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.

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.

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.