it depends on where the peppercorns came from and how mature they were, but generally yes they are hotter than black and slightly less hot than white (at least the white varieties from India that I have sampled).
Most of the white pepper I've tasted has been pre-ground, in dust-covered tins that have sat in the back of someone's pantry for God knows how long and lost a lot of its flavour. I'm going to have to go find a reasonably fresh sample to compare.
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