OverHabanero
Yucatán & the Caribbean · Fruity, floral, fierce
| Heat | 100,000–350,000 SHU |
|---|---|
| Species | Capsicum chinense |
| Homeland | Yucatán & the Caribbean |
| Character | Fruity, floral, fierce |
The habanero is the pepper this shelf is built around — seven of the twenty-four bottles run on it. Under the fire it is genuinely fruity, almost apricot-like, which is why makers reach for it when they want flavor and heat in the same spoonful.
Handle the range honestly: a habanero is not one heat but a wide band of them, and the recipe decides where a bottle lands. El Yucateco's Caribbean recipe pours at about 5,400 SHU because carrot and blending tame it for the table; the pastes on the Hot shelf concentrate the same pepper into something you measure in dabs.
Its close Panamanian relative, the ají chombo, works the same territory — habanero-class heat with a fruitier, wilder edge — and powers La Sabrosita's bottle on the Hot shelf. In Panama it is the pepper of everyday cooking, which tells you something about Panama.
On the OverPepper shelf
- Caribbean Chile Habanero Hot Sauce — Warm band · $14.49
- Fiery Hot Habanero Pepper Sauce — Hot band · $7.99
- Red Habanero Hot Sauce — Hot band · $4.99
- Too Hot Habanero Pepper Sauce — Hot band · $6.99
- Habanero Hot Sauce Ají Chombo — Hot band · $3.49
- Pineapple Habanero Chili Paste — Overpeppered band · $11.99
- Citrus Mango Habanero Chili Paste — Overpeppered band · $11.99