Carolina Reaper

Description

The pepper that defined an era. Carolina Reaper (C. chinense) held the Guinness World Record for the world’s hottest chili from 2013 until 2023, and the certified figure still stands as one of the most carefully measured numbers in the chili world: an average of 1,641,183 SHU, tested at Winthrop University in South Carolina. Individual pods have been recorded above two million, but that is a single-pod peak — the record is the mean of a tested sample, which is worth knowing when you see wilder numbers quoted.

The pods are 5–7 cm long, oblong and deeply creased, with a blistered, glossy skin and the pointed scorpion tail that makes the variety unmistakable. They ripen from green straight to a deep red with no intermediate stage. Underneath the heat there is real flavour — sweet and fruity at first bite, with notes often described as cinnamon and chocolate, before the burn arrives and settles into a long, throat-deep finish.

Ed Currie of PuckerButt Pepper Company developed it over roughly a decade from breeding line HP22B, crossing a ghost-type with a red habanero. Accounts of the exact parents differ even among reputable sources, which is normal for a line that was worked on privately for years. The plants are large and vigorous — up to 1.8 m tall and 1.2 m wide given room, and a 30–40 cm pot keeps them in check and brings fruiting forward. Germination is notoriously uneven and can take anywhere from one week to six, so do not give up on a tray too early.

Hot sauce, powder and fermenting. Handle with gloves and respect.

Some chilies are worth tasting before you grow them. → Explore the Vault

Each pack contains approximately 8–10 or more seeds per variety.
Seeds are packaged in a certified EU seed packaging facility in accordance with applicable regulations.

Categories: Chili Seeds , C. chinense , Super hot , Bonsai