Chili pepper · Mexico
Guajillo
3,500 Scoville heat units
The second most-used dried chile in Mexico after the ancho. Berry-ish, tannic.
What this rung gets you Jalapeños on nachos without picking them off
How hot Guajillo actually is
Guajillo is in the same range as a jalapeño, and it does not hold still — published figures run from 2,500 to 5,000 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 5, Burn, which spans 2.8K to 6.5K SHU. A real burn with a peak and a fade. Eat it with rice or bread — starch physically carries capsaicin off your tongue.
Training to this rung is what gets you: Jalapeños on nachos without picking them off.
Comparable heat
Anything here burns at roughly the same level, which is what makes them interchangeable when you are training at this rung.
Common questions
How hot is Guajillo on the Scoville scale?
Guajillo measures about 3,500 Scoville heat units, with a published range of 2,500 to 5,000 SHU. That is in the same range as a jalapeño.
Where does Guajillo sit on the ladder?
Rung 5 of twelve — Burn, covering 2.8K to 6.5K SHU. A real burn with a peak and a fade. Eat it with rice or bread — starch physically carries capsaicin off your tongue.
What stops the burn from Guajillo?
Dairy. Capsaicin is fat-soluble, so water spreads it rather than removing it; the casein in milk, yoghurt 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.
Coming soon to the App Store
Eating Guajillo is rung 5 of twelve
Jalapeños on nachos without picking them off — that is what rung 5 gets you. Scoville Ladder gets you to rung 5 on a schedule rather than a dare: a heat to train at tonight, rest between, and a target that moves with the burn you actually report.
Find your rung See the twelve rungs
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