World's Hottest Chili Pepper, world record in Fort Mill, South Carolina

July 17, 2024

World's Hottest Chilli Pepper, world record in Fort Mill, South Carolina

Fort Mill, South Carolina, United States--PuckerButt Pepper Co. founder and pepper expert Ed Currie has spent the past 10 years working on Pepper X, a chili pepper which has a rating of 2,693,000 Scoville Heat Units, thus setting the new world record for the World's Hottest Chili Pepper, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

"Smokin' Ed Currie's Pepper X® has officially set a world record as the hottest chili in the world. GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ announced the, following the chili pepper registering an average 2,693,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU) in lab tests at Winthrop University in South Carolina," the official press release says.

"Pepper X breaks the world record previously held by Smokin' Ed's Carolina Reaper®, which more recently measured an average of 1,641,183 SHU. The result of 10 years of development in Ed's greenhouses in Fort Mill, S.C., Pepper X averages more than a million units higher than the Carolina Reaper on the Scoville scale.

"As a proprietary pepper, its pods and seeds are tightly guarded and won't be sold or released, so the only way for the public to enjoy Pepper X is in the form of certain hot sauces."

"This was a team effort," says Smokin' Ed. "We knew we had something special, so I only let a few of my closest family and friends know what was really going on.

"The Heatonist Team, the Hot Ones Team, and the High River Team all had Faith in me and supported me, even when there was doubt. So I am honored and proud to have them be a part of the launch in Nashville."

"Pepper X first came to the world through a very spicy partnership between Smokin' Ed, HEATONIST hot sauces, and First We Feast's hit YouTube series Hot Ones™ as the main ingredient in a hot sauce called The Last Dab. A newly-released edition of the sauce - Hot Ones The Last Dab Xperience - is made with over 91% Pepper X.

"There's been some speculation and disbelief since Ed introduced Pepper X when we first launched The Last Dab years ago," says Heatonist Founder Noah Chaimberg. "They said topping Smokin' Ed's Carolina Reaper wouldn't happen, but if anyone could, it's Ed. I'm extremely proud to be a part of this history in the making."

"Pepper X products can be found exclusively via Heatonist and KATIECO, LLC through its authorized distributors including Puckerbutt Pepper Company.

"PepperX® is a US-registered trademark of KATIECO, LLC. Pepper X® is certified as the hottest chili-pepper by Guinness World Records™. KATIECO, LLC, is the owner and only source of PepperX® ingredients. KATIECO, LLC has not, and will not, release or sell any Pepper X® seeds, plants, or pepper pods.

"Any other claim(s) to sale of Pepper X® seeds, plants, pepper pods, or other ingredients derived from Pepper X® are false. KATIECO, LLC (through its authorized distributors) and HEATONIST are the sole authorized sources for sale of Pepper X®-based chili-pepper sauces and related apparel."

"The hottest chilli pepper is Smokin Ed's 'Pepper X', grown by Ed Currie of PuckerButt Pepper Company (USA), which rates at an average of 2,693,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), according to tests conducted by Winthrop University in South Carolina, USA, on 23 August 2023," the Guinness World Records says.

"The Guinness World Records has crowned Pepper X as the hottest chili pepper in the world, dethroning the Carolina Reaper chili pepper after 10 years. For comparison, a habanero pepper typically hits 100,000 Scoville heat units, but Pepper X registers at 2.69 million units," the BBC says.

"Breeder and grower Ed Currie created both record-breaking peppers. As a proprietary pepper, Pepper X pods and seeds will not be sold. Mr Currie cultivated Pepper X for a decade on his South Carolina farm, but remained tight lipped about his project to protect his intellectual property.

"In lab tests at Winthrop University in South Carolina, Pepper X registered an average of 2,693,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), which is more than one million units hotter than Mr Currie's previous innovation, the Carolina Reaper which averaged 1,641,183 SHU."

"Pepper X is a cultivar of Capsicum chili pepper bred by the American chili breeder Ed Currie, the creator of the Carolina Reaper. In 2023, Guinness World Records recognized it as the world's hottest chili pepper," Wikipedia says.

"The exceptional pungency of the chili was developed over 10 years of cultivation for desired traits to emerge through selective plant breeding, and 10 or more generations for the hybrid chilis to stabilize with the desired intense pungency. The breeder, Ed Currie, produced 100 hybrid crosses per year with the intent that one or two would succeed for the 10-year development cycle.

"On August 23, 2023, Guinness World Records recognized Pepper X as the world's hottest chili pepper, measuring 2.69 million SHU, beating the previous world record of 1.64 million SHU held by the Carolina Reaper, also bred by Currie."

"The new pepper rates an average of 2.69 million Scoville Heat Units (SHU), according to tests performed by Winthrop University in South Carolina, beating the previous record holder, Carolina Reaper, which averages 1.64 million SHU, according to Guinness World Records," the CNN says.

The SHU scale to measure chili pepper heat was developed by American chemist Wilbur Scoville in 1912. By comparison, the average jalapeño pepper scores between 3,000 to 8,000 SHU, according to Guinness.

"Pepper X is grown by Ed Currie, founder of Puckerbutt Pepper Company in South Carolina. He also created the Carolina Reaper, which took the record in 2013. Currie first presented Pepper X to the world on an episode of the popular YouTube series, “Hot Ones.”