Chocolate Habanero
Chocolate Habanero is a classic habanero lantern shape with wrinkled surface pepper with fruit around 1-2 inches long, 1.5 inches wide. Ready from roughly day 90-100. Germination takes 14-21 days. Space 18-24 inches apart at pH 6.0-6.8. Full sun (6+ hours). It will crop in a container.

Sowing
Start indoors 8-10 weeks before last frost. Needs warm soil (75-85°F) for germination. Transplant after soil reaches 65°F.
Cultivation
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
- Water
- 1-1.5 inches per week, consistent moisture
- Soil
- Well-drained, fertile soil rich in organic matter
- Soil pH
- 6.0-6.8
- Spacing
- 18-24 inches
- Height
- 12-30 inches
- Season
- Warm season
Appearance & flavour
- Colour
- Dark chocolate brown when ripe
- Size
- 1-2 inches long, 1.5 inches wide
- Shape
- Classic habanero lantern shape with wrinkled surface
- Flavour
- Very hot (425,000-577,000 Scoville), rich chocolate and smoky flavors with fruity undertones
In the kitchen
Gourmet hot sauces, chocolate-based mole sauces, jerk seasoning, drying for powder
Pests, disease & resistance
- Pests
- Aphids, thrips, pepper weevil, spider mites
- Diseases
- Anthracnose, bacterial spot, powdery mildew
- Resistance
- Good resistance to bacterial leaf spot
Planting calendar by USDA zone
| Zone | Start indoors | Transplant | Direct sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | April – May | June – July | — | October – September |
| 3 | April | June – July | — | September – October |
| 4 | March – April | June | — | September – October |
| 5 | March | May – June | — | September – October |
| 6 | March | May – June | — | August – October |
| 7 | February – March | April – May | — | August – October |
| 8 | February | April – May | — | July – September |
| 9 | January | March – April | — | June – August |
| 10 | January | February – March | — | June – August |
| 11 | January | January – February | — | May – July |
| 12 | January | January – February | — | May – July |
| 13 | January | January – February | — | May – July |
Companion planting
8 beneficial pairings indexed for this variety, 3 to avoid.
Avoid
Nutrition (per 100 g)
- Calories (per 100 g)
- 27
- Protein (g)
- 1.66
- Fat (g)
- 0.45
- Carbohydrate (g)
- 5.35
- Fibre (g)
- 3.4
- Sugars (g)
- 1.95
- Vitamin A (µg)
- 17
- Vitamin C (mg)
- 82.7
- Vitamin E (mg)
- 0.69
- Vitamin K (µg)
- 9.5
- Vitamin B6 (mg)
- 0.357
- Folate (µg)
- 29
- Calcium (mg)
- 14
- Iron (mg)
- 0.46
- Magnesium (mg)
- 17
- Phosphorus (mg)
- 32
- Potassium (mg)
- 256
- Zinc (mg)
- 0.25
- Selenium (µg)
- 0.3
Where to buy seed and equipment
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Cultivar facts compiled from public horticultural references including USDA GRIN and NC State Extension. Descriptions are original to this catalogue.
Grown Chocolate Habanero?
Post a crop report — day counts, reservoir readings, what worked. Variety-specific logs are the most useful thing on the forum.
Similar varieties
Other peppers with a comparable time to harvest, so a season that suits Chocolate Habanero suits these too.
- Scotch Bonnet 'Scotch Bonnet Orange' 90 days
- Trinidad Scorpion 'Butch T' 90 days
- Hot Pepper 'Habanero Red' 90 days
- Habanero 'Caribbean Red' 90 days
- Habanero 'Orange Habanero' 90 days
- Hot Pepper 'Aji Amarillo' 90 days