Pepper Schlepper

        Scoville Units

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What are Scoville Units?

   A pharmacist named Wilbur Scoville invented the Scoville Scale in 1912 to measure the heat of peppers. A "Scoville Unit" is actually a measure of capsaicin (the chemical in hot peppers that is responsible for their heat).

   Scoville's test was a comparative taste test that is considered subjective by today's standards. A more sophisticated method is in use today, but in honor of Wilbur Scoville, the unit of measure is still called the Scoville.

   The capsaicin level in peppers can vary from plant to plant due to local environmental conditions. This means that a pepper's rating is an average measure.

   The hottest pepper on record was the Habanero/Scotch Bonnet. Some claim it is one variety, while others claim that the Habanero and Scotch Bonnet are slightly different varieties. Habanero Peppers are rated at 100,000 to 350,000 Scoville units. By contrast, the Serrano Pepper comes in at about 5,000 to 15,000 Scoville units.

   The new world record holder is the " Bhut Jolokia" With almost one million Scoville Units, it was supposed to be several times hotter than the Red Savina™, the current holder of that title in the Guinness World Records. A recent analysis revealed that it possessed an extremely high heat level indeed, a whopping 1,001,304 Scoville units .

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