Pequin vs Tepin-The official Definition?

[imaguitargod]

Ok, I keep getting mixed ideas for different people and I need the straught dope from the people who know(the hot pepper forum people!).

Does Pequin just mean small pepper, or is there an actual Pequin plant. Same question for Tepin.

I actually have a seed catalog infront of me with a picture of a product they are calling a Tepin("Tepin- The world's hottest?"). It shows a small round red pepper. I was actually under the impression that the Carrabean Red Hot was the world's hottest.

[chuk hell]

Pequin, Tepin and Chilitepin all mean the same to me...little "bird peppers"...hot little "bb" size peppers that grow wild around here. Maybe someone else ( Willard? ) will chime in about the different names.

I do know that many Chinese varieties ( habs) are hotter than tepins. Bird peppers being the hottest pepper is sort of an urban myth.

There's a couple other threads on these little guys below....

[Tina Brooks]

I'll ditto Chuk's comments. Worse, I could give you a list of another half dozen names for them.

Btw, the Bahamian bird pepper is a frutescens and although also tiny vs a cayenne, is not a pequin/tepin/chiltepin, etc.

T

[DaveinCoalinga]

Not knowing the true difference, I have some Pequins as labeled as such from a friend who got them in Mexico. They are small, somewhat bulletshaped, about a quarter inch long. They are more orange than red also. They also will put on a lot of fruit the first year.

My Tepin plant, that was collected by me from the wild is a quarter inch round red pepper and is much hotter than the pequin. They also need at least two years to set decent fruit. I got a few the first year, and I am hoping that this year after trimming them back, repotting them and giving them the Miracle Grow/powdered milk and epson salt treatment I should have a nice crop this year. I have seen other Tepins and they seem to hold to this description. As they get setting peppers I will post pictures.

[POTAWIE]

I'm growing both pequin (piquin) and tepins for the first time this year. From my understanding, the pequins are bullet shaped whereas the chiletepins are round. They are said to be difficult to germinate and fruit poorly the first year, but I've had good success with germination (about 50%+) and have chiletepins bushes full of fruits already(started plants early March), although not even a flower on the peqins and quite tall. Will try to post pics

[bubbaschili]

why don't we start calling them tepequins?

[DaveinCoalinga]

My Pequins came up like grass. Excellent germination. The Tepins took almost a month to germinate, and grew very slowly last year. They were only about 2 feet tall before I cut them back when I overwintered them in the house. Pequin leaves are also a dark green where as the Tepins are more of a blue with fine hairs on the stalks and new leaves.

[POTAWIE]

I started chiletepins from two different sources(Reimers and McKenzie Seeds), and both types appear to be growing great their first year. I've got hairs on my pequin not on my tepin (sounds kind of sexual). The pequin is quite tall and looks similar to my rocottos before flowering. Here's my biggest Tepin a day before my cat decided to jump on and break it (Two big branches anyway). Although not ripe, the tiny peppers I salvaged are extremely hot.
http://img472.imageshack.us/img472/7629/pep0110kp.th.jpg (http://img472.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pep0110kp.jpg)

[imaguitargod]

Healthy looking plant.

a day before my cat decided to jump on and break it (Two big branches anyway)
Did you have cat burgers that night?

[Tina Brooks]

As I understand the pepper with the hair is a baccatum, the one without will be an annuum. Although they both go by the same name, I don't think they are the same pepper.

I've bought habaneros labelled scotch bonnet and scotch bonnet labelled habanero, so the various bird peppers getting mixed up wouldn't surprise me.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... It seems to me that most people out there wouldn't know a jalapeno from a habanero.

T

[DaveinCoalinga]

That picture looks like a black tepin. Mine has light green hairy stems, where the one in the picture looks blackish, is that right? Black immature peppers also? That one is pretty cool, lot neater than mine. Basic shape and branch structure is the same though.

[POTAWIE]

The tepin stems start out green and appers to get puplish as it matures. Both seed sources produce same type of plant except Reimers version seems to want to bush out more. The peppers also start out green turning purplish and supposedly ripen red.

Pequin is getting tall but still holding up in the rain. Got to get it in the garden and staked soon
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/6064/pep0246yc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[willard3]

They are said to be difficult to germinate and fruit poorly the first year, but I've had good success with germination (about 50%+) and have chiletepins bushes full of fruits already(started plants early March), although not even a flower on the peqins and quite tall. Will try to post pics

The people who complain of either tepins or piquins haven't grown many. I don't have any trouble with germination and have plenty of fruit in 90 days or so. Tepins are an extremely hardy plant and hard to kill.

