The pros: Trader Joe's Ghost Pepper Cheddar Cheese is hot cheese, but nothing you'll need to sign a waiver to consume.
The cons: I did not love the flavor pairing here. Spice junkies might be bummed out that this is only medium to hot. This is meant to give a rich pepper flavor without completely overwhelming the palate.
The verdict: I am not a spice junkie. I was raised in a household where salt and pepper were adventurous spices. I even joked around that we have inter-generational pepper left in the pepper shaker in my house growing up. It isn't until we had a real spice store open up that I started to get more willing to try new things.
Now, this is my first ghost pepper item that I've tried. I know Trader Joe's has made many so far. But I remember the pain that my cousin and sister had after deciding to eat a whole habanero. It was both comical and scary. It was probably not the best thing to do. Especially when you go to a stand at a farmers market and ask for a hot pepper. The lady who sold them those peppers wasn't terribly fluent in English, but she did say those peppers were very hot.
Fast forward a few moments and my sister had the common sense to take a nibble. My cousin ate the whole thing and swallowed it before that habanero unleashed its true fury. The heat of a pepper is measured on the Scoville heat units. A jalapeno is only considered mild at under 10,000 SHU. A notch above the jalapeno is cayenne pepper. That clocks in somewhere between 30,000-50,000 SHU. The habanero I mentioned is rated at 100,000-350,000. Where does a ghost chili land? Somewhere closer to a million SHU. Now, there is some variation on this, but it is hotter than a habanero for sure.
Which was a bit of cause for concern here. These chunks of cheese seemed much smaller than most of what is offered on Trader Joe's aisle of cheese. At least the pain might be manageable. This chunk was under $3 and sells for $7.99 per pound. These are probably thinner and smaller for a reason.
I picked this up and noticed how deeply marbled this cheese appeared. The texture is pretty consistent throughout. The cheese even smelled hot. The taste here is very unique. You get a bit of cheddar flavor, but from the small slices I had were smokey, deeply pepper flavored and had a heat that will hit you a few moments after biting into it. It's also a heat that also will linger.
While I only had a few small slices it was enough. For me, this might be better off used in moderation not as something to pair with crackers, but perhaps grated finely over something that just needs some added kick. While I love the cute ghost design on the package, the flavor pairing was not something I enjoyed.
Here is the visual run down of what you get if you buy this product:
The package of Trader Joe's Ghost Pepper Cheddar Cheese:
The nutritional information and the ingredients:
Out of the package you get:
Would I buy this again? No, I would not buy Trader Joe's Ghost Pepper Cheddar Cheese. It was just a bit intense for my liking.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
judilyn says
Haha! What fun - habaneros!!! In the flesh, they are cute little pumpkin-shaped cuties. My husband did like your cousin - bit straight into it. We spent the next hour coating his mouth with yogurt! Lunch was delayed. We were young and stupid then. Still not much brighter, but definitely avoid habaneros!
Virtual hugs,
Judie
becomebetty says
Hey Judie! I can't say that we weren't pondering a trip to the ER. I'm sorry to hear that your husband made the same error. I'm sorry your lunch plans were delayed too. I wouldn't eat a habanero without knowing how diluted it was. Thanks as always for stopping by!
Alek says
I do like the cute touch of the shape. Kudos to TJ's for that. It is interesting that with their raw milk line it not succeed well. Remember the "apple pie" cheese? It sounded good but tasted not great
becomebetty says
Hey Alek! I have vivid memories of that apple pie cheese. That was a big nope in my book too. I really had high hopes for it too. Thanks for stopping by!
Dag says
I am a spice Junkie. I also grew up in a household where salt and pepper were the norm. German household --meat potatoes and more meat and potatoes. Very boring. As I grew up and traveled to Europe and other places I so appreciated the world of spices. And I so love cheese .This is definitely the number one reason I could never be a vegan. That said, when the cheese becomes completely something else due to too many added ingredients or spices it looses its original taste profile. I have seen this cheese option and have passed it by.
becomebetty says
Hey Dag! While the spice junkie in you might appreciate the heat, the cheese overall was a bit of a bummer. Not nearly as balanced as I would have hoped. I think this item would have been more successful had it been a sharper cheddar. Thanks as always for stopping by.
David says
I found the TJ ghost pepper cheese to be phenomenal. I’m not sure what you guys are using it for, but I used it to bake one of the most delicious small pizza’s I’ve had the pleasure of eating in a long time. I just bought a pound of this cheese yesterday and plan to do some more experimenting in the near future.
In its raw form, this cheese complimented TJ’s seaweed pretty nicely. It also goes well with their Ak-Mak crackers. If you’re unfamiliar with ghost peppers or the scoville unit scale, you probably should not be consuming anything like this. The nice thing about ghost peppers is that unlike jalapenos, habanero peppers, and carolina reapers, these do not upset my stomach.
becomebetty says
Hey David! I'm glad you stopped by to share this info. I had my cheese with crackers but I am intrigued by what you said. What made you pair it with seaweed? I'm glad you enjoyed it. For me I wished it was paired with a more assetive cheddar. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Lee Chapman says
Unfortunately as with so many items at Trader Joe's they get you hooked on the item and then discontinue it a few weeks later. Frankly I am sick and tired of this sort of marketing...they know you will come in hoping to find it again but they also know that all they have to do is get you in the store and you WILL leave with something else (and probably many more things since you are already there)!
I am about to end my relationship with Trader Joe's because of this sort of marketing.
becomebetty says
Hey Lee! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the ghost pepper cheddar. And yes, I agree with you it is always a bummer when they discontinue an item. That's part of the reason I do this is to put the information out there. TJs is pretty secretive. Anyways, I would absolutely voice your love for this cheese with the company. You'll get an answer from them one way or another. Here is the link: https://www.traderjoes.com/contact-us/product-feedback
I hope it helps! Thanks again for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!