There are many different ways of assessing the heat of a chilli but for simpletons like me, I prefer a basic, graduated scale – you know, the 1 to 10 sort of idea.
And once upon a time, that worked well. The hottest chilli had been a habanero for ever and we all knew how to relate other chillies to it.
Then along came technology, selective breeding, greed and stupidity and people started engaging in an arms race for chilli heat.
Fine for some, but of no interest to me.
So, for those of us who like it simple. here is my, ET’S CHILLI HEAT ratings based on the original out of 10 scale.
| OLD SCALE / 10 | HEAT | Example | others | NEW SCALE/ 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Sweet | Capsicum | ||
| 1 | Mild | Paprika | Pepperoncini | |
| 2 | Mild | Anaheim | ||
| 3 | Mild | Kashmiri | Poblano, Big Jim | |
| 4 | Medium | Jalapeno | ||
| 5 | Medium | Serrano | ||
| 6 | Medium | Cayenne | Tabasco, Aji | |
| 7 | Hot | Thai | ||
| 8 | Hot | Birds Eye | ||
| 9 | Hot | Rocoto | ||
| 10 | Extra Hot | Habanero | ||
| 11 | Red Savina Habanero | Super Hot | ||
| 12 | Dorset Naga | Super Hot | ||
| 13 | Ghost (Bhut Jolokia) | Super Hot | ||
| 14 | Trinidad Scorpion | Butch T, Naga Viper | Extreme | |
| 15 | Carolina Reaper | Extreme |
NOTE – before you all start shrieking that chilli A is hotter than chilli B, every chilli will have a different heat profile depending on where it is grown, how it is grown, and the climate. And two chilli pods on the very same plant can be significantly different in heat to each other.
So just enjoy…
