into the sea of people. Perhaps one day those talents will be recognised, but until that day arrives the exotic queen in question will just continue blending into the background instead of standing out at the front or taking centre stage. Plenty of chocoholics have fallen victim to this exotic queen, only to quickly learn that her flavour is anything but a chocolaty one! Just ask any Jamaican. 💚
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| Chocolate Habanero - 14th August 2021 |
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| Chocolate Habanero - 21st September 2019 |
Fatalii
Species: Capsicum chinense | Pungency: Extremely Hot
Fatalii is without doubt one of the best tasting Capsicum chinense varieties there is, and one which plays an important role within the vast dynasty of spice. However, it's not called Fatalii for nothing! Originating from Central Africa, the bright yellow, conical-shaped chillies are extremely hot, and just cutting one of these beauties open will fill your whole kitchen with a lovely heavenly aroma. The next time you see distressed Central African tribes leaping up and down and flicking out their tongues you'll know why — they ate the Fatalii and they're begging for milk! This wonderful African variety is a true gift bestowed upon us by our dear beloved Chilli Gods. Hot sauce made from Fatalii chillies is perhaps the purest gold and is like liquid sunshine in a bottle. 🌞
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| Fatalii - 6th October 2021 |
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| Fatalii - 11th October 2021 |
Mako Akokosrade
Species: Capsicum chinense | Pungency: Very Hot
Mako Akokosrade is a rare African gem that was discovered in West Africa by an American chilli-head. The plants grow well indoors in windows, and the elongated, golden-yellow chillies have a very pungent aroma and flavour and make an excellent addition to hot sauces, salsas, chutneys and pizza. A common theme with African chillies is that they always seem to have an amazing flavour. An African man claiming to be of royal lineage once wrote to me with a dire warning! He informed me that there are greedy, manipulative, evil aliens from the future living in parts of Africa who mostly take on the appearance of blonde-haired, blue-eyed, fair-skinned Germans. According to him, these aliens have faces similar to the moai statues found on Easter Island and they are experimenting on the human population and want as many people as possible to eat very spicy food so they can harness our energy and use us like batteries. 😁
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| Mako Akokosrade - 8th September 2019 |
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| Mako Akokosrade - 25th September 2022 |
Malawi Bird's Eye
Species: Capsicum annuum | Pungency: Hot
Some of you may be thinking that Malawi Bird's Eye is a poor choice for a favourite chilli variety, but I really like it, and here at spicemad.com we don't discriminate. The phrase good things come in small packages springs to mind when thinking about this one. The plants have a compact bushy growth habit, and if grown in sufficiently sized pots they can produce many chillies in a single season. The chillies are great when added whole to Indian curries and they also dry very easily. Malawi is nicknamed 'The Warm Heart of Africa', and now we know why. No healing dances or the summoning of ancestral spirits should ever be undertaken without burning some dried Bird's Eye chillies to ward off bad spirits and keep the evil demons (and fair-skinned aliens) at bay.
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| Malawi Bird's Eye - 12th July 2018 |
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| Malawi Bird's Eye - 19th November 2022 |
Orange Habanero
Species: Capsicum chinense | Pungency: Extremely Hot
Originating from the land of the ancient Maya on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, Orange Habanero is a very popular hermaphrodite with a fiery reputation! Known for its tropical fruitiness and extreme heat, the bright orange, blocky-shaped chillies have a typical Caribbean fruity flavour and make a great addition to sauces, salsas and Caribbean and Yucatecan cuisines. The prolific plants grow well indoors and are a perfect choice for beginners. While it may look beautiful and enticing, the Orange Habanero has the ability to curdle the milk of human kindness and reduce grown men to tears.
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| Orange Habanero - 24th August 2014 |
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| Orange Habanero - 16th August 2021 |
Papa Joe's Scotch Bonnet
Species: Capsicum chinense | Pungency: Extremely Hot
Papa Joe's Scotch Bonnet is one of those gems I came across by chance back in 2022 and it quickly became one of my favourite varieties. The bulbous-shaped, bright yellow-orange chillies have an excellent aroma and flavour, and if you're looking to bring an exotic taste of the Caribbean islands into your kitchen then look no further because Papa has you covered. Chopping up one of these tropical fruity gems and adding it into your curry will bring tears of pleasure to the faces of all your diners and take them on a mental journey to a place with warm weather, white sandy beaches and bountiful sunshine. “Yardie peppa pot stew wid dumplings jus wud nuh bi di sed widout di addition ah Scotch Bonnet peppers. Yah Mon.”
.jpg "Papa Joe's Scotch Bonnet - 21st August 2022") |
| Papa Joe's Scotch Bonnet - 21st August 2022 |
.jpg "Papa Joe's Scotch Bonnet - 28th August 2022") |
| Papa Joe's Scotch Bonnet - 28th August 2022 |
Peruvian White Habanero
Species: Capsicum chinense | Pungency: Extremely Hot
It may look attractive and unusual and it may remind you of a mint flavoured sweet, but the Peruvian White Habanero should never be underestimated! Eating one of these small, white-hot firecrackers is like going from 0–90mph in less than three seconds. The compact plants grow well indoors and produce excellent yields of very tasty, jelly bean-shaped chillies which are guaranteed to make your grandmother spit out her false teeth and start doing the samba. After succumbing to the trap of the Peruvian White, many victims report the sensation of feeling as if their tongue is trapped in a vice, resulting in agonising screams that put Lord Satanachia's Satanic black metal vocals to shame, which is really saying something!
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| Peruvian White Habanero - 16th September 2020 |
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| Peruvian White Habanero - 3rd September 2022 |
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion
Species: Capsicum chinense | Pungency: Super Hot
Trinidad may be known for its African and Indian cultures and its brightly coloured carnivals, but it's also home to the fiery queen known as the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion. Once identified as the hottest chilli in the world and the first one to ever surpass the 2 million Scoville mark, you need to be very careful when handling this one because she has a real sting in her tail! Just eating a tiny piece of Moruga Scorpion is like licking the sun. The look on your diner's faces after they've sampled a hot sauce containing a few of these Trinidadian firebombs will be like that of a cross between Mick Jagger chewing on a wasp and that of an angry middle-aged mother of four from a rough council estate who's just had her fourth visit of the week from the police. Aside from being a great superhot chilli to use in phall curry, paste made from Moruga Scorpion chillies is also a very effective deterrent for idiots who want to mess with the wing mirrors on your car.
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| Trinidad Moruga Scorpion - 19th September 2018 |
.jpg "Trinidad Moruga Scorpion - 19th October 2024") |
| Trinidad Moruga Scorpion - 19th October 2024 |