We often get emails from readers asking what the hottest chilli pepper in the world is. There is always much debate from chilli heads around the world about what is the hottest variety.
The Chilli Pepper Institute at the New Mexico State University is renowned as being the worlds leading research body in all matters relating to Capsicum and/or chile peppers. They conduct vast amounts of research into all aspects of chillies such as farming methods, pests and diseases, cultivation of new varieties etc.
One key thing they also get involved in is the testing of heat levels of different varieties. As a result they are the defacto testers of the heat levels of chillies. Below is a list of the 10 hottest chillies they have tested in order of hotness:
1. Trinidad Moruga Scorpion (2 Million SHU)
2. Chocolate 7 pot(1.8 Million Shu)
3. Trinidad Scorpion (1.5 Million SHU)
4. Bhut Jolokia (1 Million SHU)
5. Red 7 Pot(780,000 SHU)
6. Chocolate Habanero (700,000 SHU)
7. Red Savina Habanero (500,000 SHU)
8. Scotch Bonnet(350,000 SHU)
9. Orange Habanero (250,000 SHU)
10. Rocoto (175,000 SHU)
It is worth remembering that not all pods of the same variety will have the same levels of heat. There are many factors that go into determining both the flavour and heat levels of a chilli pod, the main ones being:
- Heat
- Light levels
- Watering & feeding regimes
- Nutritional value of growing medium
- Humidity
- Virility of seed used
While you can’t guarantee that if you grow some Moruga Scorpian chillies they will all register 2 million on the Scoville heat scale, you will be guaranteed that they will be very hot. We recently made some hot chilli jelly (here’s the recipe) using just 3 Trinidad Moruga Scorpians to make 500ml and it is searingly hot!
There’s a new King in town: http://www.wwaytv3.com/2013/12/26/carolina-reaper-worlds-hottest-pepper