Pepper heat is measured using the Scoville scale, which measures the heat level of a chili pepper in Scoville Heat Units (Scovilles or SHU).
A specialized resource about hot peppers, Pepper Scale, has compiled a rating of the hottest varieties in the world.
Pepper X
What is the hottest pepper in the world? In 2023, the Pepper X variety was officially named the world’s hottest chili pepper. The result is registered in the Guinness Book of Records. The variety comes from South Carolina and was developed by breeder Ed Curry, who grew peppers on his farm for more than 10 years and crossed the hottest varieties to increase capsaicin content.
The plant has wrinkled fruits that are greenish in color. How many Scovilles are in the hottest pepper? The heat level of Pepper X is 2 million 693 thousand SHU, which is one million units higher than the previous world record, which belonged to the Carolina Reaper pepper. It is known that the cultivation of Pepper X will not be widespread in the near future.
Carolina Reaper
Another brainchild of Ed Curry is the Carolina Reaper pepper. Its pungency level reaches 2.2 million SHU. For a decade, from 2013 to 2023, the variety held the lead in spiciness. Its sensory properties on the Scoville scale are described as “feeling like eating molten lava.”
