This year I grew both the Baker Creek Datils and the Semillas.de Datils to see if I could see a difference. Both plants grew out well and produced good numbers of pods.
Similarities:
Ripe color – beautiful bright orange
Flavor – Aside from minor differences in heat levels, I honestly couldn't find that much difference in the flavor. They both taste great and give that classic orange chinense flavor.
Productivity – Both plants put out a large amount of pods, with the Semillas.de datils producing more.
Differences:
Shape – This is what initially tipped me off that something was up with Baker Creek Datils. Baker Creek pods tend to have a dimple on the bottom (similar to a shishito or patron chile). This seems to be less pronounced in the plant I grew this year, but the plants I grew last year both exhibited this trait in most of their fruits. You can see a picture of what I am talking about here. The semillas.de pods more resemble a classic smoother habenero teardrop shape.
Size – Baker Creek pods were 2x as big as the ones from the semillas.de
Heat – heat levels were similar but I think that the semillas.de pods are slightly hotter. Both are very mild for chinense.
Unripe color – perhaps the most surprising, the unripe pods look very different between the plants, with the semillas.de datils growing a pale green on the plant and the Baker Creek pods a shiny dark green difficult to distinguish from the leaves of the plant
Conclusion:
I don't know what to think. They taste very similar, but the unripe color really throws me off. I think I will continue growing the semillas.de seeds because the pods look cuter to me. Anyone have any thoughts?
by LOUDPACK_MASTERCHEF
1 Comment
I’ve bought over 20 verities of peppers from bakers creek. I received the datil as a freebie last year. Mine are as you described your from last year. And everything else has been spot on from them.