Browse our products

Free delivery on all UK orders over £24.99

Shop in confidence

Hot Cayenne Pepper organic

Description Price Quantity
Organic Hot Cayenne Pepper Jar 55g £2.50
Organic Hot Cayenne Pepper Pouch 150g £4.25
Hot Cayenne Pepper organic

View larger Image

Steenbergs Organic Hot Cayenne Pepper is a pure chilli product with a chilli heat in the range of 130,000 - 150,000 Scoville Heat Units, or 9/10. Steenbergs Organic Hot Cayenne Pepper has a powerful kick that will enliven any dish, but also hidden in there there are subtle flavour-enhancing quality. Steenbergs organic hot cayenne pepper is either from India or Uganda.


Cayenne was traditionally a cultivar of Capsicum frutescens, the lesser species of chilli pepper, from Cayenne in French Guiana. We use a hot and spicy Capsicum frutescens L. which we usually get from Uganda, and have common names like chilli pili pili, bird pepper or bird's eye chilli.  It is hot and its heat is unpredictable, so varies from season to season.  Capsicum frutescens is a herb or small shrub, with oval leaves and firm woody stems, growing to 1 metre high (3ft). They are usually grown as annuals as the yield of chilli fruits diminishes after the first year. The chilli pod is a many seeded red-orange berry with a shiny skin that can come in a wide variety of shapes, colours, thickness and spicy heat - at Steenbergs, we choose smaller fruits that are 1½ - 3½cm long and ½ – 1¼cm wide.


The aroma and flavour of fresh chillis is distinctly capsicum-like, with a hint of sweetness. Their pungent bite comes from the levels of various capsaicionoids, particularly capsaicin, which are present in the fruit; capsaicin causes the brain to release endorphins and so feelings of wellbeing. To make dry chillis, the fresh chillies are dried indoors at 20-25C (68-77F) to allow them to fully ripen, then they are dried outside on concrete floors, roofs of buildings or woven mats. At night they are heaped into piles and covered with tarpaulins to protect them, before being spread out again during the day. It takes roughly three days for the moisture content to be brought down to 10% from 70-80% when fresh; as an approximation, 100kg of fresh chillies yields 25-35kg of dried chilli spice. For more information on cayenne pepper, visit Wikipedia.


With the popularity of Indian cooking, we have become very fond of chilli in our food, whether dried or via a table sauce. I am forever adding some heat from a sauce to add some spice into insipid and bland chicken, soup or vegetables. Why not also make a simple sauce by adding 3 or 4 fresh chillies or dried organic Birds Eye chilli to a bottle of sherry for a few days, then adding it to food as and when needed? Ground cayenne pepper combines well with almost all other spices and is found in recipes ranging from bhajis through to chutneys and tomato ketchup. For more inspiration, try the BBC Website.


Steenbergs Organic Cayenne Pepper is a core part of Steenbergs range of over 400 organic spices, peppers, seasonings, herbs and flavoured sugars.  It is not sold into our retail customers, so is exclusive to our web store customers and via Steenbergs at Amazon.

+ Show Nutritional/Allergy Information

Values per 100g:
Energy 318kCal; 1331kJ
Protein 12.0g
Carbohydrates 56.6g
Fat 17.3g

Values per 2.5g teaspoon:
Energy 8kCal; 33kJ
Protein 0.3g
Carbohydrates 1.4g
Fat 0.4g

You might also like

Your basket

Top sellers

  1. Turmeric Powder Organic Fairtrade - 40g
  2. Za'atar Spice Blend - Zatar - Zaatar
  3. Sumac Ground Powder Spice
  4. Organic smoked paprika 55g
  5. Dukkah Spice Blend Organic Arabic Seasoning
  6. Rose Water Organic Steenbergs
  7. Cardamom Ground Organic - 50g
  8. Rose Petals Standard Jar Edible Flower
  9. Ras Al Hanut Spice Blend

Latest from the blog

Is social media really so benign?
25 June 2012, 4:10 pmThe penny finally dropped today about the creeping commercialisation of all of our private conversations and lives.  On the BBC…... Read more
Cooking With A Wonderbag
5 June 2012, 12:53 pmSophie came across the Wonderbag on the radio and then The Guardian, so one arrived several weeks thereafter.  Basically, a…... Read more
Dosas – Southern Indian Pancakes
25 April 2012, 12:59 pmMy parents have recently come back from a wedding in Southern India and they have been to one of my…... Read more
Decoration