“That’s a jump of 1 million Scovilles.” (At that point I was feeling judged.) “People have said to me, ‘I’ve been able to eat hot jalapenos, but ate the Ghost pepper and had to go to the hospital,” said Schueller. The vein of the chili carries this oil to the seeds, which are the second-hottest part. Chili peppers contain capsaicin oil, the extract used in mace, which is the only thing hotter than a Reaper pepper.

So Schueller gave me a little lesson in chili anatomy. It’s the second bite that gets you because you’re biting into the vein and that’s the hottest part of the chili pepper. “The tip has very little heat and that’s what most people eat first. “That’s the mistake everyone makes,” he said. Then I popped the whole thing in my mouth. I explained to him that after biting off the tip of the pepper to taste it, I was surprised that it wasn’t as hot as I had expected. The pain usually lasts only an hour,” he said in disbelief and wondered why I would ever eat one. “No you didn’t! I’ve never heard of that before. That explains my physical distress and the reaction of Robert Schueller, general manager of Melissa’s World Variety Produce in Vernon, when he learned I had consumed one whole. (Pepper spray can be up to 5 million units or more.) The next pepper down on the scale is the Ghost pepper at 1 million. A jalapeno measures 8,000 Scoville units, the Carolina Reaper measures 2.2 million and the Scorpion measures 2 million. The Carolina Reaper was specifically bred for heat.Ī pepper’s heat is measured in Scoville units. My painful episode lasted nearly six hours after eating an entire pepper, and not just any pepper. Doubled over in pain, I asked myself, “What did I just do?” Plus, my insurance probably wouldn’t cover my random act of stupidity. Calling for paramedics? I was at work and that would be embarrassing. It had already entered my digestive tract. Vomiting felt like an exorcism because my body was desperate to rid itself of the demon inside.īut it was too late. I panicked as I made my way to the bathroom, hoping I wouldn’t black out. Chills ran down my spine and the pain in my stomach became unbearable. After two hours, the burn cut like a knife. Within an hour, my stomach began to burn. Finally the pain subsided and it was over, and I felt like a stud. Water ran profusely from my eyes and nose as beads of sweat broke out on my forehead. My throat began to swell and my eyes felt like they were popping out of their sockets. Plants are shipped in 3 inch reusable plastics pots and approximately 4 to 6 inches tall.For the first 20 minutes, each breath I took felt like I was fanning white hot coals inside my mouth. The Carolina Reaper pepper was crossed with Jay’s Peach Ghost Scorpion pepper to create the California Reaper, which was originally developed by Steve Bender at Tyler Farms.Īt Tyler Farms, we grow our plants the old fashioned way: no pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, and we only use all natural fertilizers such as worm castings and fish emulsion. This is a new strain, so Chocolate Carolina Reaper peppers are still in the process of being fully stable. The Carolina Reaper resembles the 7 Pot Primo pepper. The Carolina Reaper starts off green and ripens to brown, reaching about 1.5 to 2 inches in total length. The original Carolina Reaper pepper was originally developed by Ed Currie, who crossed a Red Habanero with a Ghost pepper. Like Trinidad Scorpionvarieties, the Carolina Reaper has a scorpion-like tail. There’s a lot more flavor to the Chocolate Carolina Reaper than most extremely hot peppers as its smoky flavor is especially popular in meat dishes. The taste of the Chocolate Carolina Reaper is described as fruity, sweet, and slightly smoky, but the intense heat level kicks in shortly after consumption. The Chocolate Carolina Reaper was created by crossing the Red Carolina Reaper pepper and the Chocolate Trinidad Moruga Scorpion pepper.

In November 2013, the Guinness Book of World Records named the Carolina Reaper as the new hottest pepper in the world, replacing the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion. The Carolina Reaper pepper averages 1,569,300 Scoville Heat Units (SHU) and some peppers have been tested over 2,200,000 SHU, and it is believed that the Chocolate Carolina Reaper is nearly as spicy as the original Carolina Reaper. The Chocolate Carolina Reaper is a rare strain of the Carolina Reaper pepper, which is currently the hottest pepper in the world that can be grown by the general public, according to Guinness World Records.

Carolina reaper pepper scoville scale