Re: [CH] What's going on at the C.P.I.?
danceswithcarp (dcombs@bloomington.in.us)
Mon, 27 Mar 2000 22:22:40 -0500
From: "Calvin Donaghey" <gdonaghey@bitstreet.com>
> > 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'm going with Calvin on this one. Standardized store-bought jalapenos may
be 2500-5000, but a good Indy-by-gawd-anna summer heat-stressed jalapeno
sure seems much hotter than the store-bought. We plant TAMs so after they
are stressed they are still picklable (Bread and Butter Jalapenos.
Hmmmmmm,) and edible by the masses.
Maybe part of the difference in ratings is the analog of cap that's in a
Jalapeno. I thought there were at least four different cap varieties.
Jalapenos have a real ragged tounge and lip burn to me, that lingers far
longer than the smooth soaring sear of a hab. And Cayenne-types have a
completely different heat than either of the two previously mentioned with a
full mouth buzz, er, burn that is quite wholesome and seems to trigger a
sweet tastebud reaction. The ragged wandering heat of a Jalapeno may just
make us think they're hotter but when the capsacian is extracted it could be
in a smaller mg/gram ratio than it seems; or in other wirdz, it's a hotter
analog than what is used as the standard for measurement.
I've often wondered about this difference in extract-based sauces; is the
cap from, say, a Savina the same chemistry as cap from a Jalapeno? If not,
extract producers who use blends of peppers and don't monitor the mixture of
chiles would seem to be producing slightly varying batches of extract. I
have no idea what peppers DIS uses, but it is a far different burn than Jim
Campbell The Oneth's "Backdraft. I assumed this was because Jim's quality
contorl on what peppers he uses is better and more consistent.
carpo