So with a name like Ghost Pepper the Bhut Jolokia had not only the intense heat, but the badass name to go with it. Sorry kid you coulda been a contender… There is a new sheriff in town. And not only is it hotter, but it has a cooler name…

Meet the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Pepper. This fiery distorted looking piece of nasty was recently crowned the World’s  Hottest Pepper. This sucker was pulling in  1.2 Million Scoville  units out of a sample of several plants. With individual peppers hitting 2 million! That is insane. My mouth is watering just  thinking about it.

“The team planted about 125 plants of each variety – the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, the Trinidad Scorpion, the 7-pot, the Chocolate 7-pot and the Bhut Jolokia, which was a previous record-holder identified by the institute and certified by Guinness World Records in 2007.

Randomly selected mature fruits from several plants within each variety were harvested, dried and ground to powder. The compounds that produce heat sensation – the capsaicinoids – were then extracted and examined.

During harvesting, senior research specialist Danise Coon said she and the two students who were picking the peppers went through about four pairs of latex gloves.

“The capsaicin kept penetrating the latex and soaking into the skin on our hands. That has never happened to me before,” she said.”

Listen to Paul Bosland talk about the process and the effects of the ppepper is pretty interesting. And Apparently not only is it a fireball but quite tasty as well. There are uses for just bits of the bpepper to make mild and medium heat dishes and sauces that are supposedly out of this world.

Alright I need to find me some peppers now.

Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Pepper