Carolina Reaper

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Carolina Reaper
Carolina Reaper pepper pods.jpg
Species Capsicum chinense
Hybrid parentage Bhut jolokia × red habanero
Breeder Ed Currie
Origin Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA
Heat Exceptionally hot
Scoville scale 1,569,300 on average SHU

The Carolina Reaper, originally named the HP22B,[1] is a cultivar of the Capsicum chinense plant. The pepper is red and gnarled, with a small pointed tail. In 2013, Guinness World Records dubbed it the hottest chili in the world, surpassing the previous record holder, the Trinidad Scorpion "Butch T".[2]

Pungency[edit]

The sensory heat or pungency detected when consuming a Carolina Reaper derives from the density of capsaicinoids, particularly capsaicin, which relates directly to intensity of chili pepper heat and Scoville scale.[3] Bred in a Rock Hill, South Carolina greenhouse by "Smokin" Ed Currie, proprietor of the PuckerButt Pepper Company in Fort Mill, the Carolina Reaper was certified as the world's hottest chili pepper by Guinness World Records since August 7, 2013.[4][5] The original crossbreed was between a Bhut jolokia (a former world record holder) and a red habanero, and is named 'Reaper' due to the shape of its tail.[6][7]

The official Guinness World Record heat level was 1,569,300 Scoville Heat Units (SHU) in 2013, according to tests conducted by Winthrop University in South Carolina. The figure is an average for the tested batch; the hottest individual pepper was measured at 2.2 million SHU.[4][5][8]

At the second Annual New York City Hot Sauce Expo on March 30, 2014,[9] Guinness World Records presented Ed Currie with his world record. There, an eating competition occurred and Russel Todd won the contest, consuming three Carolina Reapers in 12.23 seconds, a new Guinness record.[10] This record was beaten in September 2014 by Jason McNabb, who finished three peppers in 10.95 seconds.[11] Wayne Algenio of Jamaica, Queens, broke the world record at the Puckerbutt Pepper Company's Smokin' Ed's Reaper Eating Challenge at the NYC Hot Sauce Expo in Brooklyn on April 24, 2016 by eating 22 Carolina Reapers in 60 seconds.[12]

For growing, the pepper has been described as "a good all-rounder to try at home" by UK ethnobotanist James Wong, who said that they require temperatures of at least 18–20 °C (64–68 °F) and suggested growing in 30–40 cm (12–16 in) pots to restrict growth and produce fruit sooner.[13] It has been described as having a fruity taste, with the initial bite being sweet and then immediately turning to "molten lava".[6][14][15] When fully ripe, it is typically about the size of a ping-pong ball.[16]

In May 2017, Mike Smith of St Asaph working with Nottingham Trent University claimed to have surpassed the Carolina Reaper with his Dragon's Breath pepper, reported to be 2.4 million SHUs, and applied to Guinness World Records for confirmation.[17] As of September 2017, the hottest chili pepper known was Pepper X, having a Scoville scale of 3.18 million units.[18]

  • 30-day-old Carolina Reaper plant

  • Mature plant

References[edit]

  1. ^ "About Us". PuckerButt Pepper Co. Smokin’ Ed gained the pepper industry’s attention in November 2011 when an NPR Reporter stopped by to eat an HP22B pepper–now known as Smokin’ Ed’s Carolina Reaper®. 
  2. ^ "Confirmed: Smokin Ed's Carolina Reaper sets new record for hottest chilli". Guinness world records. 2013-11-19. Retrieved 2016-09-14. 
  3. ^ Nagy, Z; Daood, H; Ambrózy, Z; Helyes, L (2015). "Determination of Polyphenols, Capsaicinoids, and Vitamin C in New Hybrids of Chili Peppers". Journal of Analytical Methods in Chemistry. 2015: 102125. doi:10.1155/2015/102125. PMC 4606152 Freely accessible. PMID 26495153. 
  4. ^ a b "Hottest chili". Guinness World Records. Retrieved July 11, 2014. 
  5. ^ a b Hallock, Betty (December 26, 2013). "World's hottest pepper hits 2.2 million Scoville heat units". Los Angeles Times. 
  6. ^ a b Tu, Chau. "Eating the 'Carolina Reaper' pepper is 'like eating molten lava'". pri. 
  7. ^ Duffy, Jim (Habanero). "Carolina Reaper". Super hot chiles. Ed created this chile plant variety by crossing a Ghost pepper (Bhut Jolokia) with a Red Habanero type from St Vincents Island in the West Indies. 
  8. ^ Collins, Jeffrey (December 26, 2013). "World's hottest pepper is grown in South Carolina". Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. 
  9. ^ "Guinness World Record Pepper Eating Attempt To Take Place At 2nd Annual New York City Hot Sauce Expo". PR Newswire. Retrieved August 19, 2015. 
  10. ^ Gross, Matt (March 31, 2014). "What's It Like to Eat the World's Hottest Chile Pepper?". Bon Appetit. Retrieved August 19, 2015. 
  11. ^ "Fastest time to eat three Carolina Reaper chilis". Guinness World Records. Retrieved August 19, 2015. 
  12. ^ "Man Smashes Guinness World Record for Most Reaper Peppers Eaten in 60 Seconds". ABC News. April 26, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2016. 
  13. ^ Wong, James (February 28, 2016). "Gardens: the hottest chilli ever grown". The Guardian. Retrieved February 26, 2016. 
  14. ^ Smithers, Rebecca. "UK shoppers to feel the heat as world's strongest chilli hits the high street". The Guardian. 
  15. ^ "Carolina Reaper - HP22B - World's Hottest Chiles". Retrieved 2016-09-26. 
  16. ^ "Carolina Reaper - HP22B - World's Hottest Chiles". Retrieved 2016-09-26. 
  17. ^ "'World's hottest' chilli pepper grown in St Asaph". BBC News. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2017. 
  18. ^ Elizabeth Licata (23 September 2017). "Pepper X is the new hottest pepper in the world". The Daily Meal. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 December 2017. 
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