ChilliFacts

Pepper X Scoville Heat

Pepper X measures 2,693,000 SHU, with a typical figure of 2,693,000 SHU: about 539× a typical jalapeño. It ranks #1 among verified peppers.

Also called Smokin' Ed's Pepper X. Capsicum chinense.

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

2,693,000 SHUTypical heat
2,693,000 SHUMeasured range
539×Against a jalapeño
Guinness recordStatus
Dragon'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 Brain Strain: 1,175,000 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 SHUPepper X · 2.69M1K SHU10K SHU100K SHU1M SHU
Where Pepper X sits on the Scoville scale. Each dot is a pepper in our dataset, on a log scale.

Where the number comes from

Guinness: 'rates at an average of 2,693,000 SHU, according to tests conducted by Winthrop University ... on 23 August 2023'. The Guinness news story says Winthrop tested specimens from the past four years. The number of samples, the spread and any peak figure were never published, and no independent lab has tested it. Read it as a breeder-commissioned average from a single university lab, certified by Guinness.

Origin

Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA. Bred by Ed Currie (PuckerButt Pepper Company), who also bred the Carolina Reaper. Guinness says he spent about 10 years developing it by cross-breeding it with some of his other hottest peppers. The parent lines are not public, and the seeds are not sold. [1]

Facts

  • Guinness compares Pepper X with a jalapeno (3,000-8,000 SHU) and calls it 'at least 336 times hotter'. It adds that reports put it at up to 1,077 times hotter than the mildest jalapeno. [1]
  • Currie unveiled Pepper X on an episode of the YouTube series Hot Ones. [1]
  • Guinness notes that a chilli's heat comes from the placenta, the tissue that holds the seeds, not from the seeds. It says Pepper X's many curves and ridges leave more room for placenta. [1]
  • Its genetics are not public, and Currie does not sell the seeds. [1]

Record history

  • 2023-08-23: Guinness date for the hottest chilli pepper record: 2,693,000 SHU average (Winthrop University tests)
  • 2023-10-16: Guinness announces that Pepper X dethrones the Carolina Reaper

Hotter and milder

Pepper X compared

Compare Pepper X with any other pepper →

Questions

How hot is Pepper X?

Pepper X measures 2,693,000 SHU, with a typical figure of 2,693,000 SHU. That puts it among the superhots, peppers above 1 million SHU.

How many times hotter is Pepper X than a jalapeño?

About 539× a typical jalapeño (2,693,000 vs 5,000 SHU). Against the hottest jalapeños it is about 337×, and against the mildest about 1,077×.

Is Pepper X the hottest pepper in the world?

Yes. It holds the Guinness World Record for the hottest chilli pepper.

Where does Pepper X come from?

Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA. Bred by Ed Currie (PuckerButt Pepper Company), who also bred the Carolina Reaper.

Is the Pepper X heat figure verified?

Guinness record: Certified by Guinness World Records from university lab tests. Guinness: 'rates at an average of 2,693,000 SHU, according to tests conducted by Winthrop University ...

Sources

  1. Guinness World Records (record page, archived 19 Sep 2024): SHU average, tester, test date, origin, jalapeno comparison
  2. Guinness World Records news, 16 Oct 2023: announcement date; specimens from the past four years tested at Winthrop
  3. Wikipedia, Pepper X: notes criticism that no independent testing has been done (secondary source)