7 Pot Burgundy Pepper Review
I’ve got this particular 7 Pot Burgundy in a large 15 gallon pot that has kept it from getting too large, but it still stands at about two feet in height and almost as wide. The branches are currently packed with about 20 or so fruit in various stages of ripening at the time of this review.
I’m always excited to explore and grow new pepper varieties each season and this 7 Pot variant was no exception. That said, my level of anticipation was fairly subdued until the plant started to ripen to this burgundy/mahogany color – then my excitement took off like a rocket.
I mean, just look at those pods above. This is a damn fine looking pepper. The fruit of the 7 Pot Burgundy are named appropriately as the smooth, folded skin is rich in color. While the exterior looks fairly benign – it’s not all gnarly and blistered like some of my plants this year – the interior hints at the pain to come. There’s a good amount of spongey placenta, seeds and little droplets of capsaicin oil clinging to the inside of the thin walled pepper.
Immediately upon cutting open this 7 Pot, air is filled with a pungent aroma. It just smells like heat. There’s no floral presence as I had expected, instead a welcome earthy pepper note greets you in what would call a rather subdued aroma overall. Yes, it’s pungent, but it’s not as dynamic as some fruit I’ve encountered previously.
Biting into a sample of this pod actually left me with an impression of a heat that was easily manageable. So, naturally, I sliced off a larger sample and crunched gently through the thin walled piece. Light fruity notes, earthy vegetable present themselves quietly.
What I had thought was manageable, quickly faded as the heat arrived swiftly. That initial delay in the build-up lured me into a fiery trap. This pepper provides a scorching burn fully across the tongue and a bit along the gums. It wasn’t frighteningly hot or aggressive – just extremely hot. A slight well of tears in the eyes and sheen of sweat on the brow were not unexpected. The heat eventually fades after roughly 10 minutes to a gentle glow in the chest.
The 7 Pot Burgundy definitely packs a punch. It’s flavor makes it ideal for adding heat to any food item without actually altering the flavor of the base meal. I did like the earthy quality and the slow build of the heat is disarming, so you’ve been warned.