01
Black Kampot
Mature unripe berries sun-dried 7–10 days. The workhorse grade. Complex, aromatic, moderate heat.
Heat3/5
Aromatic5/5
Price tier3/5
HarvestFeb–Mar
PGI · 2010Kampot Province, Cambodia
Kampot Pepper
floral · peppery · warm
300
licensed producers
certified under PGI
2010
year of PGI recognition
a first for Cambodia
7
to 10 days sun-drying
on bamboo racks
3
years from vine to first harvest
then 15+ years of yield
Harvest verified · October 2024
Visual atlas
Profile
Grown on red, iron-rich soil along the Kampot River in southern Cambodia, Kampot pepper is one of only two peppers in the world to hold a Protected Geographical Indication. Known for its clean heat, jasmine-like floral top notes, and eucalyptus finish, it is prized by chefs who refuse to treat pepper as a background note.
Kampot pepper grows on vines that climb up tall wooden stakes on small family farms spread along the Kampot and Kep coast of southern Cambodia. The region's unique quartz-rich sandy soil, salt-laden sea winds and humid monsoon climate produce peppercorns that carry a complexity unusual in the Piper nigrum species. The tradition dates back at least to the 13th century, was nearly destroyed during the Khmer Rouge years, and was painstakingly rebuilt in the 1990s and 2000s by a small group of returning farmers. Today only around 300 licensed producers may sell peppercorns under the Kampot name, governed by the Kampot Pepper Promotion Association. Each harvest is hand-picked and sun-dried on bamboo racks — every colour (black, red, white, green) comes from the same vine, simply picked or processed differently.
Tasting notes
floral · peppery · warm
Top: jasmine, orange peel, pine. Mid: black tea, mint, eucalyptus. Base: warm wood, spice bread, clean lingering heat. Less aggressive than Tellicherry, more aromatic than Penja, sharper than Malabar. The finish is long and clean, not dusty.
botanicalpungentearthysweet
Flavor compass
Origin
PGI · 2010Kampot Province, Cambodia.
PGI since 2010.
Grades & varieties
02
Red Kampot
Fully ripe berries. Rare — about one-tenth of total harvest. Sweeter, more fruity, aromatic nose of strawberry and dried fruit.
Heat4/5
Aromatic4/5
Price tier5/5
HarvestMar–Apr
03
White Kampot
Red berries soaked to remove the outer skin. Cleaner, sharper, more piercing heat. Prized for light sauces and white fish.
Heat2/5
Aromatic3/5
Price tier4/5
HarvestMar–Apr
04
Green Kampot
Unripe berries, fresh or quickly dried. Bright herbaceous nose, lower heat. Traditional in Khmer crab dishes and fresh sauces.
Heat2/5
Aromatic5/5
Price tier4/5
HarvestJan–Feb
Process
On the vineHand-picked
From vine to grain
On the vine → Hand-picked.
01Year 1–3
The vine climbs
Piper nigrum is planted at the foot of 4–5 metre wooden stakes. It takes three years to bear its first berries.
02February
Peak ripeness
Families walk the rows hand-picking, choosing berries at the exact stage for black, red, white or green.
037–10 days
Sun-drying
Bamboo racks under the Gulf of Thailand sun. No machines. The grains wrinkle and darken.
04Manual
Size sorting
Every grain is passed through a sieve and an eye. Only those that meet the PGI gauge keep the Kampot name.
05Your jar
Whole, never ground
Shipped whole. Cracked only at the moment of use. 18 to 24 months of aroma if sealed.
Inside the berry
The molecules that make it taste like Kampot — and not like anything else.
What the lab sees: more essential oil than most Piper nigrum, and a terpene profile that reads like a fresh forest floor.
5.8%
Piperine
average, black grade
3.1%
Essential oil
vs 1.5–2.5% standard
11.2%
Moisture
sun-dried 7–10 days
87
Flavor compounds
identified in 2019 study
Volatile compound profile
- β-caryophyllene28.4%
Woody, clove-like, peppery backbone — the dominant terpene of Kampot.
- Limonene17.2%
Bright citrus top note — responsible for Kampot's lifted nose.
- α-pinene12.8%
Fresh pine resin, cool and green — adds eucalyptus-like coolness.
