The Worlds Hottest Chilli
This is an area of hot debate. Many people have laid claim to producing the worlds hottest chilli pepper.
The Bhut Jolokia variety is the latest variety of pepper to win the famous Guiness World Record title as the worlds hottest chili pepper in October of 2007. Researchers from the New mexico State University Chile Pepper Institute measured a sample of the Bhut Jolokia taken from Assam in India at just over 1,000,000 on the Scoville scale.
The sample was grown from some Bhut Jolokia seeds that one of the researchers had obtained from Assam back in 2001. The specimen was grown in insect proof cages for 3 years prior to the record breaking fruit being produced.
However since Guiness gave the World Record to the Indian Naga a debate has broke out over the peppers origins. The Indians claim the plant to be a Capsicum frutescens however the derived cultivar Dorset Naga was thought to be a Capsicum chinense.
The Dorset Naga as it has become known was developed in a poly tunnel in deepest Dorset in the UK. A rather unlikely location for one of the hottest peppers in the world! The specimens were grown by Mr Michaud who runs a company that supplies fresh chilli peppers in the UK by post. Mr Michaud had been cultivating the species for a few years in his polytunnels before realising he may have a record breaker on his hands. In fact it was so hot that when preparing the fruit he never handled them without gloves.
Whoever produced the hottest specimen first is of some doubt then however what is clear is that the Naga family of chilli peppers are the hottest. They originate from North Eastern India and Bangladesh. Depending on which country or region you are in these chillies go under many different names: Bhut Jolokia, Borbih Jolokia, Naga Morich, Naga Moresh, Magahari. All are similar to the habanero variety in that they appear to have a slightly shrivelled skin however Nagas tens to have more pointed ends and ripen to either red or orange.
What gives a chili pepper it’s heat?
Before getting to the numbers, it helps to understand what you’re actually measuring.
The compound responsible for the heat in chilli peppers is called capsaicin (pronounced cap-SAY-ih-sin). Contrary to what most people believe, it isn’t found in the seeds — it’s concentrated in the white pithy membrane that holds the seeds to the flesh of the pepper, known as the placenta. This is why deseeding a chilli reduces the heat only modestly, whereas removing the white pith makes a much more significant difference.
When you eat capsaicin, it binds to TRPV1 receptors in your mouth and throat — the same receptors that detect actual physical heat. Your brain receives the same signal as if something genuinely hot is burning you, which is why eating a chilli produces real sweating, watering eyes and accelerated heartbeat. The body responds to the perceived threat by releasing endorphins — the same chemicals released during exercise — which explains why many people find eating hot food genuinely pleasurable and even mildly addictive.
Capsaicin is oil-soluble, not water-soluble, which is why reaching for water when your mouth is burning makes things worse rather than better. Dairy products — milk, yoghurt, ice cream — are far more effective because they contain casein, a protein that binds to capsaicin and washes it away. Bread and starchy foods also help by absorbing the oil.
It is actually not the seeds that give a pepper the heat as many people think. In fact it is the seed membrane that holds the seeds to the flesh of the chili pepper where the real build up of heat is. The chemical responsible is known as capsaicin. One great way to combat the chili burn is to consume dairy products such a glass of milk or spoon full of yogurt.
How Hot are chillies?
