Bahamian Beast Pepper Review
Back in 2018, I grew out a Bahamian Goat plant. I had heard good things about it, but when sampling the ripened pods, I just could not find anything to like about the flavor. Perhaps my plant was a bit off or maybe the flavor was influenced by my dirt – the wallop of floral flavors was just too much for me to get on board with.
This past Winter, I came across the Bahamian Beast. This pepper variety is a cross of the Bahamian Goat and an unknown red superhot. I was instantly intrigued and purchased a pack of seeds, hoping that the unknown parent would have a positive impact on the flavor. For the most part, it has.
My plant is pretty sizable at the moment and has produced (at the time of this review) 70+ ripe fruit. Each is fairly consistent in look and shape, though sizes vary a bit from one inch in diameter to roughly one and a half inches. Each has a lobed shape (some with 4 lobes, others with 5) and lightly blistered red skin. Inside, the folds are almost packed full with placenta and a solid cluster of seeds.
The aroma is pungent! My wife could smell it across the kitchen almost immediately after I cut the sample in half. It’s still floral, but not as flowery as the standard Goat. A decent fruitiness lingers throughout. The Bahamian Beast simply smells like it’s going to hurt.
Biting through the thin skin, I was greeted with my worst fears – the flavor was floral and perfumy right away. A touch of bitterness, grassy notes and distant fruits slowly arrive as the flowery flavors give way fairly quickly.
The burn doesn’t arrive as quickly as I was expecting, delaying a few seconds before creeping slowly and methodically to its peak. Fire spreads along the sides of the tongue and underneath initially, then the gums get hit and eventually the throat. A light whiskey chest persists throughout the experience. The burn sits like a smoldering ember where the sample was initially introduced to the mouth – it rests at the plateau for a while before subsiding.
All in all, the Beast is an improvement over the original Bahamian Goat. The floral traits fade quickly and the burn is pretty solid. This one will make for a nice sauce candidate and perhaps as part of a mixed powder blend.