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New Chili Is World's Hottest

bazzalunatic writes "The Trinidad Scorpion Butch T chili is grown and harvested by an Australian company, and not by the inmates of an Australian insane asylum as rumored. The chili is claimed to be the world's hottest (1,463,700 SU), surpassing the current Naga Viper chili at 1,382,118 SU. From the article: '"They're just severe, absolutely severe," says Marcel de Wit, The Chili Factory co-owner. "No wonder they start making crowd-control grenades now with chilies. It's just wicked." The chili is so scorching that Marcel and his team have to wear protective gear when handling the new variety. "If you don't wear gloves your hands will be pumping heat for two days later," he says.'"

201 comments

  1. COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Spritzer · · Score: 4, Funny

    Someone better find a better ice cream to start chasing these chilies with.

    1. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So what's the point? To show off how much pain you can take with dinner?

      When it is that hot, you singe your taste buds anyway. There is no enjoyment in eating food I can't taste.

      Crowd control is about the only use for these things.

      I reiterate - what's the point?

    2. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by wierd_w · · Score: 4, Informative

      It's hard to beat liquid nitrogen frozen icecream; It produces extremely fine grained ice crystals in the icecream, resulting in superior creaminess.

      Can be made in any number of delicious flavors.

    3. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by blai · · Score: 1

      College, everyone's drunk, you add some of this to their chasers, ???, profit

      --
      In soviet Russia, God creates you!
    4. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's kind of like sex. Hard to explain, if you haven't done it. Hmmm... maybe /. isn't the best place for that analogy...

      In any case, rather than saying they "singe your taste buds", I'd say that chilis like these /expose/ them. And capsicum is quite good for you.

      I'll try 'em when I can get 'em. Ghost peppers were awesome.

    5. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by grub · · Score: 5, Informative


      I don't mind the pain of eating spicy foods.

      What I don't like is the anal searing I feel as the lava is being extruded from my quivering sphincter.

      --
      Trolling is a art,
    6. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and ruin all the fun... no

    7. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by rogueippacket · · Score: 2

      I don't think it's a question of "what's the point", but "how high can you go". Considering that a run-of-the-mill Chili pepper runs at about 40 000 SU and can make food unbearable for most of the population, growing a pepper which is almost 40x hotter really only has one use - crowd control. Even if you are a seasoned spice hound and eat Habanero peppers for breakfast (at 200 000 SU), this thing would burn a hole in your stomach lining if you ate it whole.

    8. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by fotoflojoe · · Score: 1

      Eating chilis releases endorphins. People get hooked on that release.

    9. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, BS. Your taste buds don't need to be "exposed." That's just nonsense.

    10. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by MrNemesis · · Score: 1

      This legal disclaimer soon coming to the bottom of a restaurant menu near you! :)

      --
      Moderation Total: -1 Troll, +3 Goat
    11. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Anrego · · Score: 1

      Eating spicy food just shy of the "it tastes like pain" line is quite enjoyable. Just enough pain to release those endorphins, which have a mellow, relaxing effect.

      Eating excessively spicy foods to the point where you can barely choke it down and keep a straight face... yeah.. that's for the macho types. Have to admit, I'm curious what this thing would be like. I've tried the Naga peppers.. grown locally so probably not the full deal.. but definitely wasn't especially pleasurable (not as bad as I envisioned though).

      My current pain/pleasure line falls at scotch bonnets... and that tends to be chopped up and cooked into something. Beyond that... I'm not enjoying it.

    12. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by marsu_k · · Score: 2

      True, but also the taste. Once you get used to the heat (yes, your tolerance grows quite quickly) you learn to appreciate the flavours, they do exist even in the hottest varieties. I personally prefer Naga Jolokia over Habaneros - not only you have to use less, the taste is much sweeter and fruity. Habaneros are quite bitter.

    13. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Capsaisin doesn't "burn a hole in your stomach" (I assume you mean a peptic ulcer). It stimulates your nerves into thinking that something is burning; it doesn't actually burn anything. The pain is an illusion.

    14. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Anrego · · Score: 2

      Agreed.

      This is why I like scotch bonnets over habaneros. They both have the same heat, but I find scotch bonnets impart a nicer flavour.

      I'd also note that tolorance drops quite quickly too! I had to stop eating excessively spicy food for a few months (for reasons unrelated to the food) .. and I couldn't even make it through the supermarket "spicy" chili that I used to jokingly scoff at for a while afterwards.

    15. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Hatta · · Score: 1

      If you're just going to kill the heat with ice cream, why bother? I eat spicy food because I like the heat. If I didn't want the heat, I wouldn't do it. There is such a thing as too hot, but in those cases I just don't eat it, rather than cutting the heat with dairy. If it's so hot that you need something to kill the pain, it's too hot to be reasonably enjoyed.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    16. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Interesting

      If it's so hot that you need something to kill the pain, it's too hot to be reasonably enjoyed.

      Which is why as I've gotten older I've more or less decided that anything beyond a banana pepper or a jalapeno is pointless.

      I just don't enjoy it anymore, and my first encounter with habaneros pretty much showed me that things like a mouth that stays on fire for hours and burning hoop just aren't fun. I've just never been able to enjoy super spicy foods as much anymore -- at least not at the endurance end of the spectrum.

      The dairy is nice because it's kind of an off-switch -- and, really, all the cultures that have the spicy food use dairy to quench the heat, so why is it cheating? It's not like it's some manly endurance test to take the full heat without any relief ... well, I guess to some it might be.

      I'm sure some people really do enjoy these things, but I've more or less given up. I know someone who has used so much spices over the years, and smoked for long enough that she has no taste buds left ... if it's not spicy as hell, and/or salty as hell, she can barely taste it.

