The Naga Jolokia Pepper - Hot Enough For You?

My last post was essentially a reflection of all the debate and controversies that exist when trying to state a claim for the world's hottest hot sauce. Well, when it comes to the chili pepper itself there is no controversy. The Naga Jolokia pepper is, at least for now, the world's hottest pepper. With thanks to Wilbur Scoville, the chemist responsible for developing the Scoville scale in 1912, we've had a precise, scientific method for determining the heat index of a chili pepper long before hot sauce became the obsession it now is. In 2007, the Naga Jolokia (also referred to as Bhut Jolokia, Ghost Pepper, Naga Morich, King Cobra Chili - and others) dethroned the previous champ - the Red Savina pepper. Not unlike Buster Douglas coming out of nowhere to upset Mike Tyson in the peak of his career back in 1989, the Naga Jolokia absolutely obliterated the former Red Savina champ. Keep in mind, there are several factors that can impact the heat index of the fruits of an individual pepper plant - namely seed lineage, soil conditions and amount of water the plant receives during its' growth. With that in mind, the highest Scoville Unit measurement for the Red Savina was 577,000 S.U. - while the Naga Jolokia buried the needle at an amazing 1,041,427 S.U. The Naga Jolokia originates from the Assam region of northeastern India, but is now successfully grown internationally to help supply the demand for an increasing number of sauces, salsas, pastes and extracts prominently featuring the Naga Jolokia pepper. If you're brave enough to try a Naga pepper (or Naga product) - use caution! Remember, a glass full of cold water is not going to do you any good. Instead, have a big glass of milk on hand because milk contains a substance that helps diffuse and eventually wash away the capsaicin in the pepper that's causing the burn - although by no means does this provide instant relief. For that matter, why try a Jolokia in the first place if you don't want to experience and relish the burn. So for now the Naga Jolokia reigns supreme in the Guinness Book of World Records as the hottest pepper in the world, but as we know, records are meant to be broken. With all the brilliant chemists and botanists out there, I have little doubt that a new hybrid is in the works. Hmmmm, maybe in place of water they can keep the soil moist with The Source?? If you get a chance, check out my new website - Hot Sauces From A to Z (www.hotsaucesfromatoz.com). It provides a simple, yet thorough listing of the hottest sauces, salsas and peppers, and it provides links to several vendors for secure online ordering. Until next time, remember - "Pepper Power"!

The Great Debate! Capsaicin Crystal or Pure Extract?

On my website "Hot Sauces From A to Z" (www.hotsaucesfromatoz.com), I make the comment that fans of hot sauce have a tendency of being a little extreme. After all, it takes a fairly over-the-top personality to blindly try a product that claims it'll burn your face off (i.e. - Big Dawg's Burn Ur Face Off Salsa). I've found another common attribute of hot sauce fanatics is a natural passion for debating which hot sauce (or pepper, or salsa, etc.) is the best. Or, as if often the case - which is the HOTTEST! So, the purpose of this post is to distinguish why I acknowledge The Source Hot Sauce as being the hottest sauce available in the U.S. First of all, The Source registers a whopping 7.1 million Scoville Units (S.U.), and that's nothing to sneeze at, in fact, you need to use extreme caution when using this sauce. Hold on! Before all you Pepper Heads race to your computer to argue your case that hotter sauces exist, let me offer further explanation for my choice. There is a product on the market call Blair's 16 Million Reserve that tops the charts at, you guessed it, 16 million S.U. Now, I might not be a mathematicien, but 16 million is a far cry bigger than 7.1 million. However, after much deliberation I chose not to heap the "Hottest Sauce" honors on this product because by definition, it's not a sauce. Blair's 16 Million Reserve is pure capsaicin - in otherwords, it doesn't get any hotter than this. But, I repeat, it is not a sauce, it's pure capsaicin in crystal form. Now let's examine The Source Hot Sauce. I suppose technically one could make the assertion that it is not a sauce either. The Source is a pure pepper concentrate extract - that's all it is, nothing else is added. Without actually referring to Mr. Webster, in my opinion, the number one prerequisite for something to referred to as a "sauce" is that it be a liquid. Therein lies my reason for giving the dubious honor to The Source as the hottest hot sauce in the U.S. To be fair though, a more detailed definition of "sauce" might require that it be a combination of ingredients in liquid form. If I were to have gone by this definition I'd have given props to Mad Dog 357 Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce. This is an incredibly hot sauce (500,000 S.U.) made with Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Pepper), Habanero peppers, Peri Peri peppers, chile extract, garlic, onions, vinegar, evaporated cane juice, and spices. Mmmm! Tasty! Stay tuned for my next post which will offer a more detailed examination of the Naga Bhut Jolokia - the hottest pepper in the world! Until then - "Pepper Power".