October 04, 2026
The best gift for most people who love spicy food is the SpiceQuest Classic Explorer Pack, $74.95. It is five refillable steel chili grinders, each filled with one dried pepper and numbered by lab-tested heat: no. 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10....
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Give them the peppers without the sauce: the SpiceQuest Classic Explorer Pack, $74.95. It is five refillable steel chili grinders, each filled with one dried pepper and numbered 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 by lab-tested heat. A person with a full...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Get him the SpiceQuest Matchbook Kit, $88.95. It is three refillable steel chili grinders in three sizes, with three dried peppers: one grinder for cooking, one for the table and one to take with him. A dad who puts hot sauce on...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
For Christmas, give the SpiceQuest Classic Explorer Pack, $74.95: five refillable steel chili grinders, filled with five different peppers and numbered 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 by lab-tested heat. Order early. If you are late, email a gift card, $20 to...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
The best spicy stocking stuffer we sell is the HotDots 3-pack, $28.95: three tins of spicy hard candy, 25 candies per tin, enough for three stockings. For someone who cooks, put in one SpiceQuest chili grinder, no. 4 Habanero, $18.95, tested at...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Under $25, give one SpiceQuest chili grinder: no. 4 Habanero at $18.95. Under $50, the Jr Trailblazer Trio at $49.95. Under $100, the Classic Explorer Pack at $74.95. Over $100, the Pro Kit at $124.95, or the Full Spectrum Ultra Bundle at...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Give them the Full Burn Bundle, $95.95. It is three SpiceQuest chili grinders: no. 11 Hellraiser, tested at about 3,500,000 Scoville units, Sweetheat, tested at about 5,500,000, and PepperPlegic Chocolate Primotalii, tested at about 6,000,000. All three contain natural capsaicin extract.
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Give them the Asian Spice Kit, $79.95. It is five SpiceQuest chili grinders, and it holds the mildest spice we sell: Kashmiri chili, tested at about 1,500 Scoville units. Its gochugaru tested at about 6,000. A jalapeño's published range is 2,500 to...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
For a couple who disagree about heat, our pick is the SpiceQuest Classic Explorer Pack: five refillable steel chili grinders for $74.95. Dinner gets cooked without chili, and each of them seasons their own plate. One can stay on no. 2 Scotch...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
For a home cook, our pick is the SpiceQuest Matchbook Kit, $88.95. It is three refillable steel chili grinders in three sizes, with three pepper refills. The Chef, 156 x 23 mm, is for cooking. The Table is 105 x 20 mm....
Read article ->October 04, 2026
For a pepper collector, our pick is Chocolate Primotalii, a SpiceQuest Ultrarare chili grinder, $34.95. It is one rare dried pepper, tested at 1,361,754 Scoville units, in a refillable steel grinder. Every single-pepper grinder in our Limited Edition and Ultrarare series costs...
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Give them a no. 4 Habanero chili grinder from SpiceQuest and a travel case. Together they cost $29.90: $18.95 for the grinder and $10.95 for the case. The grinder is steel, about 4 inches tall, and holds dried habanero flakes that tested...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Bring the SpiceQuest Jr Trailblazer Trio, $49.95: three refillable steel chili grinders, no. 3, no. 6 and no. 10, each with a different dried pepper. For a host who already owns the ten-grinder Pro Kit, bring The Carousel, $62.95, a 6-inch rotating...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
For someone who grills, our pick is the SpiceQuest Classic Explorer Pack, $74.95. It is five refillable steel chili grinders, no. 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10, and the tasting notes run from citrus to smoke. Add a Beast XL for $17.95...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Buy the SpiceQuest Classic Explorer Pack, $74.95. It is five refillable steel chili grinders, no. 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10, so you do not need to know how much heat the person can take. The lowest tested at 38,868 Scoville units...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
A pepper grinder is the better gift for someone who wants more heat without changing how the food tastes. Our pick is the SpiceQuest Classic Explorer Pack, five refillable steel chili grinders for $74.95. It is the wrong gift for someone who...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Scoville heat units (SHU) are measured by a lab instrument. Nobody tastes anything. The method is called HPLC, short for high-performance liquid chromatography. It measures the amount of each heat compound in a sample, converts each amount to SHU and adds the...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
In our lab results, pure Carolina Reaper flakes test at about 1 million Scoville heat units (SHU). Our no. 9 Reaper X, a Carolina Reaper strain with nothing added, tested at 975,612 SHU. The Guinness World Records average for the Carolina Reaper...
