Very Hot Peppers

Very hot chili peppers range from 80,000 to over 300,000 Scoville Units! They are not for the faint of heart, or the sensitive of mouth. An ice-cold beer or margarita makes a perfect companion for these super-heated chili pepers. The alcohol breaks up the oily capsaicin and acts as a "fire extinguisher. You can also enjoy these hot peppers with crackers, bread, or any other starch and cheese. Avoid water, as the capsaicin will actually be further distributed through your mouth, making it burn even more!

Chiltepin is often found growing wild in Mexico and the southwestern United States, where it is also a popular garden-variety pepper. The round, berry-shaped chiltepin peppers are bright red when mature and grow upright on a large attractive plant that can spread out up to six feet across.

Chiltepin pepper plants can be perennial if protected from cold. They are a variety of bird pepper, so called because the birds love them. At 50,000 to 100,000 Scoville Units, they are known as one of the hottest chili peppers. Some experts report that one ounce of chiltepin provides enough heat for 300 gallons of salsa!

While these are the hottest of the chili peppers (300,000+ Scoville Units!), someone accustomed to their heat will enjoy the sweet, plum tomato-apple flavor under the heat. Slow to mature, habanero peppers are round and squat with a slightly pointed end and are deep red when mature at 75 to 100 days. These large-leafed chili pepper plants grow to about 3½ feet tall and do best with long hot summers. Habaneros are typically used fresh and in powdered form. The sweetness of fruit often counterbalances the super heat of habanero peppers—try combining it with peaches or apricots to make tangy-sweet preserves.

This 2-inch by 2-inch apple-shaped pepper has black seeds and produces blue flowers unique to this variety. Going against all pepper growing heat standards, rocoto pepper plants prefer cool climates and generally grow best at high altitudes of 3,500 to 6,000 feet above sea level. Also known as red manzana, rocoto peppers mature in 80 to 90 days and are a beautiful glossy red when ready for picking. Some believe that the rocoto may be even hotter than the habanero, but this has not yet been tested. The rocoto pepper is thought to be the oldest cultivated species of capsicum.

Growing no taller than 26 inches, Thai hot peppers are prolific, compact plants good for containers. They are well branched to support their 150-200 small fruits that mature from green to red in 65-70 days. These peppers, popular in Asian cooking, especially stir-fry dishes, are very hot (80,000 to 300,000 Scoville Units) with a heat that lingers. They are also known as Thai Dragons.

Chiltepin Peppers
Color: Green, Red
Uses: Salsa, Drying, Pickling
Species: Capsicum baccatum
Size: 3/8" long



Habanero Peppers
Color: Light Green, Orange, Red
Uses: Fresh, Drying, Powder
Species: Capsicum chinense
Size: 1½ to 4" long



Rocoto Peppers
Color: Green, Golden Yellow, Orange, Red
Uses: Salsa, Sauces
Species: Capsicum pubescens
Size: 1½ to 2" long

Thai Hot Peppers
Color: Green, Red
Uses: Drying
Species: Capsicum frutescens
Size: 3/4 to 1½" long