# Help me find this black Pepper variety again **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 22, 2013, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-this-black-pepper-variety-again/666867 "2013-08-22T12:57:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-this-black-pepper-variety-again/666867/1 "2013-08-22T12:57:12Z")
A couple of years ago I bought some black pepper corns that were absolutely heavenly. I can’t remember what brand or variety they were, and I’ve tried three different ones since with no luck. The heat level was fairly low, but the overall flavor profile was a revelation. They seemed a bit larger and darker that usual, and they added an almost vanilla flavor when ground into scrambled eggs. Any idea what they may have been? ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-this-black-pepper-variety-again/666867/2 "2013-08-22T13:16:13Z")
There is a list of peppercorn varieties [here](http://pepper-passion.com/peppercorn-varieties), with some description of their flavor. Maybe it will help you narrow it down to a couple of varieties to try? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-this-black-pepper-variety-again/666867/3 "2013-08-22T15:14:01Z")
[Penzey’s](http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyspeppercorns.html)Tellicherry Pepper? ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-this-black-pepper-variety-again/666867/4 "2013-08-23T00:36:30Z")
Thank you both! I will order some of the telicherry and try it out. I have to say though, I find it difficult to believe that anyone could have written a description of this pepper without using the word vanilla. ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-this-black-pepper-variety-again/666867/5 "2013-08-23T12:20:06Z")
I like Penzey’s [Whole Special Extra Bold.](http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyswholeblackpeppercorns.html) ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-this-black-pepper-variety-again/666867/6 "2013-08-23T17:24:06Z")
> [@AllShookDown](#): > > I like Penzey’s [Whole Special Extra Bold.](http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyswholeblackpeppercorns.html) There is a great choice of [peppers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_pepper) out there - I like a non-pepper pepper, [szechuan pepper](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_pepper). It has a chemical in it that makes your tongue tingle, and has a sort of lemony sharp taste. Pink pepper is also a non-pepper pepper - not sure what plant they come from put it isn’t piper nigrum. White, black and green pepper are all 3 different stages of piper nigrum and have a similar flavor. There is also [long pepper](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_pepper) and [cubebs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubeb) for alternate ‘peppers’ that are non peppers. This is hitting on one of my favorite hobbies, medieval and renaissance foods. 😛 I[posted](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13541387&postcount=16) a couple years back about a recipe from the book [Soup for the Qan](http://books.google.com/books/about/A_soup_for_the_Qan.html?id=oABtAAAAMAAJ) called Bal-Po Soup. I originally read this because a friend is one of the authors and I have a copy. On a medieval food discussion list we were discussing what they did back then for hot foods if there were no capsicum type peppers [a new world plant] and this popped up. There are all sorts of great herbs and spices out there that we don’t see in our boring grocery store. Penzeys does carry a heck of a lot of stuff that you normally won’t find, and there are spicers online that can provide even more of the exotic stuff - you just have to dig around.