Quality & Science
Tested hardware. Lab-verified heat. Full transparency.
The Grinder
Every SpiceQuest grinder is made from food-grade 304 stainless steel.
We don't ask you to take our word for it. Our grinder hardware has undergone independent testing by TÜV Thüringen for FDA food-contact compliance and California Proposition 65 compliance.
Not detected in the samples tested.
FDA 21 CFR 175.300 & CPG 7117.05
California Proposition 65
Chromium content: 16.4% (FDA minimum: 16%)
The Peppers
Every SpiceQuest varietal is lab-tested using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), the gold standard for measuring capsaicin content. HPLC doesn't rely on taste panels or guesswork. HPLC testing measures capsaicinoid content to calculate Scoville Heat Units (SHU).
So when we say a Scotch Bonnet is 38,000 SHU and a Bird's Eye is 104,000 SHU, those aren't estimates pulled from a range on Wikipedia. Those are measured values from actual lab analysis of the peppers in your grinder.
Most spice companies tell you a pepper is "hot." We tell you exactly how hot, and we can prove it.
We source our peppers from licensed growers who dehydrate and process them in permitted food facilities. Every varietal is traceable from farm to grinder.
Blood Ghost
| Capsaicinoid | PPM | Heat coefficient | SHU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nordihydrocapsaicin | 293 | 9.3 | 2,724 |
| Capsaicin | 11,292 | 16.1 | 181,806 |
| Dihydrocapsaicin | 5,283 | 16.1 | 85,063 |
This pepper sample contains a high level of capsaicin, delivering strong heat similar to habanero peppers.
HPLC analysis using ASTA Method #21.3 (AOAC Method #995.03). Results shown are for this Blood Ghost sample.
The Facility
SpiceQuest products are produced in a licensed commercial kitchen in Costa Mesa, California, operating under a Shared Food Facility permit issued by the Orange County Health Care Agency. Every batch is produced in compliance with California Retail Food Code sanitation standards.
Why This Matters
Most companies can't tell you what their products are made of at a molecular level. They can't tell you exactly how hot their pepper is. They don't test, because nobody asks them to.
We test. The grinder hardware is third-party tested for material safety. Every pepper varietal is HPLC-tested for precise heat measurement. Our products are made in a licensed, permitted commercial kitchen. We test what we sell, and we document what we find.
That's what "lab-graded" means.