Scotch Brains Pepper Review

The Scotch Brains was developed (starting in 2012) by crossing a Scotch Bonnet with a yellow Brainstrain. It’s also a variety that was high on my list to grow for the 2019 season. Does this blistered, brainy-looking pepper live up to the lofty expectations I had prior to sowing seeds back in February.

Yup. And with ease.

I currently have two plants going in one of my raised beds and, thus far, they have produced over 100 fruit between them. That’s more than enough for me to create some tasty (and fiery) sauces over the next year. The fruit definitely live up to their name. They are blistered and bumpy skinned while still maintaining the overall shape of a standard Scotch Bonnet. Inside, the peppers are fairly clean with a dense concentration of placenta toward the stem with an expected cluster of seeds based on the size of the pod sampled.

The aroma and flavor are both fruity with a good amount of lemony zest and citrus notes. The aroma is lightly floral while the flavor carries slightly less of this trait. There is a momentary touch of sweetness before the heat starts to build. The fire takes a moment to get going, but eventually builds to a pretty solid burn that focused itself on the back of the tongue and down the throat. A nice sheen of sweet started to form on the brow as this one peaked before oh-so-slowly fading.

The crunchy and juicy pepper produces a great flavor profile and level of heat that I think is going to work wonderfully in sauces over the next year or so. I’ve already stocked away a majority of my haul in the freezer. I don’t know if it would work well as a powder, perhaps as part of a blend, but maybe we’ll play around with that some, as well.