We added a tablespoon of crushed Tellicherry Peppercorns to a pint of regular vodka and shook it up. We let it sit in a cool, dark place and shook it once a day. After 12 days we strained it through a couple of coffee filters.

It was dark brown, almost the color of strong tea, and, of coarse we just had to have a taste. It smelled and tasted strongly of black pepper, and warmed the tongue, the taste lingered for several minutes. What a thrill for a black pepper lover, it was great. We couldn’t wait to try it in a cocktail, but we did.

We decided to try it in a Bloody Mary. Doc’s wife Lisa mixed the drinks for us using 1-ounce of the Tellicherry  Peppercorn Vodka over crushed ice, with a couple of splashes each of Worcestershire sauce and Chipotle Tabasco. She added V8 juice to that and added a celery stick for stirring.

The taste was great, the V8 mellowed the Tellicherry Peppercorn Vodka a bit. The heat from the Tellicherry Peppercorn Vodka kind of sneaked up on us and stayed for several minutes. What an experience! I think perhaps we should try it in some other cocktails and see what the results are.

I think that Tellicherry Peppercorn Vodka is a must for anyone who would like their cocktails with a little kick to them.

Give it a try and let us know what you think!

The salt that is on most of our tables is highly refined and has added agents to keep it free of clumps and to keep it free flowing. It may also have added iodine to help prevent thyroid disease. Refining strips the salt of all trace minerals leaving almost pure sodium chloride. There is some debate as to whether salt in this form is able to be utilized by our bodies. It is important to keep in mind that some sea salts are also refined, so it would be wise to check the labels before deciding on a sea salt as a replacement for refined table salt. Refined table salt is also sometimes bleached to give us the pure white salt that we are used to.

Unrefined sea salt, on the other hand, may contain up to 80 or more trace minerals that are essential to our bodies. The trace minerals give the salt the taste, color, texture and composition of the salt. These minerals vary according to the area where and how the salt is harvested. Sea salt may also be lower in sodium chloride than refined table salt and therefore may be a better choice. The amount of iodine in sea salt may be inadequate for good thyroid health so supplements may be needed. Each kind of sea salt has its own best use, while some are best used for cooking others are better used as finishing salt which is added just before eating. Sea salt also comes in various smoked flavors as well as salt that is flavored with various herbs and spices. There are more than 100 kinds of sea salt to choose from, if you would like to try some check http://www.atthemeadow.com or http://www.saltworks.us for some sampler packages.

Some drinks that use small amounts of pepper can be found at http://www.drinknation.com, like the following: Alabama Slammer #5, Algonquin Bloody Mary, Blood Mary Extra Hairy, Bloody Beer, Bloody Ceasar, Bloody Hooker, Bloody Mary Meets Mr T and several others. More such drinks can be found at http://www.barnonedrinks.com.

The Black Pepper Gin Rickey is made with gin, black pepper lime soda and lime slices for garnish. Black Pepper Martini is made with gin, vermouth and peppercorn syrup. The peppercorn syrup is made with water, sugar, whole and cracked peppercorns. Peppercorn vodka can be made with just peppercorns and vodka or it may include hot peppers as well. There are a few pepper vodkas on the market, but the ones I’ve looked at are made with chili peppers rather than peppercorns.

I personally don’t usually have mixed drinks, but some of these sound interesting and may be worth a try. I really like peppercorns on my food and I think it would add a new dimension to mixed drinks. The internet has hundreds of drink recipes for anyone interested in trying any of those mentioned here.

Tellicherry peppercorns are the best 10% of the Malabar peppercorns in flavor, size and quality. Malabar peppercorns are considered by most to be the best of the mass produced peppercorns and are the standard by which most other peppercorns are rated.

Tellicherry peppercorns are the fruit of  Piper Nigrum, a vine native to the Malabar Coast in Southwest India, in the state of Kerala. The vine is now grown around the world, mostly within 15 ° of the Equator.

Tellicherry peppercorns are larger than most other peppercorns and are stronger in aroma and taste. They are used in almost every cuisine around the world and add a great flavor to many dishes, including meats, vegetables, fruits and drinks. It is at its best freshly ground in a pepper mill or with a mortar and pestal as it quickly loses flavor once it is ground.

Malabar peppercorns have been used as medicine and for seasoning foods for at least 4000 years and have cultivated since about 1000 B.C. They set the course of history and trade throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East and were sometimes traded ounce for ounce for gold. Once a luxury of the very rich, it is now available at an affordable price to just about everyone.

Malabar peppercorns are the fruit of  Piper Nigrum, a vine native to the Malabar Coast in Southwest India, in the state of Kerala. The vine is now grown around the world, mostly within 15 ° of the Equator.

