# 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:** 5
**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 20, 2023, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/81 "2023-10-20T15:54:52Z")
Ok, now it won’t let me edit that I’ve added the video. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/82 "2023-10-20T15:57:46Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > I’d be fascinated to see what would happen. The man who bred it actually tried one raw, and he described what it was like on _All Things Considered_ last night: > **[Guinness Book of World Records names a new hottest pepper: Pepper X](https://www.npr.org/2023/10/19/1207243745/guinness-book-of-world-records-names-a-new-hottest-pepper-pepper-x)** > > NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with hot pepper expert Ed Currie about Pepper X, which was named the hottest pepper in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records. > DETROW: Yeah. Tell us about your experience of eating this thing raw. I understand it was not the most pleasant moment of your life. > > CURRIE: When I put that pepper in my mouth, immediately the heat hit me, and it was like a nuclear bomb going off in my stomach. And just the heat rose from the pit of my stomach, all the way through to the tippy-top of my head. And that lasted for, you know, a good two, three hours. > > DETROW: Three hours? > > CURRIE: Yeah. And those cramps are unbelievable. And I laid on a marble slab in the rain, groaning in pain for over an hour. But being the person that I am, when everything was over and we all decided to go out to eat, we ate hot peppers again at dinner. ---
**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 20, 2023, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/83 "2023-10-20T16:23:33Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > I just watched an interesting little video by an online chili grower and “chilihead” named ChiliChump. Apparently there hasn’t yet been an outside review of Pepper X’s spiciness, and warns that there may be a flood of fake Pepper X seeds since the creator will not be sharing them. > > It won’t let me add the Youtube video for some reason-I’ll see what’s going on then try to add it. > > [https://youtu.be/Pa0wngKXUVg?si=yWYZT62c-hrpoLSD](https://youtu.be/Pa0wngKXUVg?si=yWYZT62c-hrpoLSD) Not sure what the guy is saying about Guiness. Guiness doesn’t test the pepper. It was tested by the chemistry department of Winthrop University. The same university that verified the Carolina Reaper. Pepper X isn’t new. It’s been around for 10 years. It’s been put in sauces for several years. The only difference is the heat has now been scientifically verified. ---
**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 20, 2023, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/84 "2023-10-20T16:24:46Z")
Ah, thank you. I should have done more research before fooling about with that video, it seems. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/85 "2023-10-20T16:37:09Z")
Would I “eat one”? No. Would I try a small piece of one? Sure, why not. I’d likely regret it, but it would be an experience. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/86 "2023-10-20T16:44:11Z")
So would hang-gliding through a Class 5 hurricane while being eaten by rabid badgers. I’m so over “character building” experiences. ---
**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 20, 2023, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/87 "2023-10-20T17:15:56Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > Ah, thank you. I should have done more research before fooling about with that video, it seems. You can take a deep dive into the controversy. There is a lot of drama over peppers. It mostly seems like jealousy to me. There is a lot of theft in the community. Ed Curry has had peppers stolen from his farm. Others accuse him of lying or being too sneaky. It seems to me he is being prudent and protecting his product. Some think he stole the peppers he used to make his hybrid (specifically Carolina Reaper). It also looks like the guy he supposedly stole from is fine with his product being used. Guiness is accused of being bought off. But I’m not seeing anything credible about something that would be hotter that Guiness turned down. Anyone can submit a claim. The lab that verified the result works close with the company since they are in the same state. Sure it would be nice if another lab could also do it but there is no evidence of shenanigans. I’m sure there is more. The pepper world is worse than a soap opera. ---
**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 20, 2023, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/88 "2023-10-20T17:20:17Z")
Thanks for all of the information! There are so many communities you never think about unless you’re a member or you stumble upon one on accident. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/89 "2023-10-20T17:51:15Z")
I just noticed that the guy who bred it has the surname Curry. I probably would try a curry made with a tiny bit of Pepper X. ETA: Well he spells it “Currie” (@Loach misspelled it above), but close enough. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/90 "2023-10-20T18:18:52Z")