There is an official heat scale to measure the heat in a chillie known as the Scoville scale, unsurprisingly named after it’s inventor William L Scoville, an American pharmacist born in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1865. Scoville worked at the pharmaceutical company Parke-Davis, where in 1912 he devised what became known as the Scoville Organoleptic Test
The story behind it is pleasingly mundane. Parke-Davis were interested in using capsaicin in a new muscle salve — the product that would eventually become HEET Liniment. Before they could continue with research they needed a way to measure the piquancy of the chillies, having found that too much capsaicin would cause an unpleasant burn to the skin and too little would make the salve ineffective. Scoville was tasked with solving the problem. thechilliking
His method took a determined weight of dried chillies, dissolved them in alcohol overnight to extract the capsaicinoids, then presented this solution to five specially trained tasters who diluted it with sugar water until they could no longer sense any heat. The number of times the solution had to be diluted before the heat disappeared became the Scoville Heat Unit rating — so a jalapeño registering 5,000 SHU means the capsaicin extract had to be diluted 5,000 times before the heat became undetectable. thechilliking
The obvious problem with this method is that human beings are incredibly unreliable measuring instruments. Our palates are highly subjective — one person’s excruciating pain is another person’s mild tingle. Furthermore, the human tongue suffers from sensory fatigue. If you force a panel of taste-testers to drink capsaicin extracts all day, their TRPV1 pain receptors become desensitised. By the afternoon, a chilli that should have scored 50,000 SHU might only register as 10,000 SHU to the exhausted panel. MetaFilter
In the 1980s, technology finally caught up. Scientists developed High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), which passes chilli extract through a machine that measures capsaicin concentration with far greater accuracy. The HPLC machine reads the parts per million of capsaicin and multiplies that number by 15 to give an equivalent Scoville Heat Unit value — preserving the familiar scale while removing the unreliable human element.
The higher the Scoville Heat Units (SHU) the hotter the pepper. Here is a rough guide to some of the more popular varieties:
Bell Peppers 0
Jalapeno 5,000
Cayennes 40,000
Tabasco 20,000 > 50,000
Habanero 100,000 > 300,000
Red Savina 350,000 > 575,000
Dorset Naga 900,000
Bhut Jolokia 1,000,000
Anti bear Pepper spray 2,000,000
| Variety | SHU Raating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bell pepper | 0 | No capsaicin at all. No heat. |
| Pimento | 0 | |
| Pimento | 100-500 | Very mild, sweet flavour |
| Padron | 500-2,500 | Usually mild but some can be surprisingly spicy |
arietySHU RangeNotesBell Pepper0No capsaicin at all — technically a sweet pepperPimiento100 – 500Very mild, sweet and fruityPadron500 – 2,500Usually mild but occasionally surprises — famous for the Russian roulette effectBanana Pepper100 – 900Mild tang, popular for picklingAnaheim500 – 2,500Mild, good for stuffing and roastingPoblano1,000 – 2,000The fresh form of the dried Ancho; earthy and mild
The Complete Chilli Heat Table
Here is a comprehensive guide to chilli heat from mildest to hottest, covering the varieties most relevant to UK growers and cooks. The varieties are grouped into heat bands to make comparison easier.
🟢 Mild (0 – 2,500 SHU)
| Variety | SHU Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bell Pepper | 0 | No capsaicin at all — technically a sweet pepper |
| Pimiento | 100 – 500 | Very mild, sweet and fruity |
| Padron | 500 – 2,500 | Usually mild but occasionally surprises — famous for the Russian roulette effect |
| Banana Pepper | 100 – 900 | Mild tang, popular for pickling |
| Anaheim | 500 – 2,500 | Mild, good for stuffing and roasting |
| Poblano | 1,000 – 2,000 | The fresh form of the dried Ancho; earthy and mild |
🟡 Medium (2,500 – 30,000 SHU)
| Variety | SHU Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jalapeño | 2,500 – 8,000 | The world’s most recognised chilli; fruity with a clean heat |
| Chipotle | 2,500 – 8,000 | A smoked and dried jalapeño — same heat, completely different flavour |
| Serrano | 10,000 – 23,000 | Hotter than jalapeño; common in Mexican cooking |
| Hungarian Hot Wax | 5,000 – 15,000 | Excellent UK performer; waxy yellow, mild to medium heat |
| Fresno | 2,500 – 10,000 | Similar to jalapeño but slightly hotter and fruitier |
