Cibola
Also known as Cibola (VSRP Poblano)
Cibola is a tall, variegated ornamental-edible chile from Eric Knight’s Variegated Sugar Rush Peach × Ancho Poblano cross, selected and named by Bryan Townshend. Broad pods ripen from dark purple to golden orange and eat like a fruity jalapeño.
About 1/3.3 the typical heat of a Capsi Jalapeño (25,086 SHU).
Fruit size
10–11 cm
Flavor & Use
Sweet and fruity with a familiar jalapeño bite. Raw fruit can taste close to a sweet pepper; roasting or stuffing caramelizes the sugars and brings out more flavor.
Culinary
About
Cibola is a modern Capsicum annuum selection from an interspecific Variegated Sugar Rush Peach (C. baccatum) × Ancho Poblano cross made by veteran flower-and-chile breeder Eric Knight. Rich Blood grew the F1 generation; Bryan Townshend of Towns-End Chili & Spice in Florida then selected later generations and named this line Cibola after the mythical Seven Cities of Gold. Pods average about 4 inches long and just over 3 inches wide. They start a deep purple, then finish golden orange with burnt-orange and violet highlights. Plants exceed 4 feet, carry white or purple variegated foliage, and need staking. Heat sits near jalapeño, reported at 5,000–10,000 SHU, with a sweet, fruity flavor that deepens when the peppers are roasted.
Backstory
Eric Knight, a U.S. veteran and longtime flower hybridizer in North Carolina, crossed Variegated Sugar Rush Peach with Ancho Poblano to make larger ornamental chiles that still taste good in the kitchen. After Rich Blood grew out the F1, Bryan Townshend selected later generations in South Florida and named the keepers after mythical places. Cibola — the golden city Spanish explorers sought in the Southwest and never found — fits a pepper that turns from dark purple to gold. The line was listed as an F4 T-E selection when seed vendors picked it up.
Appearance
Growing
Heritage
ExploreCibola is an F2+ of Variegated Sugar Rush Peach and Poblano, still splitting and not yet a finished line.
Eric Knight
Parents
Sources
FAQ
- How hot is Cibola?
- Capsi’s sourced range is 5,000–10,000 SHU (Vendor Claim). Capsi uses a sourced range and a trust tier, not a single marketing number. How we verify heat: https://web.thecapsi.app/learn/heat-and-capsaicin/how-we-measure-heat
- What does Cibola taste like?
- Sweet and fruity with a familiar jalapeño bite. Raw fruit can taste close to a sweet pepper; roasting or stuffing caramelizes the sugars and brings out more flavor.
- How do I grow Cibola?
- Cibola: subtropical climate, full sun.
- What can I substitute for Cibola?
- Capsi does not have that recorded yet.