Hottest chili pepper

How the record was measured

The Scoville scale rates how hot a chili pepper is. It is based on capsaicin, the compound that causes a burning sensation when it touches human tissue. Winthrop University in South Carolina tested specimens from the past four years. The tests produced an average of 2,693,000 SHU. The record was set on August 23, 2023, in Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA, and Guinness World Records recognized it. For comparison, a jalapeño measures about 3,000 to 8,000 SHU.

About Pepper X and its breeder

Pepper X is a chili pepper bred by Ed Currie, who also created the Carolina Reaper. Currie founded PuckerButt Pepper Company in the United States. He grew Pepper X on his farm for more than 10 years, crossing it with some of his hottest peppers to raise its capsaicin content. The pepper's many curves and ridges leave more room for the placenta, the tissue that holds the seeds. The placenta has the highest concentration of capsaicin, not the seeds, which make none. Guinness World Records lists Pepper X as the world's hottest chili pepper. As of 2023, only five people, including Currie, had eaten a whole one.

The record it replaced

Pepper X took the title from the Carolina Reaper, which averages 1,640,000 SHU. Its score of 2,693,000 SHU is well above that figure. Currie is already working on what could be his next record breaker. He makes more than 100 crosses each year, hoping one or two will survive a 10-year development cycle. Hybrid peppers need around 10 generations to stabilize, so new records take years to develop.