Peppercorns

Pepper is always best when served freshly ground. The outer shell serves to seal in freshness and once this protection is lost, flavor diminishes within 30 days of being ground. Peppercorns are derived from the Piper Nigrum Vine.  The newer ceramic grinding units have a better fine to extra fine ability. Cooking in a sauce for over two hours will cause bitter or less taste, add after cooking.

Peppercorns are generally sorted by color, then location of origin.

Black 

peppercorns:

Standard for USA use. Picked when changing from green to yellow. 

Hot and pungent. Most common sold, but tends to be a mix of cheaper grades with the Brazilian black and have less flavor than any other.

Malabar:  Green-blue from Malabar Coast of India. robust flavor

Tellicherry: Similar to Malabar, except larger, higher quality corns. Considered the finest in Black Pepper.  Allow to develop to best 

age before picking. Complex and spicy, not hot.

Sarawak:  Malaysian small berry with mild flavor and aroma.

Lampong:  Indonesian, hotter than Sarawak.

Vietnamese:  Similar to Lampong, slightly citurs flavor

Talamanca Del Caribe:  From Ecuador, robust and pungent  hotter than average.

Green

peppercorns:

Harvested long before maturity in the green stage and either air-dried, freeze-dried 

or pickled in brine to prevent fermentation.  They are aromatic with a fresh flavor, 

but are not pungent.  In the dried form they are used for French, Creole, Thai, and Pepper Sauce.   Expensive because the processing required and smaller yield.

Pink, Red, or

Rose Pepper

Not a Pepper, but from a rose bush found on the French Island of Reunion in the Indian ocean. Taste like Black pepper, but mild and slightly sweet. More used with color peppercorn blends for looks.

Szechuan Peppercorns

Not a true peppercorn, but the dried berry of a deciduous prickly ash tree

not as pungent as black pepper or flavored like pepper.

White

Peppercorns

Ripened mature peppercorns with the outer skin removed.

Taste hotter but less pungent than black.

Muntok:  Most common from the port of Muntok, Bangka located in Indonesia.

Sarawak:  Larger with more robust flavor. Malaysia.

Talamanca Del Caribe:  Hot pepper from Ecuador.

Blends

Common for stores to have garlic or other peppercorns,

most often just black peppercorns with garlic or other powders.