
Full Answer
What does Shu mean in peppers?
SHU: Scoville heat units. The units by which the Scoville scale is measured ( read more about them here ). It is the key numerical value of our (or any) hot pepper list. Min/Max SHU: Even individual hot peppers have a range of heat, depending on where they are grown, how long they’ve matured, and even the amount of sun they’ve received.
What is Shu and why does it matter?
It is the key numerical value of our (or any) hot pepper list. Min/Max SHU: Even individual hot peppers have a range of heat, depending on where they are grown, how long they’ve matured, and even the amount of sun they’ve received. The minimum SHU is the mildest a pepper could be, the maximum SHU is the hottest possible for the variety.
How many Shu is a jalapeno pepper?
On the Scoville pepper scale, jalapenos range from 2,500 to 8,000 SHU. They're considered spicy but not too hot for most people. Since many are familiar with the heat level of jalapenos, it makes them useful when comparing the spiciness of other peppers and chiles.
What is a good Shu for hot peppers?
Hot Pepper Min SHU Max SHU Median SHU Type Tangerine Dream Pepper 0 100 50 annuum Chilly Chili 1 100 51 annuum Shishito Pepper 50 200 125 annuum Trinidad Perfume 0 500 250 chinense 18 more rows ...

What does SHU mean in hot peppers?
Scoville heat unitsScoville heat units, also known as SHU is simply a measurement of the number of times capsaicin needs to be diluted by sugar-water. The number of Scoville Heat Units (SHU) in a pepper or even hot sauce indicates the amount of capsaicin present. The higher the Scoville rating, the hotter the pepper.
How hot is a SHU?
The ghost pepper of Northeast India is considered to be a "very hot" pepper, at about 1 million SHU. The Naga Morich with around 1 million SHU is primarily found in Bangladesh....Capsicum peppers.Scoville heat unitsExamples750,000–1,500,000Trinidad moruga scorpion, Naga Viper pepper, Infinity chilli, Ghost pepper11 more rows
How much SHU is a normal pepper?
The ranges of Scoville Heat Units (SHU) typically used to call a pepper mild, medium, hot, or extra hot are: Mild (100 to 2,500) Medium (2,500 to 30,000)
How hot is 1.5 million Scovilles?
The world's hottest chili pepper is the Carolina Reaper. It measures 1.5 Million up to 2.2 Million Scoville Heat Units.
What's the least hottest pepper?
Chile peppers are ranked on the Scoville scale, which measures the heat of spicy foods. As a baseline, bell peppers have a score of zero on the Scoville scale; jalapeños, which have medium heat, have about 2,500-8,000 SHU (scoville heat units).
How many Shu is a jalapeno?
2,000 to 8,000 ScovilleThey usually fall in the range of 2,000 to 8,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), which sounds like a lot, but it really isn't! Some of the hottest peppers in the world measure up to 1,000,000 SHU, muy caliente! Compared to cayenne peppers, which come in at approximately 30,000 to 50,000 SHU, jalapeños are extremely mild.
Which is hotter Thai chili or habanero?
They are typically about three times less spicy than a habanero, so if you're venturing into that hot pepper level for the first time, a stop off at Thai peppers is a good way to travel.
Can you eat a Carolina Reaper?
The Carolina Reaper pepper is one of the spiciest edible peppers in the world. While localized symptoms such as mouth burning, mouth numbness, and even vomiting are the main risks of eating these peppers, recent case reports have revealed more serious complications of these potent foods.
What is the hottest pepper in the world 2022?
the Carolina ReaperYep, the Hottest Pepper in 2022 is still the Carolina Reaper! The wickedly hot Carolina Reaper is still holding the Guinness World Record crown again in 2022 for being the world's hottest pepper.
How hot is death by salsa?
The Pepper Palace, a shop here in the mall, came over to the show with some salsa called 'Death By Salsa' that was estimated to be rated at 3,000,000 scoville units.
What's the spiciest thing in the world?
According to the Daily Post, the Dragon's Breath chile, now the world's spiciest pepper, clocks in at a hellish 2.48 million on the Scoville scale, dwarfing its nearest competitor, the Carolina Reaper, which comes in at 2.2 million. (For reference, military-grade pepper spray comes in at a casual 2 million.)
What is hotter than Ghost Pepper?
The ghost pepper tips the Scoville scale at a walloping 855,000 to 1,041,427 Scoville heat units. The Carolina Reaper eclipses it at 1,400,000 to 2,200,000 SHU.
