I’ve been to quite a few wine tastings in Germany, but this was my first pepper tasting. The guys at Hennes’ Finest Trading Company import Kampot pepper from Cambodia.  I had an opportunity to visit their store in Cologne, Germany during a May visit and experience the “champagne of peppers” firsthand.

As I walked through the door of their shop, the aroma of pepper was immediately noticeable.  But this isn’t the dry, slightly musty pepper smell that you’re used to and probably makes you sneeze.  The aroma at Hennes’ Finest is a subtle, floral/herbal smell of pepper.  It’s pleasant and made me eager to learn more about this special pepper I knew nothing about.

The pepper guys at Hennes’ are on a mission to introduce a new pepper culture to German cuisine and free the nation from bad pepper.  If you’re visiting Germany and have an opportunity to visit Cologne, stop by one of their two locations in the city and prepare your taste buds to have a whole new relationship with pepper.

My pepper sommelier, Martin ground four different versions of their pepper so I could enjoy the subtle differences in bouquet and then taste. I got to experience different aroma and flavor notes of their black, white, red and dark red Kampot pepper.  Martin ground a small amount of each pepper onto the palm of my hand.  He then encouraged me to spread the freshly-ground pepper with a finger in order to aerate it and fully develop the aroma.  After inhaling its smell, I taste the pepper. The peppercorns all come from the same region of Cambodia and the same plants, but the differences come in how they are processed.

What is Kampot pepper?  The Kampot region of Cambodia is situated between the coast and the mountains and provides the ideal climate for pepper plants.  Minerals in the ground are a perfect source of nutrients for the plants.

I’m a fan of this champagne of peppers and have a whole new respect for something I viewed as a seasoning workhorse in my kitchen.

My culinary curiosity will compel me to make another visit to Hennes Finest Trading Company in Cologne on my next visit to Germany.  In the meantime, I have a nice little supply of their red and black peppers to spice things up in my Arizona kitchen until then.

If a visit to Germany isn’t on your horizon, you can make a virtual visit to Hennes’ Finest Trading Company at the following sites:  http://www.hennesfinest.com, http://www.facebook.com/hennesfinest and http://www.pinterest.com/hennesfinest.  (Please note:  all their information is in German.)