THE PEPPER DOC MISSION

I'm a chilehead who has been immersed in the study of chemistry for decades. My inspiration to pursue science can be traced to my early studies in Viticulture and Enology. I was privileged to have the instruction and encouragement of the legendary Dr. Ann Noble, a pioneer in sensory science and the creator of the wine aroma wheel. In fact, my first wine tasting was led by Dr. Noble, where students were trained in tasting strategies proven by years of peer-reviewed research.

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Peppers show tremendous diversity in shapes, sizes, and flavors, making them indispensable ingredients in cuisines around the world. The sensory science of peppers, however, has not advanced from academic research into the mainstream, creating a barrier for cooks, growers, and even dedicated chileheads from accessing tasting strategies that are commonplace in the world of wine, beer, cheese, chocolate, and so much more.

Wanting to make pepper tasting evaluation more accessible, I created the Pepper Aroma Wheel in the spirit of Dr. Noble's venerable Wine Aroma Wheel. I based the aromas and aroma classifications of the wheel on decades of research into pepper sensory evaluation and the chemical profiling of pepper aroma compounds. To complement the Pepper Aroma Wheel, I created the Fresh Pepper Tasting Scorecard and a set of tasting strategies to use it. These tools are meant for everyone from the home cook to the hardcore chilehead to perform the most detailed and objective pepper tastings possible.

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There is more to come. The Pepper Tasting App is under development. With this app, chileheads will have the Pepper Aroma Wheel and the Fresh Pepper Tasting Scorecard with them wherever they go. They can access their tastings, as well as access a database of tasting scorecards from other users. As this database grows, it will become particularly useful for hobby pepper growers trying to find that "grail" pepper without breaking the bank with disappointing seed purchases.

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So please join me and a growing community of chileheads in bringing objective and detailed chile pepper evaluations out of academia and into your kitchen.