Scoville Scale
We sell many kinds of Pepper Seed from mild, to unrelentigly hot! We want to show you where these peppers fall on the the Scoville Heat Scale. All Peppers come from the genus Capsicum, named for an array of spicy compounds found within Peppers called Capsaicinoids.
The Scoville Scale is used to measure the amount of Capsaicinoid compounds or the "spiciness" of Peppers. This measure can vary greatly even for the exact same type of Pepper, so Scoville Heat Units or SHU are generally measured as an approximate heat range that a Pepper falls into. This range is measured using a method called High Performance Liquid Chromatography or HPLC.
HPLC is a fairly complex process, and it can be used to measure many things outside of the Scoville Scale as well. When it comes to meauring Scoville Heat Units, HPLC is used to make a graph of capsaicinoid levels dissolved in a solution to put it simply. However this graph always has to be taste callibrated using a human tongue for the measure to be accurate.
Scoville Heat Units: 0 (Sweet)
Fushimi Pepper ≈ 0
Tangerine Dream ≈ 0
Petit Marseillais ≈ 0
Chervena Chushka ≈ 0
Jimmy Nardello ≈ 0
Antohi Romani ≈ 0
Gypsy Pepper ≈ 0
Bell Pepper ≈ 0
Aconcagua Pepper ≈ 0
Scoville Heat Units: 0 - 1000 (Mild)
Burpee Pepper ≈ 0-200
Shishito Pepper ≈ 50-200
Corno di Toro ≈ 0-500
Pimento ≈ 100-500
Banana Pepper ≈ 100-500
Pepperoncini ≈ 100-500
Tobago Seasoning Pepper ≈ 400-500
Mariachi Pepper ≈ 500-600
Santa Fe Grande Pepper ≈ 500-700
Italian Pepper ≈ 100-1000
Mexibell ≈ 100-1,000
Cubanelle Pepper ≈ 100-1,000
Paprika ≈ 250-1,000
Scoville Heat Units: 1,000 - 10,000 (Medium)
Georgia Flame ≈ 1,000-1,500
Mulato Isleno Pepper ≈ 1,000-1,500
Ancho Pepper ≈ 1000-1,500
Anaheim Chili ≈ 500-2,500
Pasilla Pepper ≈ 1,000-2,500
Chinese Dragon Tongue ≈ 1,500-2,500
Rocotillo Pepper ≈ 1,500-2,500
NuMex Big Jim ≈ 2,000-3,000
Basque Pepper ≈ 400-4,000
Cascabella ≈ 1,500-4,000
Garden Salsa ≈ 1,000-5,000
Caloro Pepper Pepper ≈ 1,000-5,000
Rio Grande Chili ≈ 1,000-5,000
Tunisian Baklouti Pepper ≈ 1,000-5,000
Korean Green Chili ≈ 1,500-5,000
Red Cherry Pepper ≈ 2,500-5,000
Guajilla Chile ≈ 2,500-5,000
Sandia Pepper ≈ 5,000-7,000
Jalapeño Pepper ≈ 2,500-8,000
Black Hungarian Pepper ≈ 2,000-10,000
Fresno Chili ≈ 2,500-10,000
Pichit Pepper ≈ 5,000-10,000
Scoville Heat Units: 10,000 - 100,000 (Hot - Very Hot)
Hungarian Wax Pepper ≈ 1,000-15,000
Pure Capsiate ≈ 16,000
Pueblo Pepper ≈ 5,000-20,000
Serrano Tampiqueno Pepper ≈ 8,000-20,000
Jaloro Pepper ≈ 20,000-25,000
Giant Ristra ≈ 5,000-30,000
Bishop's Crown ≈ 5,000-30,000
Fish Pepper ≈ 5,000-30,000
Bulgarian Carrot ≈ 5,000-30,000
Manzano Pepper ≈ 12,000-30,000
Limòn Pepper ≈ 15,000-30,000
Chili De Arbol ≈ 15,000-30,000
Jwala Pepper ≈ 20,000-30,000
Calabrian Chili ≈ 25,000-40,000
Maules Red Hot ≈ 30,000-50,000
Hot Portugal ≈ 30,000-50,000
Tabasco ≈ 30,000-50,000
Cayenne ≈ 30,000-50,000
Aji Chili ≈ 40,000-50,000
Santaka Pepper ≈ 40,000-50,000
Satan's Kiss ≈ 40,000-50,000
Cuban Chili ≈ 40,000-50,000
Pequin Pepper ≈ 30,000-60,000
Fresh Ginger ≈ 60,000
Patio Fire Chili ≈ 70,000-80,000
Birds Eye ≈ 50,000-100,000
Thai Chili ≈ 50,000-100,000
Chiltepin Pepper ≈ 50,000-100,000
Charleston Hot ≈ 70,000-100,000
Scoville Heat Units: 100,000 - 1,000,000 (Extremely hot)
Malagueta/Black Pepper ≈ 100,000
