Help, I need to buy peppercorns.
 

What kind of pepper do you have in your grinder?


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The grinder I was given only has about an inch left and, to the best of my recollection, I've never actually bought just peppercorns. I am going to order from Penzey's today. Their selection of peppercorns is overwhelming - tellicherry, malabar, muntok, pink, green, black. I have a shaker of ground white, so I want at least some (or all?) black.

https://www.penzeys.com/search/?q=%22peppercorns%22

I use the whole black tellicherry peppercorns from www.peppermate.com I also think that their pepper grinder is fantastic. Have given them as gifts. Everyone loves this grinder and the peppercorns.

TBH, you can buy packages of black peppercorns (Tampico, El Guapo) for ~$1/oz at most local supermarkets in California.

David

I buy whole black peppercorns at Costco. I like to mix them with rainbow ones from Trader Joe’s.

I've searched Costco online and in-store for them and only find the mini grinder plus refill. No plain ol' peppercorns without grinder.

Do you use that much pepper? Peppercorns lose their potency and flavor after a while. They don't go bad just won't taste as fresh. I try to only buy what I will use in a year.. I second the vote for tellicherry but I usually buy the mixed blend.

Very true, but often the large jug at Costco costs less than the tiny jar of Schilling/other at the supermarket, so tossing some after a year or so is no biggie.

Rainbow peppercorns (really it's black, white, green, and pink), and I supplement that with the Fiery Fusion Mix from The Spice Hunter (California company).

These Kirkland black peppercorns are exactly what I was looking for. I can see them through your link, but once I sign in and search, it does not show, not available at my store, but I can get them by 2-day delivery or from two stores further afield in the tri-county area.

I was in this situation last year and got what I thought were peppercorns on Amazon. Nope, turns out I bought ground black pepper :o But for whatever reason it is very potent so I've been using it.

-J.

We used to buy Costco or Penzey's peppercorns, but the French peppercorn blend from The Spice House is superior:

https://www.thespicehouse.com/produc...ppercorn-blend

Came here to recommend The Spice House as well.

I would recommend a trip to the local indian spice shop. The ones near me always have whole peppercorns on hand. The variety depends on a variety of factors, but still pretty decent most of the time. I usually go 2-3 times a year to pick up various spices and it's always interesting to see what's on hand.

(a) Go to your nearby Indian store for pepper.

https://www.nonnabox.com/types-of-pepper/ is a short read on the different varieties of pepper in the market. Or if you prefer a different source, https://www.seriouseats.com/guide-to-pepper-varieties

The Telicherry is the same variety as the Malabar pepper, differing in size (which also results in a somewhat lower heat and more aromatics).

If you want something interestingly different, long pepper is a great option (Use a coffee grinder to grind this, rather than a regular pepper grinder. I am guessing you don't have a good spice grinder at home from your question).

Agreed. Last year I recommissioned a small hand cranked coffee grinder with a ceramic burr to a pepper grinder.

A revelation! The grinder isn’t particularly fancy and not that great for coffee beans, but it sure beats any pepper grinder I’ve ever used. That probably says more about the low quality of most pepper grinders. Anyway, if you haven’t tried it, highly recommend it. Even a cheap coffee grinder allows you to tamper with and adjust the burr so you can get your ideal pepper texture.

I do have long pepper, but I just don’t like it as much as the black and white kinds of pepper I use. Thought it would be good on strawberries.

And it wasn't?

David

Thanks, everyone. No Indian markets where I live, but I think I'll be in San Francisco in a couple weeks. If anyone has any recommendations between San Jose and SF, please share!

Turned out I preferred “classic” black peppercorns to the long kind. Considerably.
I also realised that whilst I don’t mind black pepper with strawberries, if I am going to zhuzh up strawberries I generally prefer them with a good balsamic vinegar.

The foods I really have enjoyed where black pepper is the dominant flavour have been this tofu recipe (which uses an obscene amount and yet is somehow “balanced”)
https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/black-pepper-tofu-a#

Also got unexpectedly seduced into enjoying it on popcorn by Tokyo Disney Sea.

Went to a farmer’s market in Tokyo and was introduced to Vietnamese black pepper by a vendor with relationships with smallholder farmers there. Wish I’d bought more at the time. When I can, I usually buy the Sarawak kind. Am currently going through a batch of Wayanad peppercorns; good but haven’t been wowed by them.

I’ll still seek out an Indian market, but I happened to see this at Whole Foods yesterday.


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I believe there is an Indian market in Seaside, in case that's helpful.

It is. I had no idea. I'll stop in the next time I'm over there.

You can find jars of black peppercorns everywhere.....any grocery and probably even Dollar Tree. I thought you were looking for something specialized.

for how much?

David

Btw, I usually buy things like this on Etsy or ebay.

Yes and no. I initially planned to buy them through Penzey's because I had a gift card, but decided to follow the Indian market advice and seek out a store while in the Bay Area this coming weekend. I rarely am in grocery stores, even before COVID, found myself in WF yesterday, and decided to buy them, which was easier than trying to plot out the highest rated Indian markets closest to BART or Caltrain stations.
Funny, I was going to state the price, but wasn't 100% sure I correctly remembered $8.99 and was too lazy to go fetch the receipt from my wallet. Just pulled the receipt out, yep, $8.99.

so interesting because the Sf shop has them sans grindrrr

whacky!

Glad you got them. I hope you’re happy with them.

I'm staggered that buying peppercorns in the US is as difficult as it seems. Here they are a staple of pretty well every supermarket, along with sea salt, milk, butter and most other kitchen essentials.

They are a staple everywhere here too. It is not the least bit difficult unless you are wanting something exotic.

I don't think it has to be exotic. Peppercorns should be easy. But any deviation from that (eg, maybe fresher) and often things start to become difficult.

As an example, I am always on the lookout for a type of shrimp paste that is common in South East Asia (Hae ko or petis udang). But I cannot find it in any asian supermarkets. I could order from Amazon, but then I am at the shell's mercy. I can find 10 other types of shrimp paste, but not this one. I've written to several manufacturers as I find it hard to believe that there isn't a market for it here, but no response from them.

I was introduced to cubeb pepper yesterday.

Looks a little like black pepper, except it has a sort of membrane around it and remains attached to a bit of stalk (apparently an alternative name is tailed pepper for this reason).
I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a single ingredient that had so many layers of pungent, aromatic flavours.

That I can still remember the intimate little journey that one cubeb pepper “corn” took me on just before I submitted myself to the sucker punch of an assault from a confidently filled betel leaf is testament to the culeb pepper’s thrilling uniqueness.