In case You dont know - the Scoville scale is a measurement of the pungency (spicy heat) of chili peppers—or other spicy foods as reported in Scoville heat units (SHU), a function of capsaicin concentration. Capsaicin is one of many related chemicals, collectively called capsaicinoids. The scale is named after its creator, American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville. His method, devised in 1912, is known as the Scoville Organoleptic Test.
10 - Red Savina Habanero 500,000 SHU
One of these things is not like the other
Scoville heat units (SHU): 350,000 – 577,000
Jalapeño reference point: 44 to 231 times hotter
If you think the habanero is hot, then you haven’t met its shock-red sultry sister. The Red Savina habanero once carried the title of hottest pepper in the world. It’s a scorching hot pepper with a dramatic back story and even a bit of government protection. Few other pepper variations can claim that.
The Red Savina pepper is one of the hottest peppers?
It is. It’s extremely hot, though these days it falls short of being listed with the hottest peppers in the world. It did hold the Guinness Book of World Records title until the Bhut Jolokia (the ghost pepper) came around and easily doubled its heat.
But this is no pepper to be trifled with lightly since it packs between 350,000 to 577,000 Scoville heat units. Even those who are used to habaneros may find the Red Savina spicier than they can handle. At its mildest, the Red Savina chili sits at the same heat as the hottest potential habanero or Scotch bonnet pepper (100,000 to 350,000 SHU). However it has the potential to quadruple the typical heat of a milder habanero. And our jalapeño reference point is also off the charts, on average 138 times hotter. Yikes.
How was the Red Savina habanero discovered?
This chili has one of the more interesting modern cultivation legends surrounding it. It all started with a gentleman named Frank Garcia and his company GNS Spices. He and few friends saw an opportunity to bring domestically grown habaneros cheaply into the North American market. After a botched first deal where the buyer withdrew his proposed buying price, Frank and his team decided to plow over the majority of the crop instead of setting their price precedent at too low of a rate.
While plowing, Frank noticed one strange red pepper among a field of typical orange habaneros. He picked this mutant pepper instead of plowing it. He forgot about it for a time, but then decided to start selectively breeding the seeds of this red habanero to create a unique product for the market.
Upon heat testing (using high performance liquid chromatography), a pepper from this strain topped out at a whopping 577,000 Scoville heat units. That set the world record and launched this pepper into infamy. In fact, it’s one of the only vegetables to be officially protected by the U.S. government under the Plant Variety Protection Act.
What does a Red Savina habanero taste like?
Is hot a taste? But seriously, it’s quite like the habanero it comes from, sort of a sweet heat, almost fruity like an apricot would be. It’s a tasty hot pepper, but care must be taken with its usage, as the high levels of capsaicin can cause severe burning sensations and numbness for days if proper care isn’t taken. If you’re handling these raw, wear kitchen gloves and wash your hands afterwards too.
9 - 7 Pot Red (Giant) ~1,000,000 SHU
One of the hottest peppers of the world is the giant 7 Pot Red. The name 7 pots of this category of peppers have been named as a result of their ability that could easily heat up the seven pots of stew in no time. Also known as 7 pod, the 7 Pot Red Giant is one of the species of Capsicum Chinese and it originates somewhere from Trinidad.
This pepper is very rare in nature as well as very hot. The sharpness of this rare pepper is very similar to that of Naga Morich as well as BhutJolokia. According to a saying, a single pod of this chilli can easily spice up around seven pots of stew. In order to get a good germination of this pepper, you must try to sustain a constant temperature ranging from 28 to 32 degrees respectively.
8 - 7 Pot Barrackpore ~1,000,000 SHU
Another hottest pepper on the list is the 7 Pot Barrackpore. This pepper is considered as one of the hottest of all the 7 Pot peppers. This pepper originates from Trinidad and Tobago from the Town of Chaguanans. Out of all the 7 Pot Peppers, this one is the only pepper that entertains the ability to prepare a number of meals at one use. Thus, this property also makes this pepper as one of the most unique peppers of the world.
The 7 Pot Barrackpore comes in different shapes, sizes as well as appearances. Some of its surfaces bubbly and wrinkled. Also, this pepper comes in a variety of colors such as red, yellow, brown and white. The flavor of this 7 pot pepper is very unique. The heat also entertains a tinge of natural fruity flavor. Though this pepper is very hot as to taste, it also tastes very good at the same time.
7 - Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Pepper) 1,041,427 SHU
Also known as the Ghost Pepper, Bhut Jolokia is considered as a super-hot pepper since it is very spicy in nature. This one also happens to be a popular pepper in the world and a number of people on the social networking sites are often seen playing challenges of tasting this pepper on the whole. This interspecific hybrid chili pepper is cultivated in the Manipur, Nagaland, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh states of India. This pepper is a hybrid of Capsicum frutescens as well as Capsicum Chinese.
