Hottest Chili Pepper in the World
The hottest chili pepper in the world is currently the Carolina Reaper with up to 2.2 Million Scoville Heat Units. Guinness World Records declared the variety officially the hottest chili in the world in 2013 and certified the record for the hottest pepper in the world in 2017. The Carolina Reaper is also known by its breeding name HP22B and was bred by Ed Currie in Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA. With an average value of 1.5 to 2.2 million Scoville Heat Units, the Carolina Reaper surpassed its predecessor Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Butch T.
The predecessor of the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Butch T was the Naga Viper, which hold the record for the hottest chili in the world in 2011 for a few month. Previously, the Infinity Chili was the hottest chili in the world for a short period of two weeks in February 2011. From 2007 to February 2011 the Bhut Jolokia was the hottest chili in the world. This variety was the first chili pepper that reached the 1 Million Scoville Heat Units mark. The Bhut Jolokia is also known as Ghost Pepper. The world’s first record for the hottest chili is held by the Habanero Red Savina. Red Savina was unbeaten from 1994 to 2007 over a decade with 577,000 Scoville Heat Units.
Official World Record Holders
In the following table you will find an overview of the officially awarded chili varieties and their scoville values. On the Scoville Scale page you will find a complete list of all types of chili peppers, sorted according to their heat level.
| Year | World's Hottest Chili Pepper | Scoville Heat Units | Scoville Level | Breader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 - 2019 | Carolina Reaper | 1,500,000 - 2,200,00 SHU | 10+++ | Ed Currie |
| 2011 - 2013 | Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Butch T | 1,500,000 - 2,009,231 SHU | 10+++ | Butch Taylor |
| 2011 | Naga Viper | 600,000 - 1,382,118 SHU | 10++ | Gerald Fowler |
| 2011 | Infinity Chili | 500,000 - 1,067,286 SHU | 10+ | Nick Woods |
| 2007 - 2011 | Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Pepper) | 600,000 - 1,041,427 SHU | 10+ | Natural variety from India |
| 1994 - 2007 | Habanero Red Savina | 250,000 - 577,000 SHU | 10 | Frank Garcia |