WATCH INFO VIDEOS HERE DESCRIBING DIFFERENT CHILLIE PEPPERS

What would we do without this most favored spice?

They come in different shapes & sizes & in varied heat ranges.

The Scoville scale and the heat meter list numerous chili pepper varieties sorted by their pungency and their capsaicin content in Scoville Heat Units (SHU). We have a simple scoville scale image and a detailed searchable and interactive html5 scoville scale table.

**LONG SNAKE LIKE CHILLIE PEPPER ON BUSH**

History

The Scoville scale exists since 1912 and was invented by the American pharmacologist Wilbur Scoville. It serves to determine the degree of pungency of fruits of the genus Capsicum, which includes peppers and chilis. The Scoville scale was originally based on the so-called Scoville Organoleptic Test developed by Wilbur Scoville.

**Various red hot peppers on a wooden background arranged on the right**

Here, a sample of chili was prepared and repeatedly diluted with water until the test subjects no longer felt any heat. The degree to which the subjects could (subjectively) taste no more heat in the sample was called SHU (Scoville Heat Units). Of course, no subjective tests will be carried out today.

**Vector illustration of a Chili Pepper Heat Unit scale or measurement infographic design template with chili pepper heat gradient.**

Determination of the Scoville Heat Units of fruits of the genus Capsicum

The degree of pungency of a chillie is determined today by means of modern high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Scoville scale of chilli peppers infographic vector illustration. Heat units for red and green chili pods, spicy, mild and extreme hot taste level score. Scalable spice peppers on multicolor gradient background

**Spicy level of red hot pepper That is spicy until like a fire.**

**Red chilli peppers with hot smoke and steam to show heat of food**

Hanging Strand of Red Chili Peppers and rustic wall decor

This method recognizes the capsaicinoids responsible for the pungency, such as capsaicin and dihydro-capsaicin, and determines their concentration reliably. The result of an HPLC test is given in the ASTA severity level, but this can be converted by a formula into the usual SHU value.

Hottest Chili Pepper in the World

The world’s hottest chili pepper is the Carolina Reaper. It measures 1.5 Million up to 2.2 Million Scoville Heat Units. A full list of the world record holders and the history of world’s hottest pepper can be found in the article Hottest Chili Pepper in the World.

Just like grapes grown for wine, hot peppers are incredibly complex. We’re here to guide you through this wide world of spiciness and flavor, and it all starts with the Scoville scale by which chili pepper heat is measured.

**Spaghetti with garlic, oil and red chillie peppers**

It’s so much more than a simple list of chili peppers: Discover their heat, unique flavors, origins, species, and even how their spiciness compares to a chili most have tried, the jalapeño. It’s a relatable reference point that helps put the big numbers on the Scoville scale into perspective.

VIEW CHILLIE SCALE SITE HERE