Bhut Jolokia holds a world record of being the hottest chili pepper in the year 2007. It is considered 400 times hotter than the Tabasco sauce. This chili has been rated at more than 1 million Scoville heat units. Thus, you can imagine the level of heat that this chili sustains. Once considered as the hottest chili of the world, Bhut Jolokia is now overpowered by different other chili peppers.
6 - Naga Viper 1,349,000 SHU
Another chili that is considered as one of the hottest peppers of the world is the Naga Viper. Naga Viper is one rare kind of pepper that is cultivated in the United States. This pepper is nothing but the result of combination of different peppers as well as years of cross pollination. This pepper is extremely hot as to its taste.
In the year 2011, Naga Viper was named as the hottest chili pepper of the world as according to the Guinness World Record. The heat rating of this rare and hot chili pepper goes upto 1,382,118 Scoville Heat Units. This pepper was created by a chili farmer, Gerald Fowler, the resident of England in Cark, Cumbria. Naga Viper is the result of the three-way hybrid that has been produced out of Bhut Jolokia, Trinidad Scorpion as well as Naga Morich. As a result of the hybrid nature of this chili pepper, it is not able to produce its offspring exactly like its parent because of the segregation of alleles.
5 - Trinidad Scorpion “Butch T” 1,463,700 SHU
The chili pepper Trinidad Scorpion Butch T has been a Guinness World Record Holder from Australia in the year 2011. This pepper is extremely hot. The name Trinidad Scorpion Butch T has been given to this pepper after the scorpion stinger that was found on the very tip of the pepper as well as its creator, Butch Taylor. This pepper belongs to Capsicum Chinese specie.
Undoubtedly, the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T is considered as one of the hottest peppers of the world. The taste is extremely hot and spicy. The pepper originates from the region of Trinidad and Tobago like many other chili peppers.
4 - 7 Pot Primo 1,469,000 SHU
The heat level of this chili pepper is 1,000,000 SHU. Undoubtedly, this makes the 7 Pot Primo one of the hottest chilies of the world. This pepper is considered as very different from all other peppers since it comprises of a long skinny tail. The creator of this pepper is Troy Prmeaux, a horticulturist. The look of the chili itself tells the story of its insanely hot nature.
The 7 Pot Primo is considered as one of the rarest pepper because of the rare nature of the primo seeds that are very hard to find. A number of cultivators as well as horticulturists have tried to replicate the long skinny tail look of this pepper but have failed miserably. This pepper is one elusive primo pepper which is certainly very hard to find. This pepper is one out of those 7 Pot peppers that are the hottest peppers of the world.
3 - 7 Pot Douglah 1,853,936 SHU
Another Pot 7 pepper that is considered as one of the hottest peppers of the world is 7 Pot Douglah. Apart from being one of the hottest chilies, this pepper is also considered as the chili which is the best in flavor and taste. Also known to the world as Chocolate 7 Pod, this pepper is considered as one of the rarest as well as the hottest of all the 7 pod strains.
The appearance of this pepper is dark brown or deep purple skin that comprises of many pimples on its very surface. This pepper in the beginning starts with green color and as it begins to mature the color turns darker. If this pepper is sliced on the first instance, the pools of liquid capsaicin oils can be seen. These pools contribute to the hot nature of this pepper. These capsaicin oils are stored in the placenta of this chili pepper. The flavor of & Pot Douglah is excellent as well as spicy. It can be used in both forms – solid as well as powder.
2 - Trinidad Moruga Scorpion 2,009,231 SHU
Although this pepper has been discovered recently, yet it manages to be the second hottest chili pepper of the recent times. The Trinidad Moruga Scorpion is the native of the Moruga land in the regions of Trinidad and Tobago. This pepper is so spicy and chili in nature that the heat starts building up in your tongue once you start taking a bite of this chili. The heat level of this pepper reaches up to 1.2 million SHUs.
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion entertains a tender fruity flavor apart from its heat which eventually gives this pepper a sweet-hot combination.
1 - Carolina Reaper 2,200,000 SHU
The pepper that is considered as the hottest pepper of the recent times is the Carolina Reaper. This pepper also holds the Guinness Records of being the hottest pepper of the world. There is nothing about this pepper that could be termed as normal. The average SHU of this pepper ranges from 1.5 million and reaches up to 2.2 million SHU.
This pepper is the result of the cross done between Red Habanero and Pakistani Naga. Not only the hottest, this pepper is also considered as the most flavorful pepper since the flavor of Carolina Reaper is rich and excellent. The Carolina Reaper is described as a good all-rounder that can be tried at home.
Photos: google graphics
Soruce: pepperheads, pepperpro