Profile: This area's rough-around-the-edges sheriff. You and the puya chile will have words if you start trouble.

Details: 

The thin, mahogany-red puya peppers aren't much. Try a nibble and see how quick they are with their spice. These slim dudes are gorgeous. Instead of a stinging heat, expect a radiant burn that throbs on your tongue for a time.

A container of puya chili pods smells like the desert on a hot day - dusty, dry, and aromatic. The flavor is sweet and tangy, like a young cherry. The chile's spiciness may rapidly overpower its own flavor, so use the reconstituted water to effectively extract it.