Freeport Orange Scotch Bonnet Pepper Review
The 2019 pepper season may have just come to a close for me, but I’ve still got a few reviews to publish based on notes I took throughout the Summer. As part of this year’s grow season, I dedicated one raised bed to a variety of Scotch Bonnets.
These Freeport Orange Scotch Bonnets were apparently brought to the U.S. from a market in Freeport, Bahamas sometime in 2012ish. The ripened fruit look and taste a great deal like the Bahamian Goat pepper that I grew in 2018. Regardless of origin, the two plants served the purpose of adding diversity to their designated bed in the garden.
![Freeport Scotch Bonnet peppers](/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/freeport-scotch-bonnet.jpg)
The shape of the ripened pods is nicely lobed with the majority picked displaying three lobes and a few showing four, even five. The skin is lightly wrinkled and not quite as orange as expected – their orangey, peach gives ammo to the Bahamian Goat theory. Inside, the fruit is full of folds and what I would consider an appropriate number of seeds. Small drops of capsaicin cling to the inner walls.
![Freeport Scotch Bonnet peppers](/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/freeport-scotch-bonnet-2.jpg)
The aroma is lightly tropical, softly fruity with a solid floral character. It isn’t overly potent, almost inviting to a degree. The floral notes are not quite as perfumy as I experienced with the Bahamian Goat.
The skin is thin, but crunchy. A lightly bitter, orange peel-like character leads the way for citrusy fruit and soft floral notes. The pepper is much tastier than the Bahamian Goats I grew last year. The heat builds swiftly to a full tongue burn, eventually trailing down the throat and providing a nice whiskey burn in the chest. The solid burn peaks for a good while, producing a light sheen of sweat on the brow and lightly teary eyes. Eventually, things fade slowly to a long, slow smolder.
The Freeport Orange variety was a bit hotter on the tongue than expected, but still a pleasurable experience. I enjoyed the flavor and am really looking forward to creating some sauces in the coming months.