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We know you’re all about the heat (same), but that’s not ALL there is to love about peppers. They’re also full of tastes that coalesce to create unique flavor profiles. We get it—it’s probably hard to recognize those flavors when you’re distracted by your burning taste buds and that sweat dripping into your eyes. But that’s what we’re here for. Buckle up, because we’re hitting the road to explore hot pepper varieties and their flavors!
Jalapeños
When it comes to types of hot peppers, it doesn’t get much more classic than the jalapeño. They’re one of the most widely used peppers in salsas, appetizers (jalapeño poppers, anyone?), and main dishes for their mild-to-medium heat. They have a vegetal flavor similar to bell peppers. But they can also be slightly sweet—especially red jalapeños.
Jalapeño Sauces to Try: Shinedown’s Devour Pineapple Jerk Sauce; Danny Wood’s Guac Sizzle; Danny Wood’s Jalapeno Cilantro
Chipotle Peppers
We don’t know who the first person to dry and smoke jalapeños was, but we’d like to personally thank them. Because without them, there wouldn’t be the delicious chipotle pepper we could add to BBQ sauces and wing sauces. Slightly bitter. Underlying sweetness. Warm and smoky. If you’re looking for a complex flavor profile, this is one of the best hot pepper varieties.
Chipotle Sauces to Try: Chipotle BBQ; Son of Zombie; Shinedown’s Symptom Chipotle Garlic
Habañeros
One of our favorite types of hot peppers when making the hottest sauces! That’s because they pack a punch with their heat AND give us flavor, unlike any other pepper. They’re subtly sweet, fruity, floral, and citrusy. Yep, all of those flavors are in one little hot pepper. Who knew? Add habañeros to homemade salsas, guacamole, and cocktails, or take a cue from Torchbearer and just pour a habañero hot sauce on everything.
Habañero Sauces to Try: Habanero Evil; Slaughter Sauce™; Sweet Onion Habanero, Shinedown’s Attention Attention This is Hot!!! Mango Habanero Sauce
Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Pepper)
Ghost Peppers may have a reputation for being one of the most fiery types of hot peppers in the world, but like the Reaper Pepper, they’re subtly sweet and fruity. Some pepper heads even enjoy eating them as-is to enjoy those flavors in all their glory. As for the rest of us, we’ll just take the sweet, slow-burn heat of a Jolokia Pepper sauce.
Ghost Pepper Sauces to Try: Ultimate Annihilation; Zombie Apocalypse; Headless Horseradish
Scorpion Pepper
The holy Trinidad Scorpion is one of the hottest peppers in the world with the type of heat that builds and builds. Upon the first bite, it may not appear too bad, but then you’ll notice the fire, and it is, sadly, too late for you. Pleasantly, though, this pepper has a fruity flavor to it!
Scorpion Pepper Sauces to Try: The Rapture™; Mushroom Mayhem; Honey Badger
Reaper Pepper
Let’s take it up a notch, shall we? We all know that Reaper Peppers are what-have-I-gotten-myself-into hot. The name says it all. But these types of hot peppers have a remarkable flavor profile. Believe it or not, they’re actually fruity and sweet! Reapers also have been described as having bitter undertones of chocolate and cinnamon…before the intense heat kicks in, of course.
Reaper Sauces to Try: Reaper Evil; Nekrogoblikon’s Goblin Blood; Garlic Reaper
Hot Pepper Varieties & their Flavors
Sauces that are spicy for the sake of it? Meh. Flavor-first, fire-second sauces? Yes, please! The specialty sauces in our hot sauce store play off the natural flavors of different types of hot peppers, fruits, and vegetables so you not only get heat but a flavor explosion. Spicy’s never tasted this good.
Andy – the Marketing & Sales Manager | Sauce Wizard, full-time foodie, and lover of all things hot sauce. He’s got a serious thing for flavor and spice, which is why he’s been on his own personal mission to crown the best hot sauce EVER (though his indecisiveness really keeps getting in his way). Some of his current favorite Torchbearer Sauces include Son of Zombie, Garlic Reaper, and Mushroom Mayhem, but ask him next week and the answer might change. He also hopes to be on First We Feast’s Hot Ones one day, if Sean would finally just answer his emails…
