I think you probably got just what the varietal is supposed to be. From my understanding, that's what H&S oregano is supposed to taste as--very strong Greek. But you're not going to get a spicy pepper flavor or anything like that, just characteristics of the original flavor with any varietal.

IMHO, this variety has black pepper notes - not actual "heat". So if you want "heat" you'll have to get it from other ingredients.

And yes, the base flavor is definitely Greek oregano.

I'm a little disappointed that the hot and spicy oregano really is not supposed to be hot or spicy. Someone needs to tell certain plant sellers to fix their descriptions. But I'm glad to know that it's not because of something I'm doing wrong. And it is still a very tasty herb.

Never Heard of "HOT" oregano. Naturally it is , in a way, a spice and therefore spicy. Oregano is not to be eaten by itself. Also, dried oregano has a better flavor than fresh.

It is main use, with me, is in Italian cooking(sauce, meat ball ..). I use it alongside with thyme.

Someone is brilliant with marketing. I predict next year a hot and spicy rosemary will be offered. In 2015, we will see a hot and spicy basil. Perhaps in 2016, we can buy a hot and spicy parsley. Hot and spicy sells!

I actually use the hot & spicy oregano more than any of my other herbs in my cooking. Yes, you can dry it. But in the case of this particular variety, I am not sure I agree about it being better dried. The hot & spicy isn't hot, but it is stronger than Greek oregano, for example. And drying it seems to take away a bit of the flavor. But that's just my opinion and I've found that people tend to disagree over fresh vs. dried oregano.

I find lots of uses for the hot & spicy oregano, including Italian dishes, most anything with tomatoes, egg dishes, and others. And of course, once I have more ripe tomatoes and habaneros, it will be going into homemade salsa too!

'Hot and Spicy' Oregano is my favorite of the oregano varieties. The "Hot" part of this plant is apparent if you pick a leaf off your plant and chew it, somewhere around 10 seconds in, you will get a zing of heat. Remember that this is in relation to other oregano varieties. The heat comes and goes, and then you are left with a somewhat more pungent Oregano flavor than you would get with most other varieties. Compared to peppers or horseradish/wasabi it is not very hot, but compared to other varieties of Oregano, it is quite hot. For a few moments. Still the best variety out there in my opinion.

It's my favorite too. :) But it still tastes neither hot nor spicy to me. Maybe I'm just so accustomed to much hotter things that the oregano's heat is not high enough for me to really notice it.

Angie

I grow an oregano that is surprisingly hot when eaten fresh and has a similar heat to vietnamese mint