The current Guiness Record Book holder for the hottest chilli goes to the “Carolina Reaper”.
It’s grossly wrinkled and creased with a pointy tail, even worse it matures into a blistered red glossy danger! Sounds like a not-so gorgeous specimen doesn’t it? Despite its questionable looks, its sweet and fruity with hints of cinnamon and chocolate. Niceties aside, once you’ve bitten into this little devil, beware! There is an intense heat that keeps building and ends up basically blowing your head off. Or, to be more scientific about it, you could end up with a thunderclap headache which is a painful episode that extends beyond the concern of the blazing fire in your mouth.
Like the name says the headache comes on as fast as a clap of thunder, striking with extreme pain and peaking within 60 seconds. Care is recommended to avoid an unwanted trip to the emergency room that’s for sure. The intense pain is said to come from the sudden restriction of blood vessels in the brain! Now that’s a little scary and probably not the best April Fool’s joke to play on ya mate!
It all began with Ed Currie at the PuckerButt Pepper company. Hailing from South Carolina, Ed developed the chilli over a period of 10 years with extensive trials of cultivation until the day officially arrived in 2012 with a successful cross between a naga viper and a red habanero. Dada! The Carolina Reaper, currently rating at a massive 1.6 million on the scoville scale, the proven hottest and most desired in the hot chilli arena to this day.
There’s not a chilli contest without this chilli being featured and as crazy hot as this chilli is there’s no shortage of crazy takers, to give it a go for some prize that probably includes a bottle of sauce made with the nasty beast.
If you dare there are many sauces at Cobra Chilli including the Carolina Reaper chilli and you are welcome to try them all. Haha! At your own risk of course.
Sauces include: Reapers Harvest, Fever, Carolina Reaper Mash, Carolina BBQ sauce, Reaper Pepper Sauce, Magic Sauce and our hottest of the lot BLACK MAGIC BBQ sauce.
** Does this chilli stop keen mad chilli-heads from loving this chilli any less. I think not! **
www.cobrachilli.com.au
