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If you’re a fan of hot and spicy foods, you’re probably familiar with the Carolina Reaper, the infamously fiery pepper that ended up in the Guinness Book of World Records due to its paralyzing heat. However, the man who created that particular breed has outdone himself with a new edible hellspawn simply known as “Pepper X.”
If you’ve taken on the “One Chip Challenge” that was linked to the death of a teenager or have watched masochistic competitive eaters subject themselves to a borderline disturbing number of Carolina Reapers, I probably don’t have to tell you they’re not for the faint of heart.
That particular pepper was unleashed upon an unsuspecting world by Ed Currie, who spent a decade developing that particular strain before perfecting it in the early 2010s. The folks at Guinness eventually determined Carolina Reapers average 1,641,183 units on the Scoville scale, and while that was more than enough to secure a world record, he teased he was sitting on an even hotter variety back in 2017.
He certainly wasn’t lying, as Currie absolutely shattered the mark he previously set after Guinness officially handed the crown to what he’s dubbed “Pepper X,” a truly diabolical botanical that clocks in at 2,693,000 Scoville Heat Units (for the sake of comparison, a jalapeño tends to boast between 3,000 and 8,000 SHU, while habaneros tend to be in the low six digits).
Currie chatted with The Associated Press after breaking his own world record and shared a cautionary tale while detailing his initial experience with his creation, saying:
“I was feeling the heat for three-and-a-half hours. Then the cramps came. Those cramps are horrible.
I was laid out flat on a marble wall for approximately an hour in the rain, groaning in pain.”
Only five people have had the chance to subject themselves to Pepper X, as Hot Ones host Sean Evans and the man known as “Chili Klaus” were (un)lucky enough to taste it alongside Currie.
Pepper X’s creator says it’s a crossbreed between Carolina Reapers and an unspecified pepper he obtained from an acquaintance in Michigan; the end result is a “greenish-yellow” product with “an earthy flavor” hiding below its scorching surface.
Currie also plans to be a bit more deliberate with the rollout after seeing how many people aside from himself were able to profit off of the hype surrounding the Carolina Reaper.
He implied he’s growing them inside “secret greenhouses” in South Carolina and has no plans to sell the seeds commercially until he’s sure he’s been able to use Pepper X to set himself and his family up for long-term success and stability.