Arbol Peppers & Nutmeg

In our earlier experiments with cayenne infused in espresso, the peppers had come from my friend and ukulele enthusiast Marc's city garden. We liked the flavour quite a bit, but part of this whole thing is to make signature drinks that are commercially viable, not vulture back yard cultivations.

So, I took a trip up to Kensington Market to see what I could find. After speaking with a shop owner about his various pepper wares, I settled on the Arbol chili as a suitable substitute. Wikipedia agrees it was a good choice. I couldn't help myself and also picked up some Ancho and another smoky chile to make BBQ sauce with.

I removed the seeds of one pepper, ground it to a powder and measured it at half a teaspoon. Then grated a full teaspoon of fresh nutmeg, mixed them together, and headed to the Mad Bean for some mad science. It was a packed house, with standing room only, with the last few tunes of The Mad Bean Jazz Band being played. They were quite good, with a scat singer and an upright bassist playing a travel bass that comes apart with his mouth wide open in concentration. The guitarist and saxophonist were also quite good from what I heard. I'd hear them again without convincing.

After the band finished and the crowd subsided, we tried a cup. The pepper flavour came through, as did the nutmeg, but without the spicy intensity of the cayenne peppers. Brian felt it a bit on the tip of his tongue, but I was too much of a spice nut to notice that particular subtlety. We tried again with a higher concentration.

This time the pepper soared through on the trumpet with the nutmeg accompanying playfully on harpsichord. I never felt the spiciness, but the flavour was great! Perhaps the chilis I picked up were old enough for their spice to temper, or the seeds I removed contain most of the heat. Pepper, and necessarily coffee, lovers must visit The Mad Bean to try this unique combination once it is officially on the menu.

Pink Peppercorns

Pink peppercorns were recommended by a friend, Amanda, as a possible pairing with espresso. She explained they have a mild spiciness similar to that of black pepper, but with a sweet twist. They can and are used in desserts. As I found out yesterday at Kensington Market, they are also very expensive and hard to come across.  One shopkeeper explained she only had it in a pepper mix because it was $60/lb for her to buy. The shopkeeper next door bit the bullet and was selling them for $75/lb. I bought the minimum amount, a $3 baggie, so we could try it out.

At first we tried the tiniest pinch, thinking that the pepper flavour would storm through like a bull through a glass-wares counter. Apart from a hint of aroma, it was undetectable. 

So, we doubled down and tried again with twice as much. This time the aroma came through strongly and mingled well with that of the alluring Steampunk coffee blend. There was a slight tickle of spice at the back of the throat, and a very mild peppery taste, but none of the sweetness came through. It didn't take anything away from the brew, but it didn't add anything either. The mild pepper sharpness was perhaps a bit unnerving. As Brian put it, "I wouldn't recommend this as a relaxing cup of coffee." Well said. This one is a pass, sorry Amanda.