In Mexico, piquin as a name serves for either tepin or piquin and just means small. Tepins frequently have a local name also, but say piquin.

Texas Bird peppers are a tepin, but the fruit is pointy and small.

Piquins are generally grown commercially in Mex and tepins are picked from wild plants.

[Tina Brooks]

There ya have it...

Willard, haven't you posted some pics of your tepins around here somewhere???

[setzuanfire]

I think Willard's right, if I can put my 2 cents in. The only difference I've found is the shape of the pods and sometimes the flavor-the tepin (wild) seems sharp and earthy (?) while the pequins taste maybe a little "sweeter" and not as hot, but only by a little bit. One exception is the tarahumara chiltepin, which had bullet-shaped pods but the taste of a tepin. (also very similar to malagueta from Brazil, one of my faves!) brookthecook

[Tina Brooks]

I'll pay to airlift a fresh malagueta! I can't get them here.

T

[willard3]

A nice teipin: sivuli

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/willard3/sivuli5.jpg

[Tina Brooks]

Willard you have both me and the Peppermaster drooling over here! Those are gorgeous!

T

[DaveinCoalinga]

That is a beautiful plant.

[imaguitargod]

The people who complain of either tepins or piquins haven't grown many. I don't have any trouble with germination and have plenty of fruit in 90 days or so. Tepins are an extremely hardy plant and hard to kill.
Well, Willard is correct. I've got fruit on my tepin and flowers on my piquins...

[sixstring75]

What's the trick to germinating Tepins? Two years ago I made a business trip to Mexico and brought back a hand full of dried Tepins. I failed at germination so I gave 40 seeds to a buddy that owns a greenhouse. He also failed.
From what I understand....Pequins are bullet shaped, and Tepins are round. But then again, I can't even get them to germinate! So what do I know?
I have seen many arguments about the worlds hottest pepper (Habs or Tepin). I have eaten fresh Tepins in a Mexican restraunt. And I will admit, they are pretty hot (about two to three swigs on the beer scale)........but they don't really even stand up to even the Orange Hab. However, now that the great Naga has emerged, we can stop worrying about it.

[DaveinCoalinga]

Tepins for me take a long time to germinate, almost a month, and they do need bottom heat. They also have a tendency to rot in the ground before they germinate. Try to soak them in hot water out of the tap for a night, then plant. Then try to keep them as warm as possible. You can also try using some fine sandpaper and just lightly scratching the seed to break the coat they have on them to protect them as they pass through the stomach of birds. I have 2 plants out of 3 whole tepin peppers that were planted. Maybe I just don't know the knack to doing it, I don't know.

Pequins for me however I have no problems with.

[willard3]

Tepins for me take a long time to germinate, almost a month, and they do need bottom heat.

I juse germinated another tepin and it took just a bit less than 30 days....I have never had one take over 30 days. This seed had bottom heat for about 15 days, 15 days no heat.

I put them in damp paper towel, seal it in a zip-lock and put it on bottom heater, a heating pad I got from Wally's World for $9.00. Germinating temp on low setting is 84-87 F.

The real problem with tepin germination is grower impatience.....if they don't germinate in 10 days or so, most growers throw them out concluding that they will NOT germinate.

[imaguitargod]

Wow, I'm just impressed, my piquin is a little over 6 feet tall and my tepins are a big busy of peppers, there must be at least 100 peppers on one of my plants!

[Guy Holman]

He he just you wait n see what it can do with a little more time.....

This is another small pod baby, its PI 446909 a C. praetermissum..I had one last year that yielded over 1000 peppers. This is a great plant, loads of peppers and OH SO beautiful flowers.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b56/Guy_Holman/Wilds%202006/PI%20446909/canopyT.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b56/Guy_Holman/Wilds%202006/PI%20446909/flowerT.jpg

Got to love these small pod peppers

All the best

Guy

[setzuanfire]

How does the heat/flavor from c. praetermissum compare to peqins or tepins? I MUST grow some next year, they look very prolific! brookthecook

[Remos]

I didn't have much problems with germinating tepins either. I received PI511886 (that's the sivuli right?) from willard and it germinated in 6 days in a proporgator(is that the right word?) kept at about 30-32 degrees celsius soil temperture

However I couldn't keep them alive, probably a lack of light. Will definetely try again next season!