Piper Nigrum produces four types of peppercorns, they are; Black, Green, Red and white. The only difference between them is when they are harvested and how they are processed. Green peppercorns are harvested when the berries are full sized and still green. They are then boiled briefly then they may be air dried, freeze dried or packed in water, vinegar or brine to keep their green color. Black peppercorns are picked when the berries are just starting to turn yellow. They are then boiled, allowed to ferment and dried in the sun or a kiln until they become wrinkled and dark brown to black. Red peppercorns are allowed to fully ripen and then are processed similar to green peppercorns. White peppercorns are also allowed to fully ripen, they are soaked in wet burlap or in running water to soften the outer fruit or pericarp. The outer fruit is then removed leaving only the inner seed which is then dried, the result is a beige to white peppercorn.

Malabar peppercorns are larger than most other peppercorns and are stronger in aroma and taste. They are used in almost every cuisine around the world and add a great flavor to many dishes, including meats, vegetables, fruits and drinks. It is at its best freshly ground in a pepper mill or with a mortar and pestal as it quickly loses flavor once it is ground.

Malabar peppercorns have been used as medicine and for seasoning foods for at least 4000 years and have cultivated since about 1000 B.C. They set the course of history and trade throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East and were sometimes traded ounce for ounce for gold. Once a luxury of the very rich, it is now available at an affordable price to just about everyone.

Australian pepperberries can be used in place of  black peppercorns in cooking, but care should be taken when using because they are intensely hot. Medicinally they are used to prevent scurvy and to help fight arthritis. They are also used as a fish poison.

Australian pepperberries are considered as one of the worlds strongest anti-oxidant foods and a rich source of vitamin C. They are also high in antimicrobial and anti-arthritic properties.

They may be available frozen, freeze or air dried and come whole or ground. Frozen pepperberries should be stored in the freezer, dried should be stored in a cool dark place in an airtight container.

Although difficult to find in the US they are sometimes available from http://theepicentre.com or http://athemeadow.com.

I have not yet had the pleasure of trying either the pepperberries or the leaves, but I hope to in the near future. In fact in time I’d like to try all the different peppercorns and substitutes I can find.

Tellicherry peppercorns are the fruit of  Piper Nigrum, a vine native to the Malabar Coast in Southwest India, in the state of Kerala. The vine is now grown around the world, mostly within 15 ° of the Equator.

Tellicherry peppercorns are larger than most other peppercorns and are stronger in aroma and taste. They are used in almost every cuisine around the world and add a great flavor to many dishes, including meats, vegetables, fruits and drinks. It is at its best freshly ground in a pepper mill or with a mortar and pestal as it quickly loses flavor once it is ground.

Malabar peppercorns have been used as medicine and for seasoning foods for at least 4000 years and have cultivated since about 1000 B.C. They set the course of history and trade throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East and were sometimes traded ounce for ounce for gold. Once a luxury of the very rich, it is now available at an affordable price to just about everyone.

A close relative of Cubeb pepper, Long pepper and Black pepper, West African pepper is grown on Jawa (Java) and other Indonesian islands as well an in Sierra Leone, West Africa, Nigeria and Congo. In appearance they look similar to Cubeb peppers except they are smaller and have a smother skin. The stalks of the West African berries are curved whereas the stalks of Cubeb berries are straight. They are red when ripe and turn black when dried and contain a single seed that varies in color.

Medically they are used for indigestion, flatulence, muscular pain, constipation, poor memory, and fever.

Its taste is similar to the Cubeb pepper but is less bitter and is more herbaceous. It can be used in soups, stews or rice, or any recipe that calls for Cubeb pepper. A popular recipe in Congo is Ashanti Chicken and can be found elsewhere on the net. Ashes from the burned plant are sometimes used as a salt substitute. West African pepper is not widely used out side of Africa today and can be difficult to find.

The plant is a climbing vine that may reach 60 feet in length, they are native to Central and Western Africa in the tropical regions. They are also now grown in various areas of Africa and Indonesia.

The aroma is wood-like with earthy touches. They have a fresh and hot taste that is similar to that of the long pepper, woodsy with hints of fruit, citrus and flowers. The flavor is long lasting and goes will with pork or lamb as well as chocolate and fruits.

Our approximately 10,000 taste buds can only differentiate five or six basic tastes, those are:  sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami (savory), and possibility fatty.

Our sense of taste along with our sense of smell allows us to differentiate 4,000 to 10,000 different tastes. In fact some scientists believe that about 75% of our sense of taste is tied to our sense of smell.

Without our sense of smell there are many foods we would not be able to taste like strawberries, pears, apples and many of the other things we love to eat, and what about all those wonderful herbs and spices we use to make our food taste so much better.

Anosmia has several different forms, it can partial or total and may be temporary or permanent. Hyposmia is a reduced ability to smell while Hyperosmia is an heightened sense of smell.

Some possible causes of Anosmia are: smoking, aging, head trauma, brain tumors, nasal tumors, medication, the common cold, or poisoning due to lead or cadmium. It is also believed that Anosmia may be an early symptom of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s Disease.

There may be some relief from Anosmia by quitting smoking, cutting back on the use of nasal decongestants, or adding zinc supplements to the diet. If these things don’t help the next step would be to see your doctor or a specialist.