Re: [CH] What's going on at the C.P.I.?
Calvin Donaghey (gdonaghey@bitstreet.com)
Mon, 27 Mar 2000 19:13:05 -0600
Brent Thompson wrote:
> > Bosland is laughing off the Ignoble Award and sending
> > out seeds. Around 8500 Scoville Units. I may plant some myself, just to
> >...
> > > the (C-H list famous) NuMex Primavera (mild, Ig Nobel winning) Jalapeno.
>
> 8500 Scoville Units? Regular jalapeno is only 2500-5000 Scoville, so 8500
> Scoville is considerably HOTTER than a regular jalapeno; maybe "NuMex
> Primavera" is not the Ig Nobel-winning heatless jalapeno, but rather an
> extra-hot type of jalapeno. Maybe C.P.I. is giving away these seeds to get
> rid of a worthless jalapeno (too hot, a breeding mistake) :-).
>
> --- Brent
Brent-
I've heard that 2500-5000 before, but the Jals we get here are almost all
considerably hotter than that. In the CPI Newsletter, Bosland lists measured
dry mass HPLC Scoville averages for the new one and the commonly grown Jals in
NM as follows:
NewMex Primavera: 8,594
Texas A&M Mild: 21,290
Jalapeno M: 45,370
Early Jalapeno: 54,093
I might add that my taste experience and growing experience coincides with these
numbers. When I used to grow Jals from greenhouse plants, the Early was
certainly hotter than the TAMs, which could vary a lot. I have burned up a time
or two on some home-grown jals of unknown variety.
I also might add that in "The Pepper Garden" Bosland lists Jalapenos as
2500-10,000 Scoville heat units. (He even mentions Early as well as other
types.) Maybe they're measuring something differently than they used to. Maybe
the development of HPLC has changed their opinions about the pods. All I know
for sure is that a good Jal with orange internal stripes carries a lot more kick
than 2500 or 5000 Scovilles in my book. I guess I compare Manzanos, which I eat
regularly from an import place in Dallas, to be similar to A strong Jal.
Manzanos are supposedly 50,000-65,000.
It would be interesting to know exactly how they do the testing and how many
different samples they run (and from how many sources) to decide. For instance,
do they remove the seeds, which have little heat, before running the test? If
so, a pod like a Chiltepin, which is mostly seed mass, could change a lot.
Maybe some of you more knowledgeable CHs can clear it up for us.
Calvin