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Just How HOT Are My Chiles?

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[SIZE=+3]Just How HOT Are My Chiles?[/SIZE]


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[FONT=Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva]Professor
Wilber L. Scoville
[/FONT]</td> <td> In 1912 a chemists by the name of Wilbur Scoville, working for the Parke-Davis pharmaceutical company, developed a method to measure the heat level of chile peppers. The test is named after him, the "Scoville Organoleptic Test". It is a subjective dilution-taste procedure. In the original test, Wilbur blended pure ground Chiles with sugar-water and a panel of "testers" then sipped the solution, in increasingly diluted concentrations, until they reached the point that the liquid no longer burned their mouths. A number was then assigned to each chile pepper based on how much it needed to be diluted before they could no longer taste (feel) the heat.
</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <table width="140" align="right" border="0" cellpadding="6" height="140"> <tbody><tr> <td *********="" #ff2400="" align="center"> "1,000,000 drops of water is rated at only 1.5 Scoville Units" </td> </tr> </tbody></table> The pungency (or heat factor) of chile peppers is measured in multiples of 100 units. The sweet bell peppers at zero Scoville units to the mighty Naga Jolokia (Ghost Pepper) at over 1,000,000 Scoville units! One part of chile "heat" per 1,000,000 drops of water is rated at only 1.5 Scoville Units. The substance that makes a chile so hot is called Capsaicin (cap-say-ah-sin). Pure Capsaicin rates between 15,000,000 and 16,000,000 Scoville Units! Today a more scientific and accurate method called liquid chromatography is used to determine capsaicin levels. In honor of Dr. Wilbur the unit of measure is still named Scoville.
Below is a list of Chile peppers and their Scoville Heat Units. Due to variations in growing conditions, soil and weather, peppers tend to vary between the lower and upper levels listed, but can go beyond them.
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\ <table align="center" border="5" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"> <caption> [SIZE=+2]Scoville Units[/SIZE] </caption> <tbody><tr> <td *********="" #800000="" align="center"> [SIZE=+1] Chile Pepper[/SIZE] </td> <td *********="" #800000=""> <center> [SIZE=+1]Heat Range[/SIZE] </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ffd000="">Sweet Bell</td> <td *********="" #ffd000=""> <center> 0 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ffd000="">Sweet Banana</td> <td *********="" #ffd000=""> <center> 0 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ffd000="">Pimento</td> <td *********="" #ffd000=""> <center> 0 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ffc000="">Cherry</td> <td *********="" #ffc000=""> <center> 00 ~ 500 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ffb000="">Pepperoncini</td> <td *********="" #ffb000=""> <center> 100 ~ 500 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff9900="">Sonora</td> <td *********="" #ff9900=""> <center> 300 ~ 600 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff9900="">El-Paso</td> <td *********="" #ff9900=""> <center> 500 ~ 700 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff9700="">Santa Fe Grande</td> <td *********="" #ff9700=""> <center> 500 ~ 750 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff9700="">NuMex R Naky</td> <td *********="" #ff9700=""> <center> 500 ~ 1,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff9500="">Coronado</td> <td *********="" #ff9500=""> <center> 700 ~ 1,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff9500="">TAM Mild Jalapeno</td> <td *********="" #ff9500=""> <center> 1,000 ~ 1,500 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff9500="">New Mexico 6-4</td> <td *********="" #ff9500=""> <center> 1,000 ~ 1,500 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff9000="">Espanola</td> <td *********="" #ff9000=""> <center> 1,000 ~ 2,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff9000="">Poblano</td> <td *********="" #ff9000=""> <center> 1,000 ~ 2,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff9000="">Ancho</td> <td *********="" #ff9000=""> <center> 1,000 ~ 2,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff9000="">Mulato</td> <td *********="" #ff9000=""> <center> 1,000 ~ 2,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff9000="">Pasilla</td> <td *********="" #ff9000=""> <center> 1,000 ~ 2,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff8500="">Anaheim</td> <td *********="" #ff8500=""> <center> 500 ~ 2,500 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff8500="">Sandia</td> <td *********="" #ff8500=""> <center> 500 ~ 2,500 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff8500="">NuMex Big Jim</td> <td *********="" #ff8500=""> <center> 1,500 ~ 2,500 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff8000="">Rocotillo</td> <td *********="" #ff8000=""> <center> 1,500 ~ 2,500 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff7000="">Pulla</td> <td *********="" #ff7000=""> <center> 700 ~ 3,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff7000="">NuMex Joe E. Parker</td> <td *********="" #ff7000=""> <center> 1,500 ~ 3,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff6000="">Bulgarian Carrot</td> <td *********="" #ff6000=""> <center> 2,000 ~ 5,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff6000="">Mirasol</td> <td *********="" #ff6000=""> <center> 2,500 ~ 5,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff6000="">Guajillo</td> <td *********="" #ff6000=""> <center> 2,500 ~ 5,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff5500="">Jalapeno</td> <td *********="" #ff5500=""> <center> 2,500 ~ 8,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff5500="">Chipolte</td> <td *********="" #ff5500=""> <center> 5,000 ~ 8,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff5500="">Long Thick Cayenne</td> <td *********="" #ff5500=""> <center> 6,000 ~ 8,500 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff5200="">Hot Wax</td> <td *********="" #ff5200=""> <center> 5,000 ~ 9,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff5200="">Puya</td> <td *********="" #ff5200=""> <center> 5,000 ~ 10,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff5000="">Hidalgo</td> <td *********="" #ff5000=""> <center> 6,000 ~ 17,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff5000="">Aji Escabeche</td> <td *********="" #ff5000=""> <center> 12,000 ~ 17,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff5000="">Serrano</td> <td *********="" #ff5000=""> <center> 8,000 ~ 22,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff4000="">Manzano</td> <td *********="" #ff4000=""> <center> 12,000 ~ 30,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff4000="">Shipkas</td> <td *********="" #ff4000=""> <center> 12,000 ~ 30,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff3500="">NuMex Barker's Hot</td> <td *********="" #ff3500=""> <center> 15,000 ~ 30,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff3500="">De Arbol</td> <td *********="" #ff3500=""> <center> 15,000 ~ 30,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff3300="">Jaloro</td> <td *********="" #ff3300=""> <center> 30,000 ~ 50,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff3300="">Aji</td> <td *********="" #ff3300=""> <center> 30,000 ~ 50,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff3300="">Tabasco</td> <td *********="" #ff3300=""> <center> 30,000 ~ 50,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff3300="">Cayenne</td> <td *********="" #ff3300=""> <center> 30,000 ~ 50,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff3200="">Santaka</td> <td *********="" #ff3200=""> <center> 40,000 ~ 50,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff3200="">Super Chile</td> <td *********="" #ff3200=""> <center> 40,000 ~ 50,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff3000="">Piquin</td> <td *********="" #ff3000=""> <center> 40,000 ~ 58,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff3000="">NuMex XX Hot</td> <td *********="" #ff3000=""> <center> 60,000 ~ 70,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff2800="">Yatsafusa</td> <td *********="" #ff2800=""> <center> 50,000 ~ 75,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff2800="">Red Amazon</td> <td *********="" #ff2800=""> <center> 55,000 ~ 75,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff2600="">Haimen</td> <td *********="" #ff2600=""> <center> 70,000 ~ 80,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff2400="">Chiltecpin</td> <td *********="" #ff2400=""> <center> 60,000 ~ 85,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff2200="">Thai</td> <td *********="" #ff2200=""> <center> 50,000 ~ 100,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff2000="">Merah</td> <td *********="" #ff2000=""> <center> 85,000 ~ 100,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff2000="">Tabiche</td> <td *********="" #ff2000=""> <center> 85,000 ~ 115,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff1900="">Bahamian</td> <td *********="" #ff1900=""> <center> 95,000 ~ 110,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff1800="">Carolina Cayenne</td> <td *********="" #ff1800=""> <center> 100,000 ~ 125,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff1600="">Kumataka</td> <td *********="" #ff1600=""> <center> 125,000 ~ 150,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff1800="">Bahamian</td> <td *********="" #ff1800=""> <center> 125,000 ~ 300,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff1400="">Jamaican Hot</td> <td *********="" #ff1400=""> <center> 100,000 ~ 200,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff1200="">Birds Eye</td> <td *********="" #ff1200=""> <center> 100,000 ~ 225,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff1100="">Tepin (Wild)</td> <td *********="" #ff1100=""> <center> 100,000 ~ 265,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff0900="">Datil</td> <td *********="" #ff0900=""> <center> 1,000 ~ 300,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff0900="">Devil Toung</td> <td *********="" #ff0900=""> <center> 125,000 ~ 325,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff0900="">Fatalii</td> <td *********="" #ff0900=""> <center> 125,000 ~ 325,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff0900="">Orange Habanero</td> <td *********="" #ff0900=""> <center> 150,000 ~ 325,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff0600="">Scotch Bonnet</td> <td *********="" #ff0600=""> <center> 150,000 ~ 325,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff0600="">TigrePaw-NR</td> <td *********="" #ff0600=""> <center> 265,000 ~ 348,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff0600="">Rocoto / Manzano</td> <td *********="" #ff0600=""> <center> 225,000 ~ 350,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff0600="">Caribbean Red</td> <td *********="" #ff0600=""> <center> 120,000 ~ 400,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff0500="">Choclate Habanero</td> <td *********="" #ff0500=""> <center> 325,000 ~ 425,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff0400="">Red Savina Habanero</td> <td *********="" #ff0400=""> <center> 350,000 ~ 575,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff0300="">Dorset Naga</td> <td *********="" #ff0300=""> <center> 800,000 ~ 900,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #ff0000="">Naga Jolokia</td> <td *********="" #ff0000=""> <center> 800,000 ~ 1,041,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #c00000="">Common Pepper Spray</td> <td *********="" #c00000=""> <center> 2-3,000,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #c00000="">Police Grade Spray</td> <td *********="" #c00000=""> <center> 5,300,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #c00000="">Homodihydrocapsaicin</td> <td *********="" #c00000=""> <center> 8,600,000 </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td *********="" #c00000="">Nordihydrocapsaicin</td> <td *********="" #c00000=""> <center> 9,100,000 </center> </td> </tr><tr> <td *********="" #990000=""> <center> Pure Capsaicin </center> </td> <td *********="" #990000=""> <center> 15-16,000,000 </center> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Information On The World's Hottest Chile.

