I am a huge fan of black pepper, but it’s very tough to find any that actually gives real kick. Most of the store-bought kind is utterly weak, so much so that it might as well not even be sensed in your food at all. Anyone know of black pepper that packs **real **heat? Is it about a certain species of peppercorn, or how freshly it is ground, or some other secret to it?
Try Kampot Black Cambodian black pepper. And, yes, grind freshly.
Even something as straightforward as Tellicherry that you can get from Costco does a good job. Just grind fresh.
I put red paper flakes in the grinder with peppercorns. Grind only as needed.
I bought a big jar of whole pepper at Sam’s Club. I noticed by the end of it, it was quite bland.
I assume age affects it.
A huge part of it is how freshly it’s ground. Most pre-ground pepper is little more than black sawdust. For the most flavor, buy whole peppercorns and grind them yourself.
Penzey’s carries high-quality Tellicherry peppercorns.
A pepper mill is good for grinding small amounts, e.g. for seasoning steak or eggs. For larger amounts I use a dedicated coffee mill (it’s not good to get spices in your coffee or vice versa).
Peppercorns dry over time so they have to be fresh too. Never found fresh peppercorns at the grocery store. Grinding fresh pepper should unleash the aroma of fresh peppercorns, not just dried ground black pepper.
Penzeys, and grind fresh.
Funny timing. I’m just now eating some (dreadful*) mac & cheese with fresh ground pepper. The grind was pretty coarse so biting a bit is very flavorful and really spicy. And this isn’t the good Spice House tellicherry stuff I keep around. It’s grocery store-grade Badia peppercorns and probably at least a few years old. The fresh grind really makes them pop.
*a box of squeeze-cheeze stuff from Walmart. I was feeling lazy.
Another vote and buying choice for tellicherry. I keep the bag in the freezer and refill the grinder as needed.
Yikes! I hope you warn visitors.
(I like black pepper, but react badly to capsaicin.)
You’re mixing ‘heat’ chemicals by doing that. Black pepper’s heat is derived from piperine, while red pepper heat comes from capsaicin. Two moderately different chemicals that give two rather different ‘heat’ sensations.
And the heat from horseradish comes from isothiocyanate, yet another way to get a unique ‘heat’ sensation.
Try mixing all 3 and see if the top of your head stays on! 
Black pepper itself simply isn’t very hot. As noted above, you want freshly ground tellicherry pepper for the best flavor and kick – which still won’t compare to something like a Jalapeño that has capsaicin in it.
For a pepper that lives on your table, I recommend upping your your game and getting your hands on some long pepper. The flavor is more complex than black pepper, but still carries some heat without resorting to capsaicin.
Thanks for the replies everyone.
Unfortunately, as others said, red pepper has a different heat chemical than black pepper (which is why I’ve gone for black pepper; red pepper and jalapenos give me stomachaches.)
True. I did once eat a catered meal that had a very strong black pepper kick to the beef though (within the upper bounds of black-pepper spicability) and have been hunting for that pepper ever since to no luck.
Either Penzey’s or Savory. Their spices are guaranteed fresh, and you don’t have to buy a giant bottle. More expensive than supermarkets, but worth it.