What is the hottest pepper in the world now?
Carolina Reaper 2,200,000 SHU The Carolina Reaper is once again officially the Worlds Hottest Pepper.
How much hotter does it feel in the sun?
10 to 15 degrees warmerRather, being in direct sunlight and solar radiation makes the air feel 10 to 15 degrees warmer than it actually is, said Jim Lushine, a retired weather service meteorologist.
Which is the strongest chilli?
The Carolina ReaperThe Carolina Reaper is officially the Worlds Hottest Pepper as ranked by Guinness Book of World Records. It's hot, and by hot, we mean HOT! The Carolina Reaper can top-out at 2.2 Million SHU!
How spicy is Siling Labuyo?
Siling labuyo fruits are small but are very hot. It measures around 80,000-100,000 Scoville units which is at the lower end of the range for the hotter habanero chili.
How Are Scovilles Units Measured?
The Scoville scale is a measurement of the heat of chili peppers and other spicy foods. The concentration of capsaicin, the chemical responsible for adding spicy heat to foods, is measured and recorded in Scoville Heat Units (SHU). The Scoville heat scale was created by Wilbur Scoville, an American pharmacist.
What Is the Hottest Pepper in the World?
The certified hottest pepper in the world is the Carolina Reaper, at 2,200,000 Scoville units. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Smokin’ Ed’s Carolina Reaper as the hottest chili pepper in the world in 2018. It beat its own 2013 record by 71,000 SHU to regain its title as the hottest chili pepper in the world.
Can the Hottest Pepper Kill You?
Yes, some of the hottest peppers on this chart could kill you, but you would need to eat a good amount at once for this to happen. Studies have found that 3 pounds of dried and powdered capsaicin-rich peppers, like the Ghost Pepper or the Carolina Reaper, eaten by a 150-pound person in a short period of time would be enough to kill them.
What Is the Sweetest Pepper in the World?
The sweetest pepper in the world is the sweet bell pepper, with an SHU of 0. Bell peppers are part of the capsicum species, yet they are the only capsicum that doesn’t produce the spicy chemical capsaicin that’s found in a majority of peppers.
Scoville organoleptic test
In the Scoville organoleptic test, an exact weight of dried pepper is dissolved in alcohol to extract the heat components (capsaicinoids), then diluted in a solution of sugar water.
Scoville ratings
Since Scoville ratings are defined per unit of dry mass, comparison of ratings between products having different water content can be misleading. For example, typical fresh chili peppers have a water content around 90%, whereas Tabasco sauce has a water content of 95%.
Capsicum annuum
Bell peppers are very common. They are often used fresh in salads and sandwiches, eaten as a snack, or used as a cooked vegetable in meat, rice, or stir fry dishes.
Capsicum chinense
These peppers are also called aji dulce. They are native to the Caribbean region and are similar in appearance to a habanero pepper. (Photo: UF/IFAS, Reimer Seed)
Capsicum frutescens
This pepper is named after the Mexican state Tabasco. Fruits of this species grow a little differently than other peppers; they remain upright when they mature instead of hanging down from their stems. Plants can grow up to about 5 feet tall with a bushy growth.
Hybrid
The bhut jolokia pepper is an interspecies hybrid, mostly Capsicum chinense with Capsicum frutescens. It's also known as naga jolokia, bih jolokia, ghost pepper, ghost chili pepper, red naha chili, and ghost chili. These peppers were cultivated in the Indian state of Assam and named for the Bhutia tribe.
1. Carolina Reaper 2,200,000 SHU
The previous world champion, Carolina Reaper has been beat! by itself… The Carolina Reaper is once again officially the Worlds Hottest Pepper.
2. Trinidad Moruga Scorpion 2,009,231 SHU
Straight from the depths of hell the Trinidad Scorpion Moruga Blend, AKA Moruga Scorpion, is a rare sought after pepper that was only just recently discovered.
3. 7 Pot Douglah 1,853,936 SHU
Well renown in the pepper community as one of the hottest peppers with the best flavor.
6. Naga Viper 1,349,000 SHU
Naga Viper is an extremely rare pepper cultivated in the UK. Hybrid of many different peppers and years of cross pollination created this variety of “Super HOT” pepper.
7. Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia) 1,041,427 SHU
The Ghost Pepper is the most famous “Super Hot” due to the amount of press it has received in the past.
10. Red Savina Habanero 500,000 SHU
Back in the early years of super hots, the Red Savina Habanero was KING!
