Top 4 World's Hottest Chilli Peppers

The chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. In Australia, Britain, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and in other Asian countries, it is usually known simply as chilli. See some of the chilli peppers mentioned below :-

1. Carolina Reaper, USA

The Carolina Reaper is a cultivar of chili pepper of the Capsicum chinense species, originally named the “HP22BNH”. As of 2015, it is officially the world’s hottest pepper. The “Carolina Reaper” has been rated as the world’s hottest chili pepper by Guinness World Records since August 7, 2013. It averages a 1,569,300 on the Scoville scale with peak levels of over 2,200,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHUs).

Dale Thurber /CC BY-SA 3.0 | Carolina Reaper Pepper

2. Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, Trinidad

The Trinidad moruga scorpion is native to the district of Moruga in Trinidad and Tobago. On August 7, 2013, Guinness World Records rated the Carolina Reaper the world’s hottest pepper with a mean heat of more than 1.2 million Scoville heat units (SHUs) and individual plants with a heat of more than 2 million SHUs. The previous record holder was the bhut jolokia of India. The current world record holder is the Carolina Reaper.

Hankwang /CC BY-SA 3.0 | Trinidad Moruga Scorpion

3. Bhut Jolokia, India

The bhut jolokia also known as bih jolokia, u-morok, ghost pepper, ghost chili pepper, red naga chili, Naga Jolokia and ghost chili. It is an interspecific hybrid chili pepper cultivated in Bangladesh and Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland and Manipur. In 2007, Guinness World Records certified that the ghost pepper was the world’s hottest chili pepper, 401.5 times hotter than Tabasco sauce. The ghost chili is rated at more than 1 million Scoville heat units (SHUs).

Vikramjit Kakati /CC BY-SA 4.0 | Bhoot Jolokia, Ghost Chili Pepper

4. Trinidad Scorpion Butch T Pepper, Trinidad

The Trinidad scorpion ‘Butch T’ pepper is a Capsicum chinense cultivar that is among the most piquant peppers. The “scorpion” peppers are referred to as such because the pointed end of the pepper is said to resemble a scorpion’s stinger. According to Guinness World Records, the Trinidad scorpion ‘Butch T’ pepper was for three years, ranked as the most hot pepper in the world. In March 2011 this pepper measured a specimen at 1,463,700 Scoville heat units(SHUs).