Side-by-side
Compare varieties
Pick two varieties to see their heat, growing data, and flavour profiles side by side. Great for choosing your next season's lineup.
Heat (SHU)
855,000–1,041,427
1,400,000–2,200,000
Species
C. chinense
C. chinense
Origin
Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, India
South Carolina, United States
Ripe colour
red
red
Unripe colour
green
green
Wall thickness
Thin
Thin
Plant height
60–120 cm
90–150 cm
Days to mature
100
110
Germination
7-21
14-28
Growth habit
Bush
Bush
Yield
Heavy
Heavy
Sauce score
10/10
10/10
Drying score
9/10
7/10
Pickling score
7/10
4/10
Ghost Pepper
The Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia) is a legendary superhot from northeastern India that held the Guinness World Record for hottest pepper from 2007-2011. This interspecies hybrid displays characteristics of both C. chinense and C. frutescens, producing wrinkled, lantern-shaped pods that ripen from green to vibrant red, with occasional orange, yellow, chocolate, and white variants. Despite its fearsome heat, it offers a surprisingly fruity, slightly smoky flavor with a delayed but intense, long-lasting burn.
Carolina Reaper
The Carolina Reaper held the Guinness World Record as the world's hottest chilli from 2013 to 2023, averaging 1.64 million SHU with peaks above 2.2 million. Bred by Ed Currie of PuckerButt Pepper Company in South Carolina, this superhot is recognisable for its wrinkled red pods and distinctive scorpion tail. Beneath the punishing heat, the Reaper carries genuine flavour - fruity, sweet, with subtle cinnamon notes that come through if you can taste through the burn.
Ghost Pepper
Carolina Reaper