- 3-carene9.5%
Sweet, dry, cypress-like — links to Kampot's resinous aftertaste.
- Linalool6.1%
Floral, lavender-adjacent — the reason red Kampot tastes of flowers.
- Safrole2.7%
Warm, sassafras, root-beer depth — soft but distinctive.
Versus other peppers
| Pepper | Piperine | Oil |
|---|---|---|
★ Kampot (PGI) Cambodia · sun-dried | 5.8% | 3.1% |
Tellicherry India · late-harvest | 6.4% | 2.4% |
Sarawak Malaysia · stream-washed | 5.2% | 2.0% |
Lampong Indonesia · generic bulk | 6.9% | 1.7% |
Penja white Cameroon · river-soaked | 4.8% | 1.9% |
Producers
Pick
La Plantation
Kampot Province · est. 2013
“A Belgian-French family farm near Kampot town that hand-picks, sun-dries and packs its own pepper on site.”
MethodsOrganic certification, hand-picking, sun-drying on bamboo racks, no chemical inputs. Practice intercropping with banana, papaya and moringa.
Pick
Starling Farm
Kampot Province · est. 2005
“One of the pioneers of the Kampot pepper revival. A small family plantation reopened in the mid-2000s.”
MethodsHand-picking at dawn, drying on bamboo trays lifted above ground level to catch the wind. No mechanical sorting — every grain is sized by sieve and by eye.
Bopha Kampot
Kampot Province · est. 2009
“A cooperative of small Khmer family farms grouping around fifteen growers along the coast.”
MethodsShared drying facilities, individual hand-picking on each plot, cooperative quality control and PGI certification.
Kampot Province
Sothy's Pepper Farm
Kampot Province · est. 2007
“A third-generation Khmer family farm run by Sothy and his daughter, reopened after the Khmer Rouge years.”
MethodsHand-picking, traditional sun-drying on bamboo, no mechanical sorting. Bat guano and cow manure as sole fertiliser. Visitors welcome for harvest season tours.
Kampot Province
Kurata Pepper
Kampot Province · est. 1997
“Founded by Japanese entrepreneur Hiroshi Kurata, a pioneer of the modern Kampot pepper revival.”
MethodsRigorous Japanese quality protocols, hand-picking at precise ripeness stages, multi-stage sun-drying, strict moisture control (target 12.5%). Each lot is tasted and graded before export.
Compare producers
5 producers compared
Sort by
| Producer | Surface | Certifications | Signature grade | Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
★ Sothy's Pepper Farm Kampot Province · 2007 | 4 ha | IGP KampotBio | Red Kampot | 85 €/kg | 4.9/ 5 · 198 |
La Plantation Kampot Province · 2013 | 200 ha | IGP KampotBio Ecocert | Black Kampot | 52 €/kg | 4.8/ 5 · 412 |
Kurata Pepper Kampot Province · 1997 | 6 ha | IGP KampotFair Trade | Black Kampot | 38 €/kg | 4.7/ 5 · 256 |
Starling Farm Kampot Province · 2005 | 8 ha | IGP Kampot | Black Kampot | 32 €/kg | 4.6/ 5 · 287 |
Bopha Kampot Kampot Province · 2009 | 18 ha | IGP Kampot | Black Kampot | 28 €/kg | 4.5/ 5 · 134 |
★Sothy's Pepper Farm
Kampot Province · 2007
4.9
/ 5 · 198
- Surface
- 4 ha
- Price
- 85 €/kg
- Signature grade
- Red Kampot
- Certifications
- IGP KampotBio
La Plantation
Kampot Province · 2013
4.8
/ 5 · 412
- Surface
- 200 ha
- Price
- 52 €/kg
- Signature grade
- Black Kampot
- Certifications
- IGP KampotBio Ecocert
Kurata Pepper
Kampot Province · 1997
4.7
/ 5 · 256
- Surface
- 6 ha
- Price
- 38 €/kg
- Signature grade
- Black Kampot
- Certifications
- IGP KampotFair Trade
Starling Farm
Kampot Province · 2005
4.6
/ 5 · 287
- Surface
- 8 ha
- Price
- 32 €/kg
- Signature grade
- Black Kampot
- Certifications
- IGP Kampot
Bopha Kampot
Kampot Province · 2009
4.5
/ 5 · 134
- Surface
- 18 ha
- Price
- 28 €/kg
- Signature grade
- Black Kampot
- Certifications
- IGP Kampot
Cuisines
How the world cooks with it.
