How hot are peppers?
The spiciness of peppers is gauged by a measurement on the Scoville scale. This scale measures the relative hotness of a pepper and is named after Wilbur Scoville, who developed the Scoville Organoleptic Test in 1912.
The test consists of taking a solution of the pepper extract that is then diluted in sugar water until the “heat” from the capsaicin in the pepper is no longer detectable by a panel of tasters. The Scoville scale measures the degree of dilution. Subsequently a sweet pepper that contains no capsaicin and therefore has no heat has a Scoville rating of zero. While the habaneros, a very hot chili pepper, has a Scoville rating of 300,000.
The following chart shows the Scoville rating for a range of peppers
Scoville rating | Type of pepper |
15,000,000 – 16,000,000 | Pure capsaicin |
9,100,000 | Nordihydrocapsaicin |
8,600,000 | Homodihydrocapsaicin and homocapsaicin |
2,000,000 – 5,000,000 | Standard U.S. grade pepper spray |
855,000 – 1,041,427 | Naga jolokia |
876,000 – 970,000 | Dorset naga |
350,000 – 577,000 | Red Savina habanero |
100,000 – 325,000 | Scotch bonnet |
100,000 – 300,000 | Habanero Chile |
100,000 – 200,000 | Jamaican hot pepper |
50,000 – 100,000 | Thai pepper |
30,000 – 50,000 | Cayenne pepper |
10,000 – 23,000 | Serrano pepper |
7,000 – 8,000 | Tabasco sauce (habanero) |
5,000 – 10,000 | Wax pepper |
2,500 – 8,000 | Jalapeño pepper |
2,500 – 5,000 | Tabasco sauce (pepper) |
1,500 – 2,500 | Rocotillo pepper |
1,000 – 1,500 | Poblano pepper |
600 – 800 | Tabasco sauce (green pepper) |
500 – 1000 | New Mexico pepper |
100 – 500 | Pimento, pepperoncini |
0 | No heat, bell pepper |
