The Pequin (or Piquin) pepper has a delicious smoky flavor mixed with levels of heat and fruitiness. Its flavor profile is very similar to the Chiltepin. Although they're relatively small, Pequin peppers have plenty of heat as they average 40,000 to 60,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), so they're slightly hotter than the Cayenne pepper. Pequin peppers are great for making salsa and hot sauce, as the popular Cholula hot sauce brand lists "piquin" peppers and Chile de Arbol peppers among its ingredients.
