Former Hottest Chilli in the World: Carolina Reaper

This is the Grim Reaper in disguise. With an average rating of two million SHU on the Scoville Scale, you will be wanting more than your deathbed after a bite of this nasty. And it’s officially the nastiest of them all! It is the former holder in the Guinness World Record for The hottest chilli pepper in the world. So perhaps it does make it one worth dying for.

What is this Carolina Reaper?

To put the facts mildly, this chilli comes from the Capsicum Chinense. This is where some of your well known spices can be found -think of the Habanero or Trinidad Scorpion. But this is no mild feat. We’re talking about the harsh, hot, Carolina Reaper, that leaves no space for the weak. The difference with the Reaper is it’s a hot combination of the Pakistani Naga, known also as the Bhut Jolokia or Ghost Pepper, and the juicy Red Savina Habanero. It ranges from 1,569,383 - 2,200,000 on the Scoville scale, so it’s a strong result from a dangerous combination.

So what will you feel?

The trick about the Reaper is as you bite through its skin, it’s almost sweet. (That’s the juicy Red Habanero getting to you.) But as you chew through the outer layer of the Reaper and reach the inner membrane of the pepper the capcasins are released and head straight for your receptors. This is when you feel the burn. A burn that will spread through your mouth. But hey it’s still not too bad. Not until you swallow. When it’s entered the rest of your body that’s when these capcasins really latch on to places you didn’t even know existed and you begin to burn from the inside out. And beware, that ugly tail you can see sticking off the end will happily sting you in the backside as it makes its way out.

Before we go on, shout out to its creator-

Ed Currie from South Carolina, was a man with a vision. After hearing that capsaicin may be a cure to cancer, Currie has dedicated his life to develop some of the world’s hottest peppers. And low and behold we have his raging Reaper, he has also the creator of the current World Recorder holder 'Pepper X', crowned as the World's Hottest Chilli in August 2023.

So is it worth the risk?

Take head of the fiery warnings. Eating this chilli whole and you’ll feel the need to pass out. Actually to set the record clear, in April 2018, a man was sent to the emergency room after unexpected bursts of pain in his neck and head. Clinicians called the symptom a thunderclap headache. Scans of his head and neck showed that the cause came from constricted arteries. So if you’re ever considering a dose of Carolina Reaper, do your preparation and avoid the hospital bed.

But if you are up for the challenge

The current record stands at 120gram of Carolina Reaper consumed in 60 seconds. That’s 22 of these peppers in one hit! Twenty two! This would take years of training to building your tolerance and prepare you body for this level of burn. During the competition contenders ate as many whole peppers as possible, waiting another 60 seconds to truly absorb the heat before dousing the pain with bread, milk, cream and whatever they can get their hands on.

Want to stretch your pain receptors?...

For those who dare to dance with the devil...checkout the ChilliBOM range

To find out more about other chilli favourites

Image By Dale Thurber (Own work) CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons