# Pepper X is three times hotter than Carolina Reaper. Would you eat one? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [October 17, 2023, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712 "2023-10-17T17:46:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/1 "2023-10-17T17:46:02Z")
I prefer my hot to have a little flavor and less pain and trouble later, so no, it’s a pass. Obviously, if you do eat one or participate in a challenge, any consequences are all yours. > **[Pepper X marks the spot as South Carolina pepper expert scorches his own...](https://apnews.com/article/pepper-x-carolina-reaper-guinness-ed-currie-9c28d8cace1db200e1f9339e783cfbf3)** > > The South Carolina hot pepper expert who set a world record for the hottest pepper a decade ago is at it again. Ed Currie has officially broken the record with Pepper X, a crossbreed of the Carolina Reaper, which was Currie's old record holder. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/2 "2023-10-17T17:58:55Z")
You might to have a mod fix your title. Carolina and California are different things. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/3 "2023-10-17T18:00:09Z")
I was able to fix it, but thank you for the heads-up! ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/4 "2023-10-17T18:06:39Z")
Hell no. I planted ghost peppers in my garden a while back, thinking that they were one of those extremely hot, but not crazy hot, peppers, just a bit hotter than Scotch Bonnet … like, not as bad as Jolokia pepper. Big mistake. First, “ghost pepper” IS Jolokia - two names for the same thing. Second, I made a spicy Indonesian stew that called for something like 6 chili peppers. Knowing that ghost peppers were much hotter than a “normal” chili, I only used one, substituting sweet pepper for the other five. Well, the stew was inedibly hot. I had to make it three more times with no heat, and mix it with the first batch, to achieve an edibly spicy dish. And I love really spicy food. So, no to the pepper that is 3x as hot as a Carolina Reaper. I do NOT want to know about it! ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/5 "2023-10-17T18:08:48Z")
I like stuff a lot hotter than most people but HELL NO. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/6 "2023-10-17T18:11:16Z")
> “I was feeling the heat for three-and-a-half hours. Then the cramps came,” said Currie, one of only five people so far to eat a entire Pepper X. “Those cramps are horrible. I was laid out flat on a marble wall for approximately an hour in the rain, groaning in pain.” Uh… I’m ok to skip this one. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/7 "2023-10-17T18:11:48Z")
What @jnglmassiv said. If Mr. “Hottest peppers in the world” hurt himself with it, I sure don’t need to. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/8 "2023-10-17T18:22:46Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > “I was feeling the heat for three-and-a-half hours. Then the cramps came,” said Currie, one of only five people so far to eat a entire Pepper X. “Those cramps are horrible. I was laid out flat on a marble wall for approximately an hour in the rain, groaning in pain.” I am familiar with this effect, from lesser peppers. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > What @jnglmassiv said. If Mr. “Hottest peppers in the world” hurt himself with it, I sure don’t need to. You are not supposed to eat an entire pepper at once (unless you want to! — but you will need a strong stomach and tolerance for pain) The ultimate question is, is it tasty? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/9 "2023-10-17T18:26:40Z")
I like stuff a lot less hot than most people, yet still, HELL NO. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/10 "2023-10-17T18:27:42Z")
Not a whole one. A piece, of course. I’ve done a whole Trinidad Scorpion from my garden when that was the hottest in the world, and I regretted it for a couple of hours. Not making that mistake again. (I could do whole habaneros and Scotch bonnets, but once you go up a level from that, it’s not worth it for me to eat all at once.) (And that Paqui challenge chip? I bought one last year, and tasted a pinky nail’s worth and that was enough for me to say, not worth the pain and suffering that is to come if I eat the whole chip. Maybe I’m just getting old, but, good lord that thing is hot. The little piece I ate was almost at the top of my heat tolerance.) ETA: Those cramps and being completely laid out mentioned above–that’s exactly what happened to me with the Trinidad Scorpion. Of course, it didn’t help that I ate it in the morning on an empty stomach, but I was so excited to try it! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/11 "2023-10-17T18:28:41Z")
Let’s see - I won’t eat jalapeños because they’re too hot. So that’s a big NO. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/12 "2023-10-17T18:30:09Z")
This is very on subject. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/hUYtDA7j19c/maxresdefault.jpg "Pepper X: Sean Evans, Chili Klaus & Smokin' Ed Currie Eat the New World's Hottest Pepper | Hot Ones") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUYtDA7j19c) I’m a huge Hot Ones fan. I love Chili Klaus. On the show I’m good with the 4-5 level no higher. I would not put myself through that. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/13 "2023-10-17T18:33:34Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Let’s see - I won’t eat jalapeños because they’re too hot. So that’s a big NO. Pickled jalapeños aren’t that hot. Much less than fresh. On nachos I can eat a bunch. Fresh jalapeños are around 8,000 SHU. I find them too painful to eat alone and I use them sparingly. I’ll chop up one for my big pot of chili. Pepper X is 2,693,000 SHU. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/14 "2023-10-17T18:35:09Z")
Thanks. I might try pickled jalapenos some time. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/15 "2023-10-17T18:38:27Z")
Those are the ubiquitous nacho rings. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/16 "2023-10-17T18:54:40Z")
Is he secretly Speed Pepper’s brother? ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/17 "2023-10-17T19:00:11Z")
Never. Excessively hot peppers blow out my taste buds. I want to taste my food, not suffer from it. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/18 "2023-10-17T19:25:51Z")
Covid did more to my tastebuds than a pepper ever could but I don’t want to be in intense pain. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/19 "2023-10-17T19:27:09Z")
Man, that’s a bummer. Have you noticed any improvement? I knew a few people who had the taste problem with Covid, but it gradually returned for both of them. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/20 "2023-10-17T19:28:54Z")
Supposedly they give you a fun endorphin rush. I used to like hot food a lot. There was a restaurant in town that had an appetizer of a single habanero popper (seeds removed) that I loved. Sadly my system won’t even tolerate eating the seeds from a banana pepper anymore. One of those would probably take me out for days. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712.md?page=2)