4 signature dishes
Kampot pepper is native to Cambodian cooking — the reference crush in the stone mortar of every home kitchen.
- Lok lakgrade: black
Wok-seared beef cubes finished with a Kampot-pepper-and-lime dipping sauce — the national dish.
- Crab with Kampot peppergrade: green
Kep specialty: blue swimmer crab stir-fried with fresh green peppercorns still on the stem.
- Amok treigrade: white
Steamed fish curry in banana leaves — white Kampot rounds the coconut without tipping it into heat.
- Bai sach chroukgrade: red
Grilled pork over broken rice; a twist of red Kampot at the table gives warmth without burn.
Around the world
What it's called, from Phnom Penh to Palermo.
🇸🇦 Arabicar
فلفل كامبوت
fulful kampot
🇧🇩 Bengalibn
ক্যাম্পট মরিচ
kampot morich
🇨🇳 Chinesezh
贡布胡椒
gòngbù hújiāo
🇳🇱 Dutchnl
Kampot peper
🇵🇭 Filipinotl
Paminta ng Kampot
🇩🇪 Germande
Kampot-Pfeffer
🇮🇱 Hebrewhe
פלפל קמפוט
pilpel kampot
🇮🇳 Hindihi
कंपोट काली मिर्च
kampot kaali mirch
🇮🇩 Indonesianid
Lada hitam Kampot
🇮🇹 Italianit
Pepe di Kampot
🇯🇵 Japaneseja
カンポットペッパー
kanpotto peppā
🇰🇭 Khmerkm
ម្រេចកំពត
mreich kampot
🇰🇷 Koreanko
캄폿 후추
kampot huchu
🇱🇦 Laolo
ພິກໄທກຳປົດ
phik thai kampot
🇲🇾 Malayms
Lada hitam Kampot
🇮🇷 Persianfa
فلفل کامپوت
felfel kampot
🇵🇱 Polishpl
Pieprz z Kampot
🇵🇹 Portuguesept
Pimenta de Kampot
🇷🇺 Russianru
Кампотский перец
Kampotskiy perets
🇪🇸 Spanishes
Pimienta de Kampot
🇸🇪 Swedishsv
Kampotpeppar
🇮🇳 Tamilta
கம்போட் மிளகு
kampot milagu
🇹🇭 Thaith
พริกไทยกัมปอต
phrik thai kampot
🇹🇷 Turkishtr
Kampot karabiberi
🇵🇰 Urduur
کامپوٹ کالی مرچ
kampot kali mirch
🇻🇳 Vietnamesevi
Tiêu Kampot
Seasonality
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Peak hand-pickingTail harvestCellared, available
Pairings
Protein
- Lobster & crab
- Steak au poivre
- Oily fish
Plant
- Mushrooms
- Cacio e pepe
Sweet
- Strawberries
- Dark chocolate
- Vanilla ice cream
Substitutes
- Tellicherry Pepper85% match
- Penja Pepper75% match· soon
- Voatsiperifery60% match· soon
- Timut Pepper45% match· soon
Cultivated in 1 country
🇰🇭
CambodiaPrimary terroirFrequent questions
Three factors stack up: limited terroir (only the Kampot and Kep coast qualify), hand-picking by families at peak ripeness, and 7 to 10 days of sun-drying on bamboo with manual sorting. Yields are small, the PGI restricts production area, and every grain is size-graded by sieve and by eye.
Sources
- A Record of Cambodia: The Land and Its People, Zhou Daguan (1297)
- Kampot Pepper Promotion Association � PGI specifications (2010)
- GRET � Reviving Kampot pepper (2009)
- Protected Geographical Indications in Cambodia (2010)
- A Record of Cambodia: The Land and Its People, Zhou Daguan (1297)
- Kampot Pepper Promotion Association — PGI specifications (2010)
- GRET — Reviving Kampot pepper (2009)
- Protected Geographical Indications in Cambodia (2010)
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