Paprika isn’t one spice. It’s a whole range... sweet, spicy, smoky, depending on the pepper you grow and how you dry it. In Spain and Hungary, they’ve dialed this in. But you don’t need to live there... you can grow and dry your own! Want sweetness for stews? Grow a sweet variety like a Hungarian pepper. Need heat? Pick a spicy one. That deep smoky flavor? That’s all in the drying. When you grow it yourself, you control everything. Flavor, texture, color. Drying takes a few months, so stick them in a cool, dry, shaded spot with airflow and forget about them for a while. Once they’re brittle, grind and sift. That’s it. You’ve got fresh, deep red paprika straight from the garden. One of the easiest ways to start making your own spices. And yeah, it’ll blow the store-bought stuff out of the water.