Matt Bray, Author at PepperScale

NuMex Centennial Guide: Heat, Flavor, Uses

What are NuMex Centennial peppers? Talk about brightening up a garden. The NuMex Centennial, like its cousin the NuMex Twilight, is a rainbow of color. But unlike the Twilight and its cayenne-like zing, the NuMex Centennial brings its beauty with a much more eatable low-medium …

The Cayenne Pepper Planting Guide: A To Zing

by Matt Bray

Perfect for flakes, powders, and hot sauces…

The cayenne pepper is certainly the jack of all trades of the chili world. It’s solid medium heat and relatively neutral flavor provides many culinary uses, especially in powdered and flake form. Its neutral flavor, too, brings the spice to hot sauces while allowing other flavors to dominate the experience. Growing cayenne pepper, whether in container or garden, can keep you loaded with delicious heat all season long. Find what you need to start with our cayenne pepper planting guide.

The Banana Pepper Planting Guide: A To Zing

by Matt Bray

Growing the perfect sandwich pepper… When you want just a little simmer of heat for your sandwich or salad, the banana pepper delivers like few other chilies. Its low heat and delicious flavor (fresh and pickled) make it a favorite for not only chiliheads, but foodies of …

The Ghost Pepper Planting Guide

by Matt Bray

When to start ghost pepper seeds, when to plant them out, and whether they’ll ripen where you live, with a zip code planner built on NOAA frost data.

Dundicut Pepper: Pakistani Spice

by Matt Bray

Fiery and fruity…

Scoville heat units (SHU): 55,000 – 65,000
Jalapeño reference point: 7 to 26 times hotter
Origin: Pakistan
Products and seeds: Dundicut pepper on Amazon

You don’t need to search far in authentic Middle Eastern and Asian cuisine to discover the dundicut pepper. It’s a staple chili – especially for Pakistani cuisine – where it heats up curries, chutneys, and many other sauces and dishes. In fact, this chili is often called the national chili of Pakistan. Dundicuts are typically used dried and provide an extra-hot kick with a delicious layer of fruitiness.

Habanero pepper plant growing in a mulched garden bed, with green and ripe orange peppers hanging among the leaves.

The Habanero Planting Guide

by Matt Bray

When to start habanero seeds, when to plant them out, and when they’ll ripen where you live, with a zip code planner built on NOAA frost data.

Spicy Whipped Cream

by Matt Bray

Whether as a dab of spicy for your slice of pie or as a delicious topper “with kick” for your hot chocolate, spicy whipped cream brings oh-so-tasty sweet heat to all sorts of desserts and drinks. We especially love it atop Mexican brownies — yeah, spice on spice. Or …

Jwala Pepper: The Intense Flame

by Matt Bray

Potent heat, appley flavor…

Scoville heat units (SHU): 20,000 – 30,000
Jalapeño reference point: 3 to 12 times hotter
Origin: India
Seeds: Jwala pepper on Amazon

It’s impossible to enjoy authentic Indian cuisine, especially authentic curries, without partaking in the jwala pepper. Also known as the Indian finger hot pepper, the jwala is the most popular hot pepper in India, and as such it’s used in all sorts of spicy foods, both as a fresh chili as well as dried. This chili provides a very eatable medium heat to meals.

Aji Omnicolor Guide: Heat, Flavor, Uses

by Matt Bray

What are Aji Omincolor peppers? There are many beautiful ornamental peppers, many of which provide terrific color to landscaping or gardens. The aji omnicolor is one, but this chili brings something extra-special to the table, literally. There’s a complex, fruity, and sweet flavor to these …

Aji Charapita Guide: Heat, Flavor, Uses

by Matt Bray

What are aji charapita peppers? Tiny, yet oh so very fiery, the aji charapita has wild roots. It hails from the jungles of northern Peru, and has mainly grown wild – only recently being cultivated for commercial use. Its size is small, like an American …