I finally sampled those Death Spirals today. The kid that I tutored in math a couple of years ago, that I got hooked on growing - mostly peppers, but tomatoes, too - is growing a plant that got HUGE, and he hasn't even given it any food, just water! Larger than mine, but not as early, or as productive, but there's time! And the few peppers are even larger. Here's a photo of him standing behind it - a small Thai plant is on the left, but most of this is Death Spiral!
A friend growing a Death Spiral I gave him, that got huge! He is 5 foot 10, to give a reference. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here's the first harvested one, a week ago, so it was getting hotter!
Death Spiral, starting to ripen. 7-27 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

We sampled the first one of mine (he wouldn't wait longer for his, like we were planning on), and I had a half, and he had maybe a quarter of it. But he touched his tongue to it, just to see, and freaked out, saying there was no way he was eating that! His sis (who was making a video of this) made some comments, trying to shame him into trying it, but he wouldn't give. Mind you, this is the kid who wanted me to start reaper seeds for him last year, and he actually tried the chocolate reaper with me! And uses the chocolate and gold bullet habaneros in cooking. So his Mom had to see how it could be that hot, and barely touched it to her tongue, and immediately freaked out, and said that it was the hottest thing she ever had in her mouth, looking for something to cool it off, settling on some ice cream! Meanwhile, her daughter and I were cracking up, and she was telling me not to try it, as she didn't want to have to take me to the hospital! Mind you, this lady is full blooded Indian - not born there, but visited a number of times, to see relatives, and she said there were some things she tried there, and couldn't believe people were eating them, they were so hot.

Turns out, it wasn't as hot as the Red Carolina Reaper, that I grew a few years ago. When I chewed my half, it was incredibly hot, but I kept chewing it for 37.8 seconds (the son was timing me!). This was about the same as the chocolate reaper last year, and trinidad scorpions and bhut jolokias previously. The time I sampled the red reaper I could only make it to 18 seconds. Unscientific, but I definitely knew this was not as hot.

That is one huge pepper plant. It is gorgeous!

I grow many of the super hot peppers for friends to enjoy but I would never try them. I don't know how some of you get these peppers down and then ask for more and hotter peppers the next year! I enjoy just a nice spice to my food and that is all that I want.

[mention]pepperhead212[/mention] I know that you eat a lot of Indian cuisine and I think that you become adapted to the heat but I would not even touch one of those peppers for fear that the oil would get on my hands! The pepper itself looks so pretty and innocent.

We had some Indian contractors where I worked and one day I was in the cafeteria line behind 2 of them and I overheard them say that they didn't like our food because it was so bland. They added lots of black pepper to spice it up a bit.

brownrexx wrote: ↑Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:13 am @pepperhead212 I know that you eat a lot of Indian cuisine and I think that you become adapted to the heat but I would not even touch one of those peppers for fear that the oil would get on my hands! The pepper itself looks so pretty and innocent.

We had some Indian contractors where I worked and one day I was in the cafeteria line behind 2 of them and I overheard them say that they didn't like our food because it was so bland. They added lots of black pepper to spice it up a bit.

I probably wouldn't like the food up there because it is so bland.
Not no hot bland but everything bland.

Several years ago, someone sent in a bulk pack of Carolina Reaper seeds to the swap. I then re-bagged them, trying not to spill any so that I wouldn't have to touch any. I managed to spill just a couple. When finished, I looked at my fingers and asked myself the stupidest open-ended question, "If I can't see any residue on my fingers..."

Yeah, so I licked them. The heat was near unimaginable.

Tormato wrote: ↑Fri Aug 06, 2021 12:20 pm Several years ago, someone sent in a bulk pack of Carolina Reaper seeds to the swap. I then re-bagged them, trying not to spill any so that I wouldn't have to touch any. I managed to spill just a couple. When finished, I looked at my fingers and asked myself the stupidest open-ended question, "If I can't see any residue on my fingers..."

Yeah, so I licked them. The heat was near unimaginable.

I need to find some just to see where I stand on the heat level.
Considering the peppers I do eat.
Not saying I can man up and eat one but just curious as to my own tastes.

