Chilli Info

The Chilli Addicts team have answered some of your top chilli pepper related questions.

What is the Scoville scale?

The Scoville scale is a tool for measuring the spiciness or pungency of peppers. The scale assesses how much capsaicin there is in a pepper and assigns it a rating in Scoville heat units.

Capsaicin is the chemical inside peppers which makes the pepper hot. The more capsaicin in a pepper, the hotter the pepper will be.

To determine the Scoville heat unit, an alcohol extract of capsaicin oil from a dried pepper is mixed with a solution of water and sugar to the point where a panel of human taste-testers can't detect the heat of the pepper. So, let’s say we pick the Carolina Reaper chilli pepper, it will take more than 2 million drops of this water and sugar solution to eliminate the heat of this potent chilli pepper.

Which chilli pepper is the hottest in the world?

That would be 'The Carolina Reaper'. The Carolina Reaper took first place and made the Guinness book of world records in 2017 reaching an unbelievable heat level of over 2 million Scoville units. There have been many hybrid versions of the Carolina Reaper, but none have managed to reach the heat levels of this super chilli pepper. It is said to be rumoured that there are a few chilli peppers out there which surpass the Carolina Reaper. Unofficially the peppers known as Dragon Breath and Pepper X reach closer to 3 million Scoville units.

What are the side effects from eating hot chilli peppers?

Well apart from your usual sweating, hiccups, stomach cramps, burning taste buds and even evidence of hallucinations eating chilli peppers can have some benefits.

Believe it or not eating chilli peppers can promote weight loss. It does this by reducing your appetite, boosting your metabolism as well as increasing the rate in which you can burn fat study shows.

Eating chilli peppers can help fight infections and certain chilli extracts have been known to stop cholera bacteria and other food borne diseases. Chillies have been known to treat food poisoning and tooth decay, as well as stabilising blood sugar levels, lowering cholesterol, prevent stomach ulcers and reduce blood pressure.

Has anyone died from eating the Carolina Reaper?

No, not according to any records. It would take a serious amount of consumption of this pepper before it would cause major damage to your organs.

What is the hottest chilli pepper made in Britain?

This would be the Armageddon pepper. It is not far off the heat and potency of the Carolina Reaper. It is approximately 1.3 million Scoville units and is becoming the UK's fastest selling and most popular chilli pepper on the market. We sell the Armageddon sauce in our shop and trust us, you do not need a lot of this on your plate or pot to feel the burn.