Aji Mochero Pepper Review

The Aji Mochero is native of northern Peru, but given the number of peppers harvested, it also grows quite nicely in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. The plant that I grew out this past season was rather small and compact, but still produced a large number of ripe fruit.

My particular plant’s fruit don’t quite match up (in terms of their shape) to typical examples of the variety – looking more like small Aji Lemon peppers in the end. The yellow skin has a slight wrinkle with a small cluster of placenta and seed inside.

The aroma is grassy and lightly fruity with a distant floral note. It may look like an Aji Lemon, but it certainly doesn’t smell like one. Nor, does it taste like one. The skin produces a nice crunch despite it’s thin nature. The flavor is grassy and lightly floral with a brief fruity burst that fades rather quickly. Latent citrus notes comes back late in the finish.

A medium level of heat builds surprisingly slowly to a full tongue burn, spreading just as slowly down the back of the throat with each swallow. The heat sits at the plateau for a nice while before letting go. Since I have been comparing this pepper to the Aji Lemon, I can tell you that these little peppers are much hotter.

I don’t believe that my plant was 100% true to the variety, but I enjoyed these little yellow bullets nonetheless. The Aji Mochero produces a nice little fire and its color make for a nice addition to salsas and as a blend of peppers within a sauce. I’m not sure it’s got enough to stand on its own, but should be a nice compliment to other peppers.