🟠 Hot (30,000 – 100,000 SHU)
| Variety | SHU Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cayenne | 30,000 – 50,000 | The backbone of most commercial chilli powders; reliable UK grower |
| Tabasco | 30,000 – 50,000 | The Tabasco sauce variety; small and fiercely hot for its size |
| Thai Bird’s Eye | 50,000 – 100,000 | Tiny but ferocious; staple of Southeast Asian cuisine |
| Aji Amarillo | 30,000 – 50,000 | Fruity Peruvian variety with a distinctive flavour |
| De Arbol | 15,000 – 65,000 | Thin-skinned Mexican variety, earthy and sharp |
| Pequin | 40,000 – 60,000 | Small round Mexican pepper; smoky and nutty |
🔴 Very Hot (100,000 – 500,000 SHU)
| Variety | SHU Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Habanero | 100,000 – 350,000 | Fruity, floral heat; hugely popular worldwide |
| Scotch Bonnet | 100,000 – 350,000 | Caribbean staple; similar to habanero but with a distinctive fruitier flavour |
| Fatalii | 125,000 – 325,000 | African variety; bright yellow, citrussy and extremely hot |
| Madame Jeanette | 125,000 – 325,000 | Dutch-Surinamese variety; fruity and deceptive |
| Red Savina Habanero | 350,000 – 580,000 | A specially bred habanero; held the world record 1994–2006 |
🔥 Superhot (500,000 – 1,000,000 SHU)
| Variety | SHU Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Habanero | 300,000 – 500,000 | Dark brown, earthy, slower-building heat |
| Rocoto | 50,000 – 250,000 | Unusual Capsicum pubescens; looks like a small apple, black seeds |
| Peri-Peri (African Bird’s Eye) | 50,000 – 175,000 | The chilli behind Nando’s; Portuguese name for African bird’s eye |
💀 Extreme Superhot (1,000,000+ SHU)
| Variety | SHU Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia) | 800,000 – 1,041,427 | World record holder 2007–2011; still fearsome |
| Infinity Chilli | ~1,067,286 | Briefly held the world record in 2011; bred in Grantham, Lincolnshire |
| Naga Viper | ~1,382,118 | Held the record for three months in 2011; bred in Cumbria, UK |
| Trinidad Moruga Scorpion | 1,200,000 – 2,000,000 | Record holder 2012; named after Moruga district in Trinidad |
| Dorset Naga | 923,000 – 1,100,000 | Developed by Joy and Michael Michaud in Dorset, England |
| 7 Pot Douglah | 923,000 – 1,853,986 | Unusual chocolate-brown colour; earthy, nutty flavour |
| Komodo Dragon | ~1,400,000 | Bred in the UK; famous for a delayed burn that sneaks up on you |
| Carolina Reaper | 1,400,000 – 2,200,000 | World record holder 2013–2023; fruity, sweet then absolutely devastating |
| Dragon’s Breath | ~2,480,000 (unofficial) | Welsh/English pepper; never officially verified by Guinness |
| Pepper X | ~2,693,000 | Current world record holder since August 2023 |
FAQ
As of 2023, Pepper X holds the Guinness World Record at an average of 2,693,000 SHU, beating the previous record holder Carolina Reaper. Pepper X was bred by Ed Currie in South Carolina and seeds are not commercially available.
No — this is one of the most common misconceptions about chillies. The heat is concentrated in the white pith (placenta) that holds the seeds to the flesh. The seeds themselves contain very little capsaicin.
Capsaicin is oil-soluble, not water-soluble. Water spreads the oil around your mouth making things worse. Milk contains a protein called casein that binds to capsaicin and removes it — dairy products are the most effective remedy.
Slightly, but not dramatically. Prolonged cooking at high temperatures can reduce capsaicin content, but in most recipes the reduction is modest. Adding dairy (cream, yoghurt, crème fraîche) to a dish is a more reliable way to reduce perceived heat.
Yes — regular consumption of capsaicin desensitises the TRPV1 receptors that detect it, requiring progressively more heat to produce the same effect. This is why regular chilli eaters can eat things that would overwhelm a casual consumer.
They’re entirely separate things. A habanero is extremely hot but also has a fruity, floral flavour. A ghost pepper has enormous heat but relatively little flavour complexity. A bird’s eye has plenty of both. Heat and flavour don’t scale together. The more different types of chilies you eat the more you will realise just how different not only the heat but also the flavour profiles are.
More From The Chilli King
If this guide has inspired you to grow some of these varieties yourself, our complete guide to growing chilli peppers in the UK covers everything from sowing seeds to overwintering. For specific advice on growing superhot varieties in a UK climate, see our guide to growing chillies in a greenhouse. And when you finally have a harvest, our chilli recipes section has plenty of ways to use them.