Capsaicin extract is the heat of a chilli pulled into alcohol and concentrated. With dried Carolina Reapers, 96 percent alcohol and two weeks in a sealed jar you get a fiery tincture; the NOIDS Herb Lab then evaporates most of the alcohol and recovers it through the condenser, leaving a small, very hot extract for the kitchen. Wear gloves from the first step to the last, and work in a ventilated room. What you need, the steps, the machine settings and how to store it are below.
What you need
- Dried Carolina Reaper peppers
- High-proof alcohol, 96 percent or higher
- A glass jar with a tight-fitting lid
- The NOIDS Herb Lab with two Glasses, the Filter Set and the Condenser
- Nitrile gloves, and a window open; food-grade, non-denatured alcohol only in the machine
- A dark glass bottle with a dropper
Steps
- Gloves on. Capsaicin on skin burns for hours and it transfers to anything you touch. Gloves on before the bag is opened, and off only when the bottle is capped.
- Grind the peppers. A dry grinder or food processor, to a coarse powder. Do not lean over the bowl when you open it.
- Steep. Powder into the jar, alcohol to cover, lid on, cool dark cupboard, two to three weeks, a gentle shake every few days.
- Strain. Through a fine strainer or the NOIDS filter set into a clean vessel. Press the solids, then discard them wrapped.
- Concentrate in the Herb Lab. Pour the strained liquid into the Glass, below the MAX mark. Fit the short end of the Condenser onto the Spout of the Filter Set, and close the Glass with the Filter Set instead of the Dish Lid. Place the Glass in the Main Body and stand a second, empty Glass under the long end of the Condenser. Turn the dial to Evaporation. The machine heats the liquid at the boiling point of alcohol; the alcohol leaves the extract, cools in the Condenser and drips into the second Glass, ready for the next batch. Turn it off when the volume is where you want it, or let it run: once the alcohol is gone the machine stops itself at 102 °C. Run it in a room larger than 50 m³ with fresh air, at least 5 m from any open flame. Let the Glass cool before you touch it.
- Bottle. Dark glass with a dropper, labelled, out of reach of children. A drop is a serving. While it is still mostly alcohol, it keeps in a dark cupboard. If you reduced it until little alcohol is left, keep it in the fridge and use it within 4 days, or freeze it.
Using it
By the drop, not the spoon: into a chilli oil, a hot sauce, a marinade, a pot of beans. Add one drop, stir, taste, wait a minute, then decide about the second.
Questions people ask
Fresh peppers instead of dried? Dried grind finer and carry less water into the alcohol, which makes a cleaner extract. Fresh work, with a longer steep.
Why 96 percent alcohol? Capsaicin dissolves in alcohol far better than in water; the higher the percentage, the more of it you get out.
Can I skip the machine? Yes; the two-week jar tincture is usable as it is, just milder and larger in volume.
How do I clean up? Gloves, then hot soapy water for the grinder and the Glass; the filter mesh rinses clean under the tap.
Make it in the Herb Lab
The Basic Bundle includes the condenser this guide relies on. The tincture maker collection shows the bundles with a spare Glass.
