Black, Green and White peppercorns (Piper nigrum) are all products of the same plant but each is harvested and handled differently and are blended here in this Mixed Peppercorns selection with the Red peppercorns (Schinus molle).

Red Pepper:-

The Red or Pink peppercorn, (Schinus molle), usually the fourth component in Mixed Peppercorns blends, is not actually a member of the pepper family although it is often marketed as such. This faintly sweet spice from Reunion Island does, however,  enhance the flavour of the other true peppers.

Black Pepper:-

Black pepper is produced from the still-green, unripe drupes which are briefly cooked in hot water, both to clean them and to prepare them for drying; the heat ruptures cells in the pepper, speeding the work of browning enzymes  during drying. The drupes are dried in the sun or by machine for several days, during which the pepper around the seed shrinks and darkens into a thin, wrinkled black layer. Once dried, the spice is called black peppercorn.

White Pepper:-

White pepper consists solely of the seed of the pepper plant, with the darker-coloured skin of the pepper fruit removed. This is usually accomplished by a process known as retting where fully ripe red pepper berries are soaked in water for about a week, during which the flesh of the pepper softens and decomposes. Rubbing then removes what remains of the fruit, and the naked seed is dried.

Green Pepper:-

Green pepper, like black, is made from the unripe drupes. Dried green peppercorns are treated in a way that retains the green colour, such as shade drying.