You will have to experiment to find out what works best for you. Up here in zone 5 I leave all the peppers on the plants so they have time to ripen full color. I also bring the pots indoors to allow the late peppers to ripen.

I would worry that you might hit a long stretch of hot weather where no peppers will set from the new flowers.

In general commercial growers keep the first peppers off the plants to get a higher yield.

The answer to your question depends on a lot of items. Included is how big the plant is now. I get a minimum of 40+ yellow ripe lemon drop peppers on a stunted plant in a one quart pot.

Lemon Drop is one great growing tough little plant that just keeps going. Definitely keep the plants alive over the winter. They will do much better in the 2nd year because they will set peppers much earlier.

You can consider a 2 year cycle. First year in the pot, Second year in the ground to grow real big. Put new first year plants into the pots the 2nd year.

I have a very long winter. It should be easy for you in zone 8.

Winter is nonexistant here where I am.
I am worried about the crazy hot. We aren't even in summer and the temperatures are already hitting very close to 100 degrees. The plant honestly looks very tender and young, so maybe I will pinch off the first blossoms just to let the plant age a little. I have never had experience with lemon drop so I'm not so sure what the plant is supposed to look like. It has huge leaves and looks really tender, not at all like the chiltepin which I am used to growing. The chiltepin is a wild pepper and gets really bushy with tiny little leaves and spindly stems - very much like a weed.
I can't wait to taste my first lemon drop!!

It may be getting too much shade. Morning sun alone may not be enough. My peppers get sun most of the day and it can hit 100F here also. Some have blossoms and some already have little peppers forming. :)

Most I grow from seed but did pick up a Cubanelle today. It has a flower and a little pepper starting.

You might not want to pinch anything off if you live in a climate that has a short spring and hot summer. You want to maximize fruit set before it gets over ~95F after which fruit wont set again until fall.

Peppers leaves help shade the peppers and prevent sun scald in real hot climates, so I would pinch the first set of buds to give the plants a chance to catch up. Though if they never get midday or afternoon sun you probably won't have that problem.

You'll probably get more peppers too if you pinch the first buds, though I admit to always letting a few early birds set fruit since I grow so many plants anyway and can't wait either. :)

Noisebeam : It's already over 95F consistently and they haven't even bloomed yet :P

Medcave : I think I will not pinch off the first set due to them not getting full sun all day long (only getting full sun in the early morning to noon). We'll see how it goes.

This lemon drop pepper plant for some reason shot up really big compared to all my other plants. They all germinated at the same time and had the same exact watering schedule and same exact placement near the window with the exception of just inches from one another. The bhut jolokia's started out bigger but then they stayed small (possibly due to me not potting them up quick enough); then the lemon drop took off and hasnt stopped growing since.

Another factor that should be considered is how low your nighttime temperatures get. If it's over 90 during the day and over 75 at night, you may get blossom drop with no chance of fruit set. Pray for a cool front! :)

Here's a good Q&A site on growing peppers in hot climates...

Here is a link that might be useful: Texas A&M Pepper Q&A

You know I think they must be breeding some peppers to set in the heat because for the last 4 years, I've been getting good set on everything except bells. The jalapenos are better during the fall but I get plenty even during 100 degree heat. And trust me it's not getting cool at night either.

Of course it could be because I keep the peppers picked. I only let them get completely ripe in the fall. Also my plants are large and leafy. I have so much foliage that it's hard to see the peppers.

Weird huh!