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This chart ranks 67 SpiceQuest chili grinders, current and past, by tested Scoville heat units (SHU). The mildest is Kashmiri Chili, tested at about 1,500. The hottest is the League of Fire Competition Grinder, tested at 7,412,912, which contains natural capsaicin extract....
Read article ->October 04, 2026
A variety name does not fix a pepper's heat. Our RB003 (2024) tested at 780,208 Scoville heat units (SHU) and our RB003 (2025) at 877,858, which is 12.5% higher under the same name. New Mexico State University's guide to measuring chile heat...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
The numbers rank eleven SpiceQuest chili grinders from mildest to hottest by lab-tested heat. No. 1 is Pequin, tested at 33,261 Scoville heat units (SHU). No. 9 is Reaper X, tested at 975,612, the hottest pure pepper on the scale. No. 11...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Eat a little chili often and move up one small step at a time. The ten numbered SpiceQuest chili grinders make a ladder. It starts at no. 1 Pequin, tested at 33,261 Scoville heat units (SHU), and ends at no. 10, tested...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Milk. In a Penn State study, whole milk, skim milk and a sweetened fruit drink reduced the burn from capsaicin more than water, cola, seltzer or non-alcoholic beer did. Skim milk worked about as well as whole. We found no test of...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Capsaicin is the most abundant of the compounds that make hot peppers hot, and pure capsaicin is rated at 16 million Scoville heat units (SHU). Natural capsaicin extract is that compound, taken from chili peppers in concentrated form. Six SpiceQuest chili grinders...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Yes, slowly. In a published storage study, whole dried chili pods lost part of their capsaicin over five months, and they lost more when they were kept warmer or in a bag that let air through. The same researchers describe the heat...
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Pepper X. Guinness World Records certified it as the hottest chili pepper at an average of 2,693,000 Scoville heat units (SHU). It replaced the Carolina Reaper, whose record average was about 1.64 million. The hottest pure pepper SpiceQuest has lab-tested for its...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
The pequin is a small red chili from Mexico, and it is the mildest pepper in our numbered set. The dried pequin in the SpiceQuest chili grinder no. 1 Pequin tested at 33,261 Scoville units. The published range for the variety is...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Our habanero tested at 171,446 Scoville units. That is the lab result for the dried flakes in no. 4 Habanero, a SpiceQuest chili grinder, and it falls inside the published range for the variety, 100,000 to 350,000. The habanero is a hot...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
The ghost pepper, also called Bhut Jolokia, is a superhot pepper from northeastern India. The one in the SpiceQuest chili grinder no. 5 Ghost Pepper tested at 417,166 Scoville units. The published range for the variety is 855,000 to 1,041,427, so our...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
No. 6 Brain Strain tested at 650,785 Scoville units. The published range for the variety is 1,000,000 to 1,350,000, so the dried flakes in this SpiceQuest chili grinder came in at about 65 percent of the bottom of that range. The 7-Pot...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
The Trinidad Moruga Scorpion is a red superhot pepper from Trinidad, and the flakes taste sweet and floral before the burn takes over. Ours is no. 7 Trinidad Scorpion, a SpiceQuest chili grinder filled with dried red Moruga Scorpion. It tested at...
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The Trinidad Scorpion Butch T is a strain of the Trinidad Scorpion pepper. The dried Butch T in the SpiceQuest chili grinder no. 8 Butch T tested at 887,188 Scoville units. That is inside the published range for the variety, 800,000 to...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
The pure Carolina Reaper in our SpiceQuest chili grinders, no. 9 Reaper X, tested at 975,612 Scoville units. The published range for the variety is 1,400,000 to 2,200,000, so our lot came in at about 70 percent of the bottom of that...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
In our lab tests the habanero was much hotter. No. 4 Habanero tested at 171,446 Scoville units and no. 2 Scotch Bonnet at 38,868, so the habanero came in at about 4.4 times the heat. The other difference is flavor. Our habanero...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
The Carolina Reaper is hotter. In our lab tests the pure Reaper, no. 9 Reaper X, tested at 975,612 Scoville units and no. 5 Ghost tested at 417,166. That makes the Reaper about 2.3 times as hot. The ghost is smoky and...
