On the Scoville Heat Scale, the Carolina Reaper pepper has an average Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) rating of 1,641,000 with some individual peppers topping out at an incredible 2,200,000 SHU.
To give you an idea of how off-the-charts Carolina Reaper Scoville units are compared to other common pepper powders, a bell pepper has a SHU of 0 as it has no heat. A common jalapeño has a SHU of around 2,500 - 6,000 SHU. Whereas habanero peppers range anywhere from 100,000 to 350,000 SHU.
Carolina Reaper Pepper Characteristics:
The Carolina Reaper pepper was bred by the pepper cultivar, Ed Currie, who cultivated the pepper by cross-breeding a red habanero pepper with a red Ghost Pepper. It was bred in a greenhouse in Rock Hill of South Carolina and was previously named HP22B. Ed also goes by the nickname, Smokin' Ed. Our Carolina Reaper Powder is mildly sweet and has a fruity flavor. That is, once you get past the overwhelming heat the pepper contains!
Since the
peppers are a crossbreed between a ghost pepper and a red habanero pepper, it has a sweet fruity flavor but the heat hits you instantly. Your skin begins to sweat and the intense pain in your mouth is unbearable. Luckily this pain subsides in about 10 minutes.
What do Carolina Reaper Peppers look like?
Unlike most peppers that have a smooth appearance, reaper pods are very rough in appearance and have a tail that looks similar to a scorpion stinger. They generally range in size from about 3/4 of an inch to 1.5 inches in diameter.
Carolina Reaper Pepper Pungency
The heat, also known as pungency as it relates to peppers, is caused by the chemical compound capsaicin. Capsaicin is an oil that is prominent in the world's hottest peppers. One known antidote to capsaicin is casein which is present in some milk-based products. Casein works as a detergent that binds to the capsaicin and gives the consumer of hot peppers some relief from the pepper's pungency.
The most pungent (spiciest) part of the pepper is in the inside top portion of the peppers, especially around the seeds. When trying a pepper it is always best to start with the bottom of the pepper near the tail by trying just a small sliver to get a feeling of just how hot the pepper is.
Growing Season:
Late February - Late November.
Nutritional Value:
Chile peppers contain a high amount of vitamin C. Almost twice the number of citrus fruits.
Common Uses For Carolina Reaper Seasoning:
- Insanity Wings
- Mexican Dishes
- Chili
- In restaurants that want the hottest heat levels, this would be 5 on and 1 - 5 scale.
- Add heat to any meal.
- Commonly used in pepper-eating contests and food-eating challenges. We host a pepper-eating contest at the Arizona Taco Festival each year. Most people are unable to even get to the Carolina Reaper and bow out on Ghost Peppers and Scorpion Peppers.
- Super spicy dips
Why buy the Carolina Reaper powder over the flakes or whole peppers?
- Dissolves easily making for a more constant heat level throughout the dish.
- The powder is a combination of thousands of Carolina Reaper peppers. The heat level will be the average heat level of those peppers. This allows us to provide you with a more consistent product for use in recipes. While the heat level will vary from crop to crop the variation will be less noticeable compared to purchasing the whole peppers where heat differences between every single pepper will be much greater.
- Cheaper to ship compared to whole peppers. The volume of powder is much less than the volume of whole peppers and flakes.
Why buy from us?
- Premium quality non-smoked powder, you will taste the difference.
- Lightning-fast shipping time, we will ship your order in under 2 business days. Most orders ship the same day or the very next business day.
- Pure, no additives.
- Ships in a high-quality spice jar with a sealed sifter flip top.
Looking for a larger amount?
We offer wholesale discounts on purchases over $500. You can learn about wholesale on our Wholesale Page.
Frequently Asked Questions About Carolina Reaper Peppers
Can a Carolina Reaper kill you?
No. For a person who is not allergic to fruits, capsaicin, or any of the particular natural chemicals in the peppers it will likely not kill you. If you have any underlying medical conditions, talk to your doctor before consuming them. The pain you feel is actually limited to mammals. For birds, they do not have the same pain receptors as mammals and do not even notice the heat. Birds are said to experience no adverse reactions to eating peppers. It is thought this is by nature’s design as this allows the birds to eat the peppers and transport the seeds to faraway lands, thus ensuring the survival of the species.
What is hotter than a Carolina Reaper?Nothing is officially hotter than a Carolina Reaper Pepper according to Guinness World Records. Ed Currie, the cultivar (breeder), of the pepper is said to be trying to get a new cultivar called Pepper X officially certified as the newest hottest pepper. The process takes a very long time as it is very time-consuming and rigorous.
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