Hard pass. I can tolerate a couple of slices of pickled jalapeños in my salsa or burrito. _Tolerate_, not _enjoy_. Nothing hotter than that, not a habanero, or Scotch bonnet, or scorpion pepper, certainly not a ghost or a Reaper, is coming _anywhere_ near my mucous membranes. > [@Loach](#): > > The main competitor in the super hot cultivating business to Ed Curry’s company is in the UK. It is definitely not just an American thing. There is a big market in the UK. YouTube is full of videos of chile-eating contests in the southwest of England. And the ones I’ve seen have their fair share of women, too. So it’s definitely not just an American thing, or a boy thing either. > [@pulykamell](#): > > You might like red jalapeños. It’s like the difference between green bell peppers and red ones. They sell them around here, but it seems to be somewhat seasonal. Isn’t that what a chipotle pepper is? A ripe jalapeño? ---
**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 20, 2023, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/91 "2023-10-20T18:20:46Z")
A chipotle is, additionally, smoked and dried. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/92 "2023-10-20T19:46:45Z")
I love hot peppers and hot sauces. But not in a masochistic way. I’ll eat raw jalapeño slices. I love those roasted Thai peppers that the restaurant will mix in with the Pad Thai and Drunken Noodle. But I’m not going to eat a Ghost Pepper or Reaper or “X” whole and then lay on a marble slab, praying for death. A coworker brought me in some Carolina Reapers that he grew. I’ll pare off maybe 1/4 of a pepper, dice it up, and add it to chili or an omelet or tuna salad. Great flavor and great kick. I’ve got 8-9 hot sauces in my cabinet–the hottest being Dave’s Insanity. Not sure what pepper variety forms the base, but 3 drops in whatever I’m cooking or mixing up is enough. Again, you get heat and flavor without ending up in the hospital. A few years ago, when ghost peppers were all the rage, I tried some (of course). They are plenty hot, but have a flavor identity that is quite different from scotch bonnets or reapers or other hot peppers. I mean, it’s a _completely_ different flavor profile. It’s not…bad…just different. I prefer other hot peppers. So, would I try “Pepper x”? Sure! But diced up in a dish where I got the heat/flavor and was able to enjoy it. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/93 "2023-10-20T20:04:11Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > and warns that there may be a flood of fake Pepper X seeds since the creator will not be sharing them. I don’t understand his argument here. A flood of fake seeds is inevitable. The difference is, if the creator isn’t sharing them, then you know _for sure_ that any seeds you buy are fake (or stolen, or somehow otherwise illegitimate). That’s a better situation than one where some seeds may or may not be real. ---
**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 20, 2023, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/94 "2023-10-20T20:09:20Z")
Can’t you get seeds by buying one of the peppers? ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/95 "2023-10-20T20:17:33Z")
They’re probably unripe and won’t ripen to seed maturity after being harvested. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/96 "2023-10-20T20:19:43Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Would I “eat one”? No. Would I try a small piece of one? Sure, why not. Me, too. No way I’d eat a whole one. I love hot foods, but beyond a certain level of heat, I find that the flavor is drowned out for me. It’s just scaldingly hot sludge. But I wouldn’t be able to resist trying a tiny crumb or sliver, just to see. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/97 "2023-10-20T22:49:10Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Can’t you get seeds by buying one of the peppers? You can, but if they are a hybrid, you might not get the results you want on that next generation. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/98 "2023-10-20T22:58:41Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > How could anyone possibly eat one and not be seriously injured? Peppers that hot are normally used as additives only for that reason. I imagine you would have to handle the pepper with gloves because, even if you wash your hands, there is a trace of resin on the fingers that handled the pepper. If your eye itched, you would probably injure it if you rubbed it. Bathroom visits after handling ordinary hot peppers without having thoroughly washed and scrubbed one’s hands are ill-advised. The consequences could be vastly worse if Pepper X or other ultra-hot peppers are handled. I like spicy food and growing peppers. There’s zero culinary appeal in using something suited only to capsaicin harvesting for medical/research use, preparing insecticides or satisfying macho urges. ---
**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 20, 2023, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/99 "2023-10-20T23:02:37Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > They are plenty hot, but have a flavor identity that is quite different from scotch bonnets or reapers or other hot peppers. I mean, it’s a _completely_ different flavor profile. It’s not…bad…just different. Really? I find them to have the signature _Capsicum chinense_ profile of habaneros, fataliis, Scotch bonnets, scorpions, etc. They all have their own spin on that flavor, but they’re all similar to me, not like, say, the difference between a _C. annum_ and a _C. chinense_ or _C. baccatum_. ---
**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 20, 2023, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712/100 "2023-10-20T23:34:17Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Can’t you get seeds by buying one of the peppers? I’m not sure if he’s selling the raw peppers. He has a deal with a company to use it in a hot sauce and also makes his own hot sauce with it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pepper-x-is-three-times-hotter-than-carolina-reaper-would-you-eat-one/991712.md?page=6)