Oh.
I thought death spiral was going to be a new ride at six flags great adventure...

So what did you do after 37.8 seconds?

I have made it a point not to eat too much hot pepper stuff the last 20 years. I ruined my taste buds for a while when I was young and dumb eating hot pepper everything. You build up a tolerance, just like alcohol - or iocaine powder.

Luckily, you CAN get your taste buds back so you don't have to over-season everything. A little salt is all you should need to bring out the flavor of good food!

Shame you can't get your hearing back once you lose that...

worth1 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 07, 2021 8:46 am

Tormato wrote: ↑Fri Aug 06, 2021 12:20 pm Several years ago, someone sent in a bulk pack of Carolina Reaper seeds to the swap. I then re-bagged them, trying not to spill any so that I wouldn't have to touch any. I managed to spill just a couple. When finished, I looked at my fingers and asked myself the stupidest open-ended question, "If I can't see any residue on my fingers..."

Yeah, so I licked them. The heat was near unimaginable.

I need to find some just to see where I stand on the heat level.
Considering the peppers I do eat.
Not saying I can man up and eat one but just curious as to my own tastes.

Mad Dog 357 No. 9 Plutonium would be the sauce for ya.

The death spirals are starting to ripen more. I don't know what I'll do with them, though maybe I'll take some to the Mexican grocer, and warn him about them - maybe someone in his kitchen will like them!
3 ripe Death Spirals, plus a few others. 8-17 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The weird thing is most of the flowers, and eventually the fruits, were up above on the death spirals - mine and my friends. About the lower foot or a little more are bare (except for the long branches going out, and the ends of those are getting some, though covered with leaves.
Even more in the future! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

My friend's mom just told me that his plant is taller than she is, and she's about his height!

Tormato wrote: ↑Tue Aug 17, 2021 2:08 pm

worth1 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 07, 2021 8:46 am

Tormato wrote: ↑Fri Aug 06, 2021 12:20 pm Several years ago, someone sent in a bulk pack of Carolina Reaper seeds to the swap. I then re-bagged them, trying not to spill any so that I wouldn't have to touch any. I managed to spill just a couple. When finished, I looked at my fingers and asked myself the stupidest open-ended question, "If I can't see any residue on my fingers..."

Yeah, so I licked them. The heat was near unimaginable.

I need to find some just to see where I stand on the heat level.
Considering the peppers I do eat.
Not saying I can man up and eat one but just curious as to my own tastes.

Mad Dog 357 No. 9 Plutonium would be the sauce for ya.

This guy looks like he put a drop or two of the sauce in his ramen. Most only do the tip of the toothpick challenge.

Only growing a few hots this year. Fatalli, Kambuzi, Habs and Sarit Gat. These would be considered sweet compared to a killer hot but they're usable in many ways. Fatalli is too much for me , the others are just right.

When these start coming on hard, I'll take a box to the nearest firehouse. It used to be I'd get that look that says what are we going to do with these. 3 or 4 years ago the best cook in the fire department transfered to this house. One of the fireman I know told me that he's converted many to warm dishes.

Fireman, between calls spend time in the kitchen. Whenever I see them in grocery stores I pay attention to what they're buying. Mainly tougher cuts of meat that they can start and not worry about tending to, too much.

Sorry to stray pepperhead. Love to see your concoctions. You are a very good cook. But the D.Spiral I don't see being used at at all in your dishes.

You're right, [mention]bjbebs[/mention] - that death spiral is not going in my dishes! The superhots I've grown have been only out of curiosity, to see how hot they got, but I always say I couldn't use enough in a dish, to get the flavor, before I would get it too hot. The habaneros, like the fatalli, that you are growing, and the Chocolate hab, that I grow, are about 1/3 as hot, and I can use enough of those, to get the heat, and flavor. I could dry, then grind the DS, but even then, the flavor of them aren't as intense, and less would be used, so it would mainly be for heat. I've given the superhots I've grown before to a friend who makes some hot sauce, using those in it, but that's not something I make or use - not a fan of dousing things with vinegar, even if it's hot.