ChilliFacts

7 Pot Brain Strain Scoville Heat

7 Pot Brain Strain measures 1,000,000–1,350,000 SHU, with a typical figure of 1,175,000 SHU: about 235× a typical jalapeño.

Also called Brain Strain. Capsicum chinense.

Data checked October 20, 2026 · How we rank and verify

1,175,000 SHUTypical heat
1,000,000–1,350,000 SHUMeasured range
235×Against a jalapeño
Breeder claimStatus
Pepper X: 2,693,000 SHUDragon's Breath: 2,480,000 SHUCarolina Reaper: 1,641,183 SHUTrinidad Scorpion Butch T: 1,463,700 SHU7 Pot Primo: 1,400,000 SHUKomodo Dragon: 1,400,000 SHUNaga Viper: 1,382,118 SHUTrinidad Moruga Scorpion: 1,200,000 SHUInfinity: 1,176,182 SHU7 Pot Douglah: 1,170,000 SHUDorset Naga: 1,032,310 SHUGhost Pepper: 1,001,304 SHUNaga Morich: 1,000,000 SHUDalle Khursani: 393,950 SHUFatalii: 262,500 SHURed Savina: 248,556 SHUHabanero: 225,000 SHUScotch Bonnet: 225,000 SHUDatil: 200,000 SHUKanthari: 80,640 SHUBird's Eye Chilli: 75,000 SHUCayenne: 40,000 SHUTabasco: 40,000 SHUGuntur Chilli: 36,160 SHUKashmiri Chilli: 20,800 SHUSerrano: 15,000 SHUByadgi Chilli: 10,000 SHUJalapeño: 5,000 SHU7 Pot Brain Strain · 1.18M1K SHU10K SHU100K SHU1M SHU
Where 7 Pot Brain Strain sits on the Scoville scale. Each dot is a pepper in our dataset, on a log scale.

Where the number comes from

The 1,000,000-1,350,000 range comes from blogs and seed vendors. No lab, sample size or test date was found. PepperScale's own fact box is internally inconsistent (it gives both 1,135,000 and 1,350,000 as the top). Our typical figure is the midpoint of the claimed range.

Origin

North Carolina, USA (from Trinidad 7 Pot seed). Selected by grower David Cappiello in North Carolina around 2010 from Trinidad 7 Pot seed. It is named for its wrinkled, brain-like surface. [1]

Flavour and looks

Smoky and fruity.

Colours: red, yellow, chocolate.

Facts

  • The name refers to the lumpy, wrinkled pod that resembles a human brain. [1]
  • Red, yellow and chocolate forms exist, reported to have similar heat. [1]

Hotter and milder

7 Pot Brain Strain compared

Compare 7 Pot Brain Strain with any other pepper →

Questions

How hot is 7 Pot Brain Strain?

7 Pot Brain Strain measures 1,000,000–1,350,000 SHU, with a typical figure of 1,175,000 SHU. That puts it among the superhots, peppers above 1 million SHU.

How many times hotter is 7 Pot Brain Strain than a jalapeño?

About 235× a typical jalapeño (1,175,000 vs 5,000 SHU). Against the hottest jalapeños it is about 147×, and against the mildest about 470×.

Is 7 Pot Brain Strain the hottest pepper in the world?

No. Number published by a breeder or seller; no independent lab named. The verified record holder is Pepper X at 2,693,000 SHU.

Where does 7 Pot Brain Strain come from?

North Carolina, USA (from Trinidad 7 Pot seed). Selected by grower David Cappiello in North Carolina around 2010 from Trinidad 7 Pot seed.

Is the 7 Pot Brain Strain heat figure verified?

Breeder claim: Number published by a breeder or seller; no independent lab named. The 1,000,000-1,350,000 range comes from blogs and seed vendors.

Sources

  1. Chili Pepper Madness, Jul 2017: origin, range, appearance (secondary source)
  2. PepperScale (Matt Bray): range (inconsistent) (secondary source)