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The color. A chocolate pepper is a pepper that ripens brown. There is no cacao in it, and the name says nothing about sweetness. The three in our Chocolate Kit tested at 299,667, 549,403 and 1,087,318 Scoville units.
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7-Pot is a family of very hot peppers from Trinidad. The name comes from the saying that one pod is hot enough to season seven pots of stew. The published range for the original Trinidad 7-Pot is 1,000,000 to 1,200,000 Scoville units....
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Under the heat, most of our superhot peppers taste of fruit: tropical fruit, citrus or stone fruit. Others are smoky, earthy or bitter like cocoa. The heat number does not tell you which. No. 5 Ghost tested at 417,166 Scoville units and...
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Match the pepper's flavor to the food first and check the heat second. Fruity peppers suit chicken, pork, seafood and fruit: no. 2 Scotch Bonnet (tested at 38,868 Scoville units) and no. 4 Habanero (171,446). Smoky peppers suit salsa, soup, curry and...
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Our pick for pizza is no. 2 Scotch Bonnet, tested at 38,868 Scoville units. The published range for ordinary crushed red pepper is 15,000 to 45,000, so no. 2 sits inside the range of the pizzeria shaker, and its tasting note is...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Do both, and use them for different jobs. Chili added early, in the pot, spreads its heat through the whole dish, and everyone gets the same amount. Chili ground on at the table lets each person set their own heat. The SpiceQuest...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Line the grinders up from mildest to hottest and put one press of each on a small bite of plain food. Wait until the burn fades before the next pepper, and let anyone stop at any step. With the SpiceQuest Classic Explorer...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Cook the dish with no chili in it, then put chili on the table and let each person add their own. Heat cooked into a pot is the same for everyone and cannot be taken out. For most tables, set out three...
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Chili can go on dessert. Start with one press of a fruity pepper on the finished dish: try no. 2 Scotch Bonnet (tested at 38,868 Scoville units) on fruit and vanilla ice cream, and no. 4 Habanero (171,446) on dark chocolate. One...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
There are three simple ways to add dried chili to a drink: in the rim salt, shaken in, or floated on top. Start with the rim, because the drinker controls every sip, and start with one press of a SpiceQuest chili grinder....
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Ten chiles and chili blends from ten countries, and none of them is a superhot. The mildest, Kashmiri Chili from India, tested at about 1,500 Scoville units. The hottest, Cameroon Scotch Bonnet, tested at 79,096. Five are single chiles and five are...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
You press the button on top with your thumb. The button is spring-loaded. It drives a rod with burrs down through the chili flakes into a cone-shaped base, and the base crushes the flakes and drops them on the food. One press...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
You can, but we do not recommend it. A pepper mill is built for hard, round peppercorns. Chili flakes are light and flat. That is our view after testing 50 or 60 grinders, shakers and tubes, and it is why we had...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
There are three reasons. One press of a grinder is a small dose you can count, which matters when the pepper tested at 975,612 Scoville units. Crushing the flakes in a grinder keeps hot dust out of the air. And until you...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Look for a grinder that is made for flakes, works with one hand, gives a small dose per press, keeps light and air out, is made of tested food-grade material, and can be refilled. The SpiceQuest push-button chili grinder was made to...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
If you are not sure, buy the Classic Explorer Pack for $74.95. It has five SpiceQuest chili grinders, no. 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10, with tested heat from 38,868 to 2,235,842 Scoville units (SHU). For a smaller gift, the Jr Trailblazer...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
A refill for a SpiceQuest chili grinder is a 5-gram tube of one pepper. It costs $6.95 for no. 1 through no. 10 and $12.99 for no. 11 Hellraiser. To refill, you unscrew the base of the grinder, fit the open grinder...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
The 7 Pot Bubblegum Peach is the peach-colored form of a pepper line known for color that bleeds from the pod up into the calyx and stem. The dried flakes in the SpiceQuest chili grinder 7 Pot Bubblegum Peach tested at 289,350...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
This cross tested at 982,050 Scoville units. That is 6,438 above our pure Reaper, no. 9 Reaper X, at 975,612. It is a peach-colored pepper, a 7 Pot Bubblegum Peach crossed with a Naga Peach, and it fills the SpiceQuest chili grinder...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
The name promises the end of the world. The lab number is calmer. The dried flakes in the SpiceQuest chili grinder Apocalypse Scorpion tested at 220,918 Scoville units. On our numbered scale that is between no. 4 Habanero at 171,446 and no....
