Guinness World Records Names Pepper X the New Hottest Pepper

Posted: October 18, 2023 at 8:26 am

Move over, Carolina Reaper. Your reign as the world’s hottest pepper is over. There’s a new painfully spicy king of capsaicin and it’s called Pepper X. A South Carolina pepper grower named Ed Currie, who previously introduced the world to the Carolina Reaper, has grown a pepper that’s about twice as hot. Pepper X averages about 2.6 million Scoville Heat Units. To put that in perspective, the Carolina Reaper averages about 1.6 million Scoville Units and a jalapeno is anywhere between 3,000 and 8,000. Pepper X has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the hottest pepper in the world, and Currie says he’s already working on growing an even hotter pepper.