Where to buy the carolina reaper

This is the world's hottest pepper. On the Scoville Heat Scale, the Carolina Reaper pepper has an average Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) rating of 1,641,000 with some individual peppers topping out at an incredible 2,200,000 SHU.

How does one explain just how hot are Carolina Reapers? 
The heat hits you instantly, your skin begins to sweat, and the intense pain in your mouth is unbearable. Luckily this pain subsides in about 10 minutes.

Origins
The Carolina Reaper is a cross between a red Ghost Pepper and the Red Habanero, two peppers that are both hot in their own right, despite the fact that neither one makes the World’s Hottest Peppers List currently. This pepper was artificially created, although it is not genetically modified. True to its name, the Carolina Reaper was produced in South Carolina, but it was first called the HP22B. Ed Currie is the man behind the first Carolina Reaper.

Appearance

The original Carolina Reaper was red, and this remains the most common color today. However, chocolate, yellow, and peach Carolina Reapers also exist. Even red peppers will start out as green and turn orange before becoming a deep red. Through each three of these phases, the pepper’s flavor and heat will increase. So, if you pick your pepper while it’s still green (and eat it before it turns red), it won’t carry the same pungent heat as a red Carolina Reaper.

Carolina Reapers are squattier and more textured than their ancestors the Red Habanero and Ghost Pepper. If you rub your finger along the pepper’s skin, you’ll feel many small bumps and grooves. Most Carolina Reapers have a long, thin branch at the bottom of the pod, which is known as “the scorpion’s tail”, not to be confused with the Trinidad Scorpion Pepper by name, due to its resemblance to a stinger. These peppers typically have a length of 3/4 inch to 1/2 inches long.

Why buy from us?

• Premium quality non-smoked dried Carolina Reaper Peppers, you will taste the difference.
• Lightning-fast shipping time, we will ship your order in under 2 business days. Most orders ship the same day or the very next business day.
• 100% pure, no additives.
• Ships in a high-quality sealed resealable stand-up pouch.
  

The size of the peppers varies, these are estimates, you may get more or less depending on the size of each pepper. 

Peppers Per Pouch

Related Guides and Recipes

Carolina Reaper Peppers are one of the the HOTTEST peppers in the world!  

Certified Organic and grown in Kutztown, PA using zero pesticides, herbicides, sprays or chemicals of any kind.

Buy these fresh hot peppers now and you can freeze them for use all year. Also great for making your own hot sauce, drying them for super hot pepper flakes, or saving the seeds to grow your own hot pepper garden next year! 

Taking preorders for September shipping, reserve your peppers now!

Collection: Carolina Reaper Live Pepper Plants

These Live Reaper Plants will take you on a journey towards growing the hottest pepper in the world! Officially the World’s Hottest Chili Pepper according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Pepper Joe’s has long been your source for Carolina Reaper seeds, and now we're excited to offer live Reaper plants. These live Carolina Reaper seedlings will be delivered straight to your doorstep, so you’ll be well on your way to a great yield of super-hot peppers in no time!   

Can't get enough super hot heat? Check out our Live Ghost Plants and Live Scorpion Seedlings. Or browse our full selection of live pepper plants for sale. 

Carolina Reaper - The World's Hottest Pepper

The Carolina Reaper is officially THE World’s Hottest Pepper.

Originally given the title of World’s Hottest Pepper in 2013, The Reaper has won the title again with further testing in 2018.

Share the Carolina Reaper

Heat Ranking (Pungency)

The Carolina Reaper record now stands at an average of 1,641,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), a measure of spiciness, 71,000 SHU higher than it’s previous record, making it that much harder to beat.

This “thing” called the Carolina Reaper (AKA HP22B) is better described as the demon pepper child that was invented by man. There is nothing normal about this pepper because it was bred for heat and that it is. Oddly enough this pepper has excellent flavor as well.

Despite the Carolina Reaper being “officially” ranked as #1 by Guinness, there have been recent reports of a Dragon’s Breath Pepper testing even higher at 2,483,584 SHU.

Flavor

Normally superhots have bitter chemical-like undertones as if you can actually taste the capsaicin, but that’s not the case here.

The Carolina Reaper pepper has a sweet and fruity flavor, that is right before the heat kicks in.

Just one pepper has the pungency to spice up 100’s of dishes. It is perfect to add to chili, stir fry or marinates without affecting the flavor of the original dish.

Origins

This cultivar is the result of a cross between a Ghost Pepper and a Red Habanero. It was bred in South Carolina, USA and tested at the Winthrop University; testing over 2.2 million scovilles at its peak. (avg. 1,641,000 SHU)

Pod Shape

One unique feature shared by a few of the super hot peppers is the “scorpion’s tail” that is very well defined in this pepper. Fruit sizes range from 1 to 2 inches wide (2.5 – 5 cm) and 2 to 3 inches (5 – 7.6 cm) long.