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Armageddon is a red superhot with twisted, wrinkled pods. The dried flakes in the SpiceQuest chili grinder Armageddon tested at 746,117 Scoville units. On our numbered scale that is just above no. 7 Red Moruga Trinidad Scorpion at 734,512 and below no....
Read article ->October 04, 2026
We have tested Big Mustard Mama from two harvests for our SpiceQuest chili grinders, and the numbers differ. The 2026 harvest tested at 479,808 Scoville units. The 2025 harvest tested at 424,212. Both sit between no. 5 Ghost at 417,166 and no....
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Blood Ghost has a hard name and a moderate number. The dried flakes in the SpiceQuest chili grinder Blood Ghost tested at 269,593 Scoville units. That is below our no. 5 Ghost at 417,166 and above no. 4 Habanero at 171,446.
Read article ->October 04, 2026
The Chocolate Beast in our SpiceQuest chili grinder tested at 900,325 Scoville heat units (SHU). On our numbered scale that is between no. 8 Butch T at 887,188 and no. 9 Reaper X at 975,612. The taste is fruity with a nutty...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Our Chocolate Ghost tested at 549,403 Scoville heat units (SHU). Our standard ghost pepper, no. 5 Ghost, tested at 417,166, so the brown one came in about 1.3 times as hot. It is one of the three SpiceQuest chili grinders in the...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Chocolate Habanero is the mildest of the three peppers in our Chocolate Kit, and it still tested at 299,667 Scoville heat units (SHU). That is about 1.7 times our standard no. 4 Habanero at 171,446. On the numbered SpiceQuest chili grinder scale...
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Published heat claims for the Primotalii run around 2.2 million Scoville heat units (SHU). They are not an official record. The Chocolate Primotalii in our SpiceQuest chili grinder tested at 1,361,754. On our numbered scale that is between no. 9 Reaper X...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Chocolate Reaper is the hottest grinder in our Chocolate Kit and the only one of the three over a million. It tested at 1,087,318 Scoville heat units (SHU), and it is pure pepper. On the numbered SpiceQuest chili grinder scale that is...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Two people share the credit for the Death Spiral, and sources do not agree on what to call each one's part. The heat is easier to state. The Death Spiral in our SpiceQuest chili grinder tested at 1,195,149 Scoville heat units (SHU),...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
The number most people have seen for Dragon's Breath is 2.48 million Scoville units. That figure is unofficial and was never submitted to Guinness. The dried Dragon's Breath in our SpiceQuest chili grinder tested at 1,418,900 Scoville units (SHU), about 57 percent...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Dragon's Tooth pods start black, turn purple and ripen bright red. The dried flakes in our SpiceQuest chili grinder tested at 253,133 Scoville units (SHU). That puts Dragon's Tooth between our no. 4 Habanero and our no. 5 Ghost.
Read article ->October 04, 2026
548,592 Scoville units (SHU). That is the lab result for the dried Dystopian Yellow T-Rex in our SpiceQuest chili grinder. It lands between our no. 5 Ghost and our no. 6 Brain Strain.
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Frankenstein Bubblegum is a bumpy red pepper with a red flush that climbs from the pod up the stem. The dried flakes in our SpiceQuest chili grinder tested at 539,572 Scoville units (SHU). That is between our no. 5 Ghost and our...
