Worlds Hottest Chile Pepper | World Record Heat

1 of 6

http://ushotstuff.com/worldshottestchile.htm

Buy Products Pepper Info Recipes Main Menu

Trinidad Scorpion
Naga Viper
Red Savina
Habanero

Moruga Scorpion

Ghost Pepper

The Naga Jolokia has been tested at over 1,001,300 Scoville heat
units! Almost twice as hot as the old champ, the Red Savina
Habanero.
You can purchase them from Uncle Steve:
Red Ghost Pepper Seeds
Yellow Ghost Pepper Seeds
Whole Dried Naga Jolokia
Naga Jolokia Chile Powder

Where did it come from?

A pepper by any other name is still as HOT...
Naga Jolokia is also called Bih Jolokia in some places of Assam (Bih = Poison,
Jolokia = chile pepper; in Assamese). Other names are Bhut Jolokia (probably
due to its ghostly bite or introduction by the Bhutias from Bhutan poison
chile), Borbih Jolokia, Nagahari, Nagajolokia, Naga Morich, Dorset Naga (from
a farm market in the UK), Naga Moresh, Raja Mirchi (the king of chiles) and
Ghost Pepper (because after eatin one you "give up the Ghost"). These are all
the same chile but named differently in different places (a common problem
when trying to identify chile peppers). There often is are slight plant/pod
variations in the different geographical locations due to selective harvesting
of seeds. Over time this can produce different fruiting characteristics and
fruit shape. The Naga name may be due to extreme hotness represented by
the aggressive temperament of the warriors of neighboring Naga community.

22/07/2016 5:07 PM

Worlds Hottest Chile Pepper | World Record Heat

2 of 6

http://ushotstuff.com/worldshottestchile.htm

Chile is known as Morich in Bangla.

Naga Jolokias growing at Frontal Agritech

Naga Jolokia, 1,041,427 Scoville units.

In 2000, scientists at India's Defense Research Laboratory (DRL) reported a
rating of 855,000 units on the Scoville scale, and in 2004 an Indian export
company called Frontal Agritech obtained a rating of 1,041,427 Scoville units,
which would mean a new world record, being over twice as hot as the Red
Savina Habanero pepper and roughly equal to the similar-looking Dorset Naga,
which is derived from the Naga Jolokia (C. chinese) a variety grown in West
Bexington, Dorset, England. It was claimed in March 2006 to be the world's
hottest chile at 876,000 and 970,000 Scoville heat unit. It was developed by
Michael and Joy Michaud from the Naga Morich or Naga Jolokia chile,
cultivated in Bangladesh that they purchased at an Indian market in England.
It is not clear wether this variety is different in any significant way from the
original pepper from which is was developed. For a short period of time it was
the hottest chile pepper in the world. It is now the second hottest pepper in
the world at 876,000-970,000 Scoville units.
More about the Bhut Jolokia (PDF):
Naturally Occurring Interspecific Hybridin

22/07/2016 5:07 PM

Worlds Hottest Chile Pepper | World Record Heat

3 of 6

http://ushotstuff.com/worldshottestchile.htm

The real question remaining is why did Dr. Paul Bosland (shown below), Director
of the Chile Pepper Institute at the New Mexico State University criticize
with great skepticism and not accept the findings of the Indian scientists
from DRL in 2000 and Frontal Agritech in 2004? Dr. Bosland had obtained
Naga Jolokia seed in 2001 and been growing them for 5 years saying nothing to
shed light on the pepper until he submitted his variety for testing and was
crowned by Guinness World Records as the hottest in the world and he was the
one that "discovered" it.

Paul Bosland With Guinness World Record Certificate

"... test results can have a wide range."

One thing to keep in mind is that the same pepper grown from the same seed
stock can very greatly in Scoville heat units from year to year. This is caused
by climate, weather and soil conditions that change each growing season. This
is why test results can have a wide range. To some real degree the hottest can
come down to how much rain and 90F+ degree weather or lack thereof your
crop receive compared to your competitor.

Naga Viper
News Flash - 12/1/10 - There may be a new world record heat level set for
chile peppers. It is reported that Gerald Fowler, who runs a chili pepper
company in Cumbria, England has produced a chile pepper he calls the "Naga
Viper", measuring at a whopping 1,359,000 SHU.

22/07/2016 5:07 PM

Worlds Hottest Chile Pepper | World Record Heat

4 of 6

http://ushotstuff.com/worldshottestchile.htm

Trinidad Scorpion
Three month later, March 2011, a Trinidad Scorpion chile pepper grown in New
South Wales, Australia, was tested and according to Guinness World Records,
is currently the hottest chile pepper grown. It measured 1,463,700 SHU!

Moruga Scorpion
The Moruga Scorpion pepper was declared world's hottest pepper by New
Mexico State University in Feb. 2012, with a SHU range between 580,198 and
2,009,231. This is the first pepper recored to exceed 2,000,000 Scoville heat
units. Altho fruits from an individual plant did reached over 2 million heat
units, unfortunately, it did not qualify for the Guinness World record "Hottest

22/07/2016 5:07 PM

Worlds Hottest Chile Pepper | World Record Heat

5 of 6

http://ushotstuff.com/worldshottestchile.htm

Chille". Also the 2 million SHU test has not been duplicated.

Carolina Reaper
The Carolina Reaper, a hybrid of the Capsicum chinense species, was first
named "HP22B". It was created by Ed Currie who runs PuckerButt Pepper
Company in Fort Mill, SC. The Carolina Reaper was rated as the world's hottest
chili pepper by Guinness World Records according to a 2012 tests, averaging
1,569,300 on the Scoville scale with peak levels of over 2,200,000. These
peppers are very much like the Trinidad Scorpion in appearance and flavor. Ed
has stated that he "stumbled apron" the nutrients that increase a peppers
heat. So one must assume that without using these nutrients, a home grower
will not be able to produce the same heat level when raising Carolina Reaper in
the back yard garden. But perhaps the required nutrients are already present
in your soil. So if you want the hottest of the hot give them a try.

Order Uncle Steve's: Naga Jolokia Seed Chile Powder Naga Jolokia Peppers

Still need more HOT Chile Pepper information?

Check out the "Pepper History" page.
Check out the "Chile Heat Scale" page.
Who was Wilbur Scoville?
Hot Chile Pepper Medical Uses.
The "Hot Sauce Heat Scale" page.

22/07/2016 5:07 PM

Worlds Hottest Chile Pepper | World Record Heat

6 of 6

http://ushotstuff.com/worldshottestchile.htm

Uncle Steve's HOT Stuff

Fredericksburg, VA
Chile Powder De Arbol Chile Powder Red Savina Habanero Powder Naga Jolokia Chile Powder
Buy Pepper Seeds Chocolate Habanero Chile Powder Red Savina Pepper Seeds Chile Powders
Hot Peper Heat Scale Pepper Photo Index Uncle Steve's Pepper Seeds Chinese Multi Color
Trinidad Scorpion Seeds Peter Pepper Seeds Ghost Pepper Seeds Twilight Ornamental
Peper Seeds

22/07/2016 5:07 PM