A Little Chile Chemistry For
The Visiting Rocket Scientist
... See link for the rest of the story. :supergrin::wow:
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I grow habaneros every year. Mostly the orange ones. They are hot enough for me.

Jalepenos suck. They vary all over the board---even off the same plant you will get some fairly hot pods and some that are like bell peper. Some even vary within a single pod: hot on one end and not on the other.

By the way, I found a neat way to dry habaneros: put them on a cookie sheet on the dash of your truck parked in the sun for a few days in Mississippi.

They will get crispy.

And a neat thing to do with your dried habaneros: crunch them up a little and run them through your wife's electric pepper mill and pour the resulting powder into salt shakers.

The end result is VERY finely ground VERY hot powder that you can put on everything.

You need to wear a respirator when you grind them.

You will also cough a little every time you sprinkle the powder on food. Somehow the fine powder gets airborne and into your nose.

Oh, and you won't want to drive your truck for a few days until you air it out.

And your wife will never be able to use her coffee mill to grind coffee again.

Ask me how I know.
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May I suggest the wearing of rubber gloves whenever one works with very hot peppers.....or your next trip to the bathroom will leave you breathless.
May I suggest the wearing of rubber gloves whenever one works with very hot peppers.....or your next trip to the bathroom will leave you breathless.
Habaneros don't wait for you to go to the bathroom.

They will make your fingers feel like you ran into a blow torch.

Usually it has worn off by the next day.
Why not just light a match and put it in your mouth?

Oh, BTW, I do enjoy spicy food but there is a point where it's all fire and no flavor.
Oh, BTW, I do enjoy spicy food but there is a point where it's all fire and no flavor.


That is not a fixed point. I keep pushing the envelope. :eat:
Years ago I ordered some seeds for Thai peppers from Burpees catalog. These stout, little plants grew quickly and produced a bunch of tiny, pointed red peppers that were so hot I almost lost consciousness. Just touching them was asking for burning fingers--and yes, I touched my eye AFTER I washed my hands and yet the burning sensation lasted for hours.

Can't remember their name but I don't see them on the list. Anyway, I might give them a try again as they were really easy to grow. As for eating them, well, a little goes a long way. One plant is enough to keep you in peppers for quite awhile.
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