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We have lab-tested two harvests of the Fried Chicken pepper for our SpiceQuest chili grinders. The 2026 harvest tested at 1,035,308 Scoville units (SHU) and the 2025 harvest tested at 1,000,542. Both sit just above no. 9 Reaper X, our pure Carolina...
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Sellers do not agree on who is behind the Gator Jigsaw, a pepper that ripens to a yellowish green. The dried Gator Jigsaw in our SpiceQuest chili grinder tested at 174,591 Scoville units (SHU). That is just above our no. 4 Habanero...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
The pods of Jay's Pink Reaper start out deep purple and ripen to a pale peach or a creamy white. The dried flakes in our SpiceQuest chili grinder tested at 542,121 Scoville heat units (SHU). On our numbered scale that falls between...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Naga Smooky Rainbow changes color as it ripens. The pods start a deep black and ripen into streaks of crimson, violet and red. In a SpiceQuest chili grinder the dried flakes tested at 247,118 Scoville heat units (SHU), which sits between no....
Read article ->October 04, 2026
The Peach Ghost tested at 321,199 Scoville heat units (SHU). That is below our numbered ghost grinder: no. 5 Ghost tested at 417,166, so the Peach Ghost came in at about 77 percent of it. On the SpiceQuest scale it sits between...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
The Peach Reaper is a peach-colored form of the Carolina Reaper. The dried flakes in our SpiceQuest chili grinder tested at 921,664 Scoville heat units (SHU). That places it between no. 8 Butch T at 887,188 and no. 9 Reaper X, our...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
The Pineapple Ghost tastes the way its name says: bright and tropical, with citrus and a pineapple sweetness. It tested at 387,246 Scoville heat units (SHU) in a SpiceQuest chili grinder. That puts it just under no. 5 Ghost at 417,166 and...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Purple Death pods start out purple and turn red as they ripen. The dried Purple Death in our SpiceQuest chili grinder tested at 773,227 Scoville units. On our numbered scale that is between no. 7 Moruga Scorpion at 734,512 and no. 8...
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We have tested RB003 from two harvests, and the two numbers are different. The 2025 harvest tested at 877,858 Scoville units and the 2024 harvest tested at 780,208. Both sit between no. 7 Moruga Scorpion at 734,512 and no. 8 Butch T...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Reaper Sbagliato Purple Peach has Reaper in its name and tested at less than half the heat of our pure Reaper. The dried flakes in our SpiceQuest chili grinder tested at 432,122 Scoville units. That is between no. 5 Ghost at 417,166...
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Red Hydra tested at 966,602 Scoville units, which is 9,010 below our pure Carolina Reaper. On the SpiceQuest chili grinder scale it sits between no. 8 Butch T at 887,188 and no. 9 Reaper X at 975,612, at the top of our...
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Red Mushroom is a flattened, bell-shaped red pepper. The dried flakes in our SpiceQuest chili grinder tested at 44,543 Scoville units. On our numbered scale that is just above no. 2 Scotch Bonnet at 38,868 and well below no. 3 Bird's Eye...
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Tiberius Mauler tested at 860,448 Scoville units. On the SpiceQuest chili grinder scale that is between no. 7 Moruga Scorpion at 734,512 and no. 8 Butch T at 887,188, and much closer to no. 8. It is a fruity superhot with very...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
Our White Ghost Scorpion tested at 417,503 Scoville units. Our no. 5 Ghost tested at 417,166. That is a gap of 337, far too small to feel, so on heat alone these two SpiceQuest chili grinders are the same step. The difference...
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The White Habanero is a small pepper with a lantern shape and a creamy white color. The dried flakes in our SpiceQuest chili grinder White Habanero tested at 194,937 Scoville units. That is one short step above no. 4 Habanero, which tested...
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Our Scotch Bonnet tested at 38,868 Scoville units. The published range for the variety is 100,000 to 350,000, so the dried flakes in the SpiceQuest chili grinder no. 2 Scotch Bonnet came in well under that range. That result is why it...
Read article ->October 04, 2026
The biggest single step on our numbered scale is the one from no. 2 to no. 3. The dried Bird's Eye in the SpiceQuest chili grinder no. 3 Bird's Eye tested at 104,085 Scoville units, about 2.7 times no. 2 Scotch Bonnet...
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