The long-fought battle for the title of World’s Hottest Pepper has been resolved… at least for now. The Guinness Book of World Records has given the honor to the Carolina Reaper Pepper.
The scorpion-shaped, oily, bumpy, fire-red harbinger of heartburn won the title by registering 2.2 million on the Scoville Heat Units Scale, which measures the concentration of capsaicin, the chemical compound that creates the burning sensation with spicy foods. To put this in perspective, consider the Scoville Scale readings for the following:
| Scoville Heat Units | Item |
| 15,000,000 | pure capsaicin |
| 2,000,000 – 5,000,000 | U.S. Grade Pepper Spray |
| 1,000,000 | Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Pepper) |
| 200,000 – 350,000 | Habanero |
| 5,000 – 8,000 | Yellow Hot |
| 3,500 – 8,000 | Jalapeño |
| 500 – 1,500 | Chile Verde |
| 500 – 750 | Red Chile |
| 0 | Sweet Bells |
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