Pepper X is now the world’s hottest chili pepper, according to Guinness World Records. It has taken the title from the Carolina Reaper after holding it for 10 years. Created by breeder Ed Currie, Pepper X packs a punch with a Scoville heat unit rating of 2.69 million, while a habanero pepper is around 100,000 units.
Ed Currie, who also developed the Carolina Reaper, kept Pepper X as a secret project on his South Carolina farm for 10 years. He described it as a team effort, sharing the news only with close family and friends. Pepper X won’t be available for sale, as it is a proprietary pepper.
Lab tests at Winthrop University showed that Pepper X is over a million units hotter than the Carolina Reaper, registering an average of 2,693,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). The Scoville Scale, invented in 1912, measures the heat of peppers based on the amount of dilution needed for capsaicin, the chemical responsible for the burning sensation.
How Pepper X Has Been Grown
Ed Currie, who started growing peppers as a hobby after overcoming addiction issues, believes in the natural high provided by peppers. Contrary to popular belief, the spiciness of peppers comes from the placenta, not the seeds. Due to Pepper X’s unique curves and ridges, it has more surface area for the placenta to grow.
Having experienced the intense heat of Pepper X firsthand, Ed Currie described enduring three and a half hours of heat followed by painful cramps. Pepper X is a crossbreed of a Carolina Reaper and an extremely hot pepper from Michigan.
To protect his intellectual property, Currie decided not to release Pepper X pods and seeds. The only way for people to taste Pepper X is through hot sauces that will be sold, as opposed to the Carolina Reaper, which faced unauthorized use of its name on various products.
Pepper X Vs Carolina Reaper
| Comparision Unit | Pepper X | Carolina Reaper |
| Scoville Heat Unit | 2.69 million Scoville Heat Units (SHU) | 1,640,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU) |
| Grown By | Ed Currie | Ed Currie |
| Recorded Year as world’s hottest pepper | 2023 | 2013 |
| Jalapeño reference point | 398 to 1,272 times hotter | 175 to 880 times hotter |
| Origin | Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States | Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States |
| Uses | Culinary | Culinary |
Top 8 Hottest Peppers in The World
- Pepper X – 2,693,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU)
- Carolina Reaper – 1,640,000 SHU.
- Trinidad Moruga Scorpion 2,009,231 SHU.
- 7 Pot Douglah 1,853,936 SHU.
- 7 Pot Primo 1,469,000 SHU.
- Trinidad Scorpion “Butch T” 1,463,700 SHU.
- Naga Viper 1,349,000 SHU.
- Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia) 1,041,427 SHU.
As per the Guinness World Records book, Pepper X is now the world’s hottest chili pepper. Pepper X got the first position beating the previous record holder, Carolina Reaper.
Yes, Pepper X is hotter than Apollo. The SHU of Apollo Pepper is around 2,500,000 to 3,000,000 whereas the average heat unit of Pepper X is 2,693,000 (SHU).
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