Some pepper pods have gnarly bumps all over, like the image on the far left.  Other pods feature a smoother skin like the picture on the far right.

Not every fruit will feature the infamous stinger, but most pods should. The original color is red, but now other natural color variations exist including chocolate, yellow and even peach.

Growing Information

Growing the World’s Hottest Pepper can be very rewarding. It is amazing that something so hot that YOU created came from these tiny seeds. The Reaper is not necessarily beginner friendly, but we have written an exhaustive Guide to Growing Hot Peppers to make growing these peppers almost fool-proof.

Seed Starting

Seed germination is slow and takes 2 weeks to over 4 weeks. The seeds require a warm (85° F or 29.4° C) and moist environment to sprout.

Light Requirements

Established Reaper plants require full sun.

Soil Requirements

Soil should be slightly acidic, ph of 6 to 6.5, that is well draining and “light”.

Protect roots from high temperatures. Mulch containers or garden to prevent roots from baking in the sun.

Water Requirements

Only water once soil is completely dry and just before leaves start to wilt. Extremely high temperatures can cause leaf wilt and can trick beginners into watering when not needed. This leaf wilt in high temperatures is a defense mechanism and water is not needed in this scenario. Check soil moisture before watering if unsure.

Fertilizer Requirements

A vegetable or tomato fertilizer is required throughout the flowering stages. These types of targeted fertilizers will have all the required macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients pepper plants need.

Look for fertilizers with a higher Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) than Nitrogen (N). Example NPK 10-30-20. The first number, nitrogen, is lower than the other two values.

If your fertilizer doesn’t have Calcium listed, spray leaves with diluted Cal-mag once a month.

Recommended Fertilizers

Organic Fertilizer: Espoma Tomato-tone
Inorganic Fertilizer: General Hydroponics MaxiBloom

Container Friendly

Carolina Reapers can be grown in containers or in the ground. If grown in a container a minimum size of 3 gallons is required, but 5 gallons is recommended. The larger the container, the larger the plant. 10 gallons seems to be the perfect size of portability and growing potential.

Plant Size

A Carolina Reaper plant will grow up to a maximum of 5 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet across.

Productivity

90 days from germination to harvest. Expected harvests for each plant can be up to several pounds over an entire season.

Culinary Uses

The Carolina Reaper pepper has virtually unlimited culinary uses including:

• DIY Reaper Hot Sauce
• Fresh in any dish
• Frozen for long term storage
• Dehydrated to make pepper powders or flakes
• Canned
• Pepper Jellies
• Dry Rubs for BBQ or Jerky
• Spice up any pre-made Seasonings

FAQ about The Reaper

Can you die from eating a Carolina Reaper?

Short Answer: NO
Long Answer: While incredibly spicy, capsaicin only triggers pain receptors in the mouth and throat, so the pain you are feeling isn’t actually hurting your body. However there is a deadly dose of capcaicin, but you would have to ingest 3 pounds of dried Carolina Reaper Powder in one sitting for that to happen.

What pepper is hotter than a Carolina Reaper?

While the Carolina Reaper is still ranked #1 by Guinness, there have been recent reports of a Dragon’s Breath Pepper testing in at 2,483,584 SHU.

Is the Carolina Reaper Natural?

Yes and no. This pepper wasn’t discovered in remote parts of the world like many of the land-race hot peppers; this is a cross breed. That doesn’t mean it couldn’t have occurred in nature, given enough time. Nature is slow, it probably would have taken thousands or millions of years to occur without human intervention.

Is The Reaper a GMO?

No, it is not a Genetically Modified Organism. It is simply a cross breed between two peppers. A Bhut Jolokia and a Red Habanero.

Is it Safe to Eat a Reaper?

Yes, it is completely safe to eat super-hot peppers. There was a report about a man having a “Thunderclap Headache” when competing in a pepper eating contest. This is exceptionally rare and the man had unknown preexisting health issues. There are actually many health benefits to eating hot peppers.

Eating super-hot peppers can cause upset stomachs in people who don’t eat spicy foods frequently or in those who have pre-existing health issues, i.e. IBS.

What is the Maximum Age of a Carolina Reaper Plant?

They can live 10 years or longer! Pepper plants are perennial, which means that they can live for many years provided they are protected from freezing temperatures. This process is called overwintering.

By bringing pepper plants indoors for winter, while still providing water and sunlight, you can keep your pepper plants producing for years to come.

Did you learn anything about the Carolina Reaper? Share it with others!

Click the add to cart button above to purchase 10+ seeds. If you don’t have a green thumb, you can always buy Reaper Powder for immediate gratification and try this scorching pepper today!

Order now and you can grow your own Super Hot Pepper Plants and taste true heat!

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