Chili pepper · South Carolina
Carolina Reaper
1,641,183 Scoville heat units
Record holder 2013–2023. Bred by Ed Currie, who crossed a ghost pepper with a Red Savina.
What this rung gets you A Carolina Reaper, whole, in front of witnesses
How hot Carolina Reaper actually is
Carolina Reaper is about 328 times hotter than a jalapeño, and it does not hold still — published figures run from 1,400,000 to 2,200,000 SHU. Sunlight, drought stress and ripeness all push a pod up its range, so the number on a chart is the middle of a wide spread rather than a promise.
On the twelve-rung ladder
It sits on rung 12, Reaper, which spans 1.1M to 2.7M SHU. The top of the ladder and the end of the program. There is no level above this that is worth training toward — past here it is a stunt, not a tolerance.
Training to this rung is what gets you: A Carolina Reaper, whole, in front of witnesses.
Comparable heat
Anything here burns at roughly the same level, which is what makes them interchangeable when you are training at this rung.
- Blair's Ultra Death 1,100,000
- Naga viper 1,382,118
- Trinidad Scorpion Butch T 1,463,700
- Trinidad Moruga Scorpion 1,600,000
- 7 Pot Douglah 1,853,936
- Pepper X 2,693,000
Common questions
How hot is Carolina Reaper on the Scoville scale?
Carolina Reaper measures about 1,641,183 Scoville heat units, with a published range of 1,400,000 to 2,200,000 SHU. That is about 328 times hotter than a jalapeño.
Where does Carolina Reaper sit on the ladder?
Rung 12 of twelve — Reaper, covering 1.1M to 2.7M SHU. The top of the ladder and the end of the program. There is no level above this that is worth training toward — past here it is a stunt, not a tolerance.
What stops the burn from Carolina Reaper?
Dairy. Capsaicin is fat-soluble, so water spreads it rather than removing it; the casein in milk, yogurt or ice cream lifts it off the receptor. A spoonful of sugar held in the mouth measurably helps too. Starch — rice or bread — physically carries it off the tongue.
So where does that leave the rest of us?
Nobody arrives here in one night. The people who eat these climbed. One rung down is already this: The ghost pepper wings on the challenge board. Name the hottest thing you eat without thinking. See where you actually stand.
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