# What makes ""Red Hot's"" hot?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-red-hots-hot/80286>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 7, 2001, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-red-hots-hot/80286 "2001-09-07T19:50:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-red-hots-hot/80286/1 "2001-09-07T19:50:49Z")

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What makes "Red Hot’s[sup]TM[/sup] hot? (I’m talking about the candy, not hot dogs.)

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**Author:** ![Tedster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@Tedster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tedster)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-red-hots-hot/80286/2 "2001-09-07T19:54:58Z")

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They are cinnamon ‘flavored’ candies, but there isn’t any cinnamon. Oil of Cassia, I believe, is the stuff used to give a cinnamon flavor to candy. Totally different stuff.

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**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-red-hots-hot/80286/3 "2001-09-07T23:54:08Z")

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Here is the page for the company that makes. Interesting reading.

![Ferrara, a related company of The Ferrero Group, is an industry leader in U.S. confections and one of the fastest growing confections companies in the country. A passionate team of more than 4,000 employees work together to share delight in every...](https://d2zvyzkm9oxxpw.cloudfront.net/image/1743/b24/0.5,0.5)

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**Author:** ![\_Uigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/e9a140/32.png) [@\_Uigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Uigi)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2001, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-red-hots-hot/80286/4 "2001-09-08T01:21:51Z")

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Peppermint oil. See you local pharmacist for a small bottle of the stuff, then snap toothpicks in half and soak for a week (in the bottle).

After a week, Give 'em a week to soak and then suck on one of the pieces. Hot and snappy but not unbearable.

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**Author:** ![\_Uigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/e9a140/32.png) [@\_Uigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Uigi)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2001, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-red-hots-hot/80286/5 "2001-09-08T01:24:03Z")

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(I’d bother with a correction, but it ain’t worth it.)