Fatalii x Brainstrain Pepper Review

While the 2020 pepper season was pretty fruitful, there were a couple of plants that truly disappointed – a chocolate Reaper that produced one off-pheno pod and this Fatalii x Brainstrain with just a handful of ripe peppers were two of the biggest bummers. And I had high hopes for this particular plant as both the Fatalii and Brainstrain varieties are pretty darn good on there one.

I guess this just proves that combining two good things doesn’t always create an equally good or better thing.

As you can see in the photo above, the ripe pepper has a general shape similar to the Fatalii, but does not display any of the visual indicators of the other half of this cross. Inside (I forgot to snap a picture, sorry), there is a small cluster of placenta and seeds at the stem. The yellow flesh is thin walled.

The looks of the Fatalii x Brainstrain aren’t really all that big of a deal to me. Just look at the Ghostly Jalapeno, for example – its looks are mostly that of the bhut jolokia. Looks aren’t everything, of course, but it really is the only thing that this particular pepper has going for it. The aroma is horribly perfumey and floral. Not much else is found within the nose. The flavor is equally bad as that perfumey note is accompanied with a strong bitterness, distant fruits and a lingering soapiness that lasts a good long while. It reminds me of the liquid soap my mom used to make me put in my mouth after having been caught dropping an F-bomb in grade school. It’s not good.

The heat on the pepper is intense, slowly building to a solid tongue scorching. The burn leaks down the back of the throat, leaving a sharp stinging sensation in its wake. This one takes its time building to a plateau where it sits for even longer before eventually relenting. Aside from the 7 Pot Jonah that I sampled earlier, this is one of the hottest yellow pods I have ever encountered.

Some may say that all they want from a superhot is heat and, you know what, good for them. All the more power and all that good stuff. I like the fire, but I also look forward to the flavor of a pepper and love figuring out how to use that flavor in powders or sauces. Unfortunately, this Fatalii x Brainstrain just does not present a flavor that I could ever find appealing. As such, I will not be revisiting this one again in future season.