7JPN Pepper Review

One of the more unique peppers that I grew – visually and flavor-wise – this past season is, without a doubt, the 7JPN. This cross between a 7 Pot Jonah and Pimenta De Neyde not only produced a stunning plant to look at, but also some of the most beautiful fruit in my garden this year. More importantly, the 7JPN ripened peppers also taste just as unique as they look.

As you can see above, the 7PN has the shape of its 7 Pot Jonah side of the family, but the color of something wholly its own. The blistered and bumpy flesh of the pepper is a combination of peaches and purples that blend together. Just about every pod I harvested looked just like these specimen – each roughly the size of a quarter. The interior is packed to the gills with a thick placenta and a small number of seeds.

The aroma is quite subtle, but earthy. Light floral notes linger while I was hard pressed to find any hint of heat to come. I was surprised by the subdued tone to this one.

The skin on the 7JPN provides a light crunch as you chew through it. It’s a juicy pepper with fruity notes, a light sweetness and a hint of apple. Making your way deeper into the pepper, the placenta produces a solid amount of bitterness – I found I enjoyed the flavor of the skin more and more throughout the season.

Nibbling on the skin of the 7JPN doesn’t really produce much, if any heat. But once you get into the meet of the pepper, the burn is real – building slowly and deceptively to an all throat and chest fire. There isn’t really all that much on the tongue at first, but the lips eventually feel the brunt of it, as well. Much like the look of this pepper, the burn is just as unique, if not a bit on the weird side. Eventually, the fiery burn moves forward to encompass the tongue a good minute or two after the initial bite. This one is a creeper for sure.

Overall, I enjoyed growing the 7JPN this year. It’s a strange pepper. For me, as long as I stuck to the flesh of the fruit, I fully loved the flavor. The placenta is just so bitter that it was almost off-putting. As a result, I’m not entirely sure how to use this one in sauces or powders. It sure is a pretty plant though.