Dried or Cooked Ginger ≈ 160,000
African Devil ≈ 50,000 -175,000
Jamaican Red Pepper ≈ 100,000-200,000
Red Cheese Pepper ≈ 100,000-300,000
Fatalii ≈ 125,000-325,000
Habenero Pepper ≈ 100,000-350,000
Scotch Bonnet Pepper ≈ 80,000-400,000
Red Habenero ≈ 300,000-450,000
Chocolate Habenero ≈ 425,000-577,000
HabaNaga Pepper ≈ 500,000-800,000
NagaBon Pepper ≈ 750,000-800,000
Raja Mirchi ≈ 800,000-900,000
Scoville Heat Units: 1 Million - 5 Million (Worlds Hottest Peppers)
Ghost Pepper ≈ 850,000-1,040,000
New Mexico Scorpion ≈ 1,000,000-1,190,000
Naga Viper ≈ 900,000-1,400,000
Scorpion Butch T ≈ 1,000,000-1,465,000
Dorset Naga ≈ 1,000,000-1,600,000
Chocolate Bhutlah ≈ 1,400,000-2,000,000
Common Pepper Spray ≈ 2,000,000
Moruga Scorpion ≈ 1,200,000-2,010,000
Carolina Reaper ≈ 1,600,000-2,200,000
Dragon's Breath ≈ 2,480,000 (unnoficial)
Pepper X ≈ 3,180,000 (unnoficial)
Scoville Heat Units: < 5 Million (Pure Capsaicinoids, Dangerous)
Police Grade Pepper Spray ≈ 5,300,000
Pure Homocapsaicin ≈ 8,600,000
Pure Nordihydrocapsaicin ≈ 9,100,000
Pure Nonivamide ≈ 9,200,000
Pure Capsiacin ≈ 16,000,000
Scoville Heat Units: < 1 Billion (These will literally kill you)
Tinyatoxin ≈ 5,300,000,000
Resiniferatoxin ≈ 16,000,000,000
Resin Spurge (Cactus) ≈ 16,000,000,000
Peppers in the Capsicum Genus are the only plants that contain Capsaicinoids. However there are a few other plants that contain similar acting spicy compounds, and therefore they can be measured with fair accuracy using the Scoville Scale.
Members of the Zingiberaceae family like Ginger, Black Pepper, and Cardamom do not contain any capsaicinoids, however they contain similar acting spicy chemicals like Shagaol, Gingerine and Piperine. These compounds can be measured using the Scoville Scale.
Euphorbia Poissonii or The Resin Spurge Cactus has two extremely potent capsaicin like compounds called Resiniferatoxin and Tinyatoxin. As the names imply these chemicals are so incredibly spicy that they're actually considered toxins and will probably kill or seriously harm you if ingested. Like the Ginger Family, this species can be measured using the Scoville Scale even though it has no Capsaicinoids.
"Spicy" Brassicales like Horseradish, Arugula, Wasabi, Radish, Mustards, etc. cannot have their heat measured using the Scoville Scale. They contain a compound called Allyl Isothiocyanate. This oily chemical causes the short lived aromatic nasaly burn that comes with ingesting these roots. This response is too different from the longer lasting burn caused by capsaicinoids to accurately measure them using the same scale.
Onions, Leeks, Garlic, and Shallots contain a different pungent burning chemical called Allicin. While their heat also cannot be measured using the Scoville Scale they actually have their own heat potency scale called the Pyruvate Scale. Both scales use HPLC to measure the potency of irratating chemicals.
Finally there are many unrelated spices that unfortunately have no real way of measuring the potency of their heat. Eugenol is likely the heat causing compound for the majority if not all of these spices. These include Cinnamon, Allspice, Nutmeg, Cor Cloves, Bay Leaves, Anise, Star Anise, Liqourice, Fennel, Cumin, and basically any other spice you might find in a Garam Masala.