HotPepperIndex
Capsicum chinense

Pepper X

Fort Mill, South Carolina, United States
Superhot
Also known asPepper X
Scoville
0SHU
Heat0%
2.50M–3.18M SHU · Guinness World Records / Winthrop University (2023) · tested 2023-08-23

The current world's hottest chili pepper, officially certified by Guinness World Records in 2023 with an average of 2.693 million Scoville Heat Units.

Pepper X was developed by Ed "Smokin' Ed" Currie of PuckerButt Pepper Company in Fort Mill, South Carolina. It is a cross between a Carolina Reaper and another pepper received from a fellow grower. After many years of selective breeding and stabilization, it was officially recognized by Guinness World Records in August 2023 as the new hottest chili pepper in the world, surpassing the Carolina Reaper (which Currie had also created). The pepper is notable for its extremely high capsaicin concentration in the placental tissue and its heavily ridged structure, which increases the surface area for capsaicin production. When Currie tasted it during development, he reportedly experienced intense heat for over three hours.

Gallery

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Backstory

Pepper X was developed by Ed "Smokin' Ed" Currie of PuckerButt Pepper Company in Fort Mill, South Carolina. It is a cross between a Carolina Reaper and another pepper received from a fellow grower. After many years of selective breeding and stabilization, it was officially recognized by Guinness World Records in August 2023 as the new hottest chili pepper in the world, surpassing the Carolina Reaper (which Currie had also created). The pepper is notable for its extremely high capsaicin concentration in the placental tissue and its heavily ridged structure, which increases the surface area for capsaicin production. When Currie tasted it during development, he reportedly experienced intense heat for over three hours.

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Flavor

Known primarily for its brutal, long-lasting heat with a slower onset compared to some other superhots. Limited public information exists on complex flavor notes due to its extreme potency.

intensedelayed burn

Culinary uses

extreme hot saucesworld record challengesprofessional hot sauce making

Q&A

Substitutions

carolina-reaper

Related variants

Appearance

Skin
deeply ridged and bumpy
Notes
The extreme ridging increases surface area for capsaicin glands
Shape
heavily wrinkled and ridged with scorpion tail
Pod type
chinense
Color ripe
red
Length cm avg
5.5

Growing

Sun
full sun
Notes
Extremely potent even in small quantities. Handle with extreme care.
Soil ph
6.0-7.0
Difficulty
advanced
Min temp c
18
Plant height cm
120
Days to maturity
100

Nutrition

Calories per 100g
40
Capsaicin benefits
Highest known capsaicin concentration in any pepper
Vitamin c mg per 100g
140

Origin detail

Region
Fort Mill, South Carolina
Country
United States
Breeder
Ed Currie (PuckerButt Pepper Company)

Tags

superhotcurrent-record-holdered-curriepuckerbuttextreme-heat

Sources

Huge shout-out to the breeders, growers, researchers, and seed savers linked below — their independent work is what lets us fact-check our own. Go visit them.

These references are used to verify what we publish — not as the source of the content itself. Seed catalogs, breeder pages, research papers, and cultivar databases let us cross-check every fact before it lands here. Open any card to read the original or dig deeper.

3 sources · Added May 7, 2026, 14:50 UTC · Updated May 11, 2026, 10:44 UTC
Origins
A World of Capsicum
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