What is a jalapeño pepper?
Even those relatively new to hot peppers know of jalapeño peppers, but what’s interesting is the overall reputation this hot pepper has. Many people think of the jalapeño as a very spicy hot pepper, but in terms of the Scoville scale, the jalapeño is merely mild to moderate.
Jalapeño history – where do jalapeño peppers come from?
The pepper originated in − you guessed it − Mexico. Over 160 square kilometers of land are still dedicated to the growing of jalapeños in the country. It’s also grown in the United States, particularly the southwestern states of Texas and New Mexico, which of course border Mexico.
How spicy are jalapeño peppers?
The jalapeño is pretty much the perfect amount of heat for those that like a little kick, but don’t want to challenge their taste buds to a duel. Most people can enjoy a jalapeño. It’s one of the great culinary peppers in the world, finding its way into Tex-Mex dishes, Thai recipes, Spanish foods, and much more.
What do jalapeño peppers taste like?
Jalapeños are typically picked (and eaten) while they are still green in color and not totally ripe. In their green form, jalapeños tend to have a bright, grassy flavor. They can even have a slight bitterness to their taste.
Jalapeño size – what do they look like?
At 2 to 3.5 inches in total length, this is as pod-like a pepper as you’ll ever see. Compared to other hot peppers, it’s moderate in total size. Some are stouter and some are longer.
What is a good jalapeño substitute?
The best is a serrano pepper. It’s similar in taste – bright and grassy – without the same level of bitterness. Though, it is a step up in heat: 10,000 to 23,000 SHU. They can run from near equal in heat to nearly ten times hotter.
What are some good jalapeño uses?
This chili pepper is so versatile, not only because of its very eatable heat but also because of its fresh, bright flavor. It works so well with other fresh vegetables, so anywhere where a bell pepper would be used, a jalapeño could be used instead. Try it in salads, fresh salsas, sandwiches, and vegetable medleys to add a little spark to the meal.
Who Invented the Scoville Scale?
The Scoville scale was invented by Wilbur Scoville in 1912. Surprisingly, Scoville wasn't a chef, he was a pharmacist. He created the famous heat scale to improve the capsaicin dosage in a pain-killing cream. Capsaicin is a heat-producing compound, but it also creates an analgesic or numbing effect on the skin.
What Is Capsaicin?
Capsaicin (pronounced cap-say-sin) is the chemical compound found in peppers that causes a burning sensation when it makes contact with skin, eyes, or mucous membranes.
What Does the Scoville Scale Measure?
The Scoville scale measures Scoville heat units, which represent the amount of sugar-water it takes to completely dilute the spiciness of the pepper. Scoville's original test was called the Scoville Organoleptic Test, and it employed a panel of trained taste-testers to confirm how much water was needed to neutralize the heat.
List of Peppers by Heat
New chile peppers are cultivated every year, but the hottest known pepper in the world is the Carolina Reaper. The bell pepper ranks at the bottom of the hotness scale with zero heat units. Check out everything in between on this list of common peppers and their Scoville heat units:
How Many Scoville Units Are in a Jalapeno?
On the Scoville pepper scale, jalapenos range from 2,500 to 8,000 SHU. They're considered spicy but not too hot for most people. Since many are familiar with the heat level of jalapenos, it makes them useful when comparing the spiciness of other peppers and chiles.

Overview
Scoville organoleptic test
In the Scoville organoleptic test, an exact weight of dried pepper is dissolved in alcohol to extract the heat components (capsaicinoids), then diluted in a solution of sugar water. Decreasing concentrations of the extracted capsaicinoids are given to a panel of five trained tasters, until a majority (at least three) can no longer detect the heat in a dilution. The heat level is based on this dilution, rated in multiples of 100 SHU.
Quantification by HPLC
Since the 1980s, spice heat has been assessed quantitatively by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), which measures the concentration of heat-producing capsaicinoids, typically with capsaicin content as the main measure. As stated in one review: "the most reliable, rapid, and efficient method to identify and quantify capsaicinoids is HPLC; the results of which can be con…
Scoville ratings
Since Scoville ratings are defined per unit of dry mass, comparison of ratings between products having different water content can be misleading. For example, typical fresh chili peppers have a water content around 90%, whereas Tabasco sauce has a water content of 95%. For law-enforcement-grade pepper spray, values from 500,000 up to 5 million SHU have been reported, but the act…
See also
• Food portal
• Chemistry portal