Jalapenos are less spicy now than in the past: report

If you’ve felt that some hot peppers have lost their spice in recent years, you may be onto something.

According to a report in D Magazine, a publication focused on Dallas, “a vast industrial scheme” has led to milder jalapeños.

The culprit is a variety of pepper called TAM II, which has in its two decades of existence “become some of the most popular in the processing business,” Brian Reinhart noted in his report.

In exchange for reduced spice levels, TAM II peppers boast properties that many growers and manufacturers find attractive, including larger fruit with more flesh, a faster maturation time, virus resistance and a better appearance.

For many producers, such as those making salsa, having more product with less spice is a double win, as they’d prefer to add their own spice, oleoresin capsicum, a pepper extract that’s “pure heat,” so they can better control spice levels in products like salsa.

“When you’re doing a huge run of salsa for shipment, and you want a hot label, medium label, mild label, it’s really important to predict what kind of heat you’ll get,” Stephanie Walker, a pepper expert at New Mexico State University, told D Magazine.

If you’re missing the kick of yesteryear in your jalapeños, D Magazine suggests asking local growers what varieties they produce and finding an alternative to TAM II, such as Mitla or Early peppers.

And if you just want someone to blame, the clue is in the name. TAM II is a reference to Texas A&M University, which pioneered the peppers, D Magazine noted.

“Yes, Aggies took the spice out of life.”

While Reinhart’s report came out last year, it gained prominence on social media on Tuesday, especially from A&M’s rivals.

“some a— texas a&m students made a more profitable but less hot jalapeño pepper and that’s why they suck now,” one viral tweet commented. “unbelievable.”