      Mostly, however, this article makes me think of Guatamalan Insanity Peppers from the Simpsons. :-P

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    17. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Hatta · · Score: 2

      When it is that hot, you singe your taste buds anyway.

      You realize the "heat" is just a ligand receptor interaction. There's no actual heat there. Spicy food does decrease your perception of other flavors, but this is not a cytotoxic effect. It's not quite clear how it happens, but since capsaicin application under the tongue can depress taste perception on the tongue it's probably some sort of cross talk between the pain fibers and taste fibers before they reach the brain.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    18. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by lonelytrail · · Score: 1

      Have you ever considered people other than you may have a different lifestyle and thus different likes and dislikes than you? Just because you don't see the point, does that make it completely useless for everyone in the world? Hmmmm.

      Let's just be completely racist here and say that there might be some people from India who have been delivered VERY spicy food since they were in utero and probably have a tolerance (and also desire) for heat that you couldn't come close to comprehending. Does that make them macho show-offs? I don't think so.

    19. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      No, but his rectum does.

    20. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Hatta · · Score: 1

      I mostly agree. I use habaneros very sparingly. One habanero in a 9x13 casserole is plenty. When used in small amounts the heat isn't overpowering and you can still taste the sweet fruitiness of the pepper.

      And sure, dairy is fine if you just use it to titrate the heat. My point is that eating something way too hot just because you can dull the pain with dairy is silly. If it hurts, don't do it, there's nothing really to be gained. Better to use one pepper to season a pot of chili for several dozen people than to eat that pepper and vomit lava out your nose and try to figure out how to get ice cream up there.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    21. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by oldmac31310 · · Score: 1

      Scotch bonnets give me hiccups. I like the color and taste and can take the 'heat' but I can't bear the hiccups!

      --
      http://www.acetonestudio.com
    22. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by gstoddart · · Score: 1

      My point is that eating something way too hot just because you can dull the pain with dairy is silly. If it hurts, don't do it, there's nothing really to be gained.

      Yeah, at that point it's something of a frat boy competition to see who can eat the most absurdly hot item and survive. I used to really gravitate to things like this until a friendly pub owner offered to make me some wings with his secret "stupid sauce" recipe -- full blast habaneros plus some kerosene, formaldehyde and lighter fluid for some extra kick if I remember correctly. That pretty much put the end to my seeking out the hottest thing imaginable, and I'm sure likely actually did some physical damage to my digestive track. ;-)

      eat that pepper and vomit lava out your nose and try to figure out how to get ice cream up there.

      LOL ... now that paints a mental image. :-P

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    23. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Moderator · · Score: 0

      all the cultures that have the spicy food use dairy to quench the heat

      Not really. In Thailand, they use rice.

      --
      The World is Yours.
    24. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by oldmac31310 · · Score: 1

      Racism? Indians are usually considered caucasian not that I have much time for race classification myself. So what are you getting at? He was stating a personal opinion. Not racist. Not even bigotted. And not all Indian food is 'hot'. A lot of it is spicy - as in, using a lot of spices which are flavourful but not necessarily 'hot'. And yes some of it is hot.

      --
      http://www.acetonestudio.com
    25. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by speedeep · · Score: 1

      Liquid nitrogen-frozen milkshakes?
      http://www.flipburgerboutique.com/
      (Nutella + burnt marshmallow is awesome == campfire S'mores milkshake)

      What next? Liquid nitrogen-frozen chiles?

    26. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Spritzer · · Score: 1

      That's great, but will it cool the ring of fire the next day.

    27. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by cayenne8 · · Score: 1
      You know...at the very least, when talking about the peppers themselves they should spell it right...chile. Chili is the good stuff they make in TX with ground chiles, beef, tomato...etc.

      I like mine with beans too, so I'm not only liking the TX version.

      But isn't the pepper itself supposed to be spelled chile?

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    28. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Spritzer · · Score: 1

      Maybe THIS will explain the "ComeOn Ice Cream!!!" concept for you.

    29. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Americium · · Score: 1

      Capsaicin released endorphins and makes you feels good. It also makes you sweat, which is great in those really hot climates where it grows.

    30. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      If you apply it to that area it sure will. Capsaicin is fat soluble.

    31. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by sexconker · · Score: 1

      Racism? Indians are usually considered caucasian not that I have much time for race classification myself. So what are you getting at? He was stating a personal opinion. Not racist. Not even bigotted. And not all Indian food is 'hot'. A lot of it is spicy - as in, using a lot of spices which are flavourful but not necessarily 'hot'. And yes some of it is hot.

      Indians are considered Indian.
      They want to be considered Asian, because they want to duck the negative prejudice and stereotypes while still being thought of as up and coming in the tech sectors. Their argument is that India is in Asia. Well, so is Russia, and nobody affords them the luxury of choosing to be Asian.

      Regardless, there's no way they're considered caucasian.

    32. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 1

      teaching the neighbor's dog a lesson?

      (no, never said that. did I just think that or type it?)

      --

      --
      "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
    33. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by dosius · · Score: 1

      And in Australia it would be "chilli" instead of "chile", if I recall correctly.

      -uso.

      --
      What you hear in the ear, preach from the rooftop Matthew 10.27b
    34. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by TheLink · · Score: 1

      How about chili pepper ice cream?

      When you eat it, it's "hot", but cold at the same time. When you stop, the "heat" lingers. The more you eat the more the "heat" builds up, so you could eat more ice cream to numb the pain temporarily ;).

      --
    35. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You just need to adjust for the concentration of capcesin when preparing your peppers. Habeneros are actually one of the nicest -flavored- peppers that are widely available, it's a shame that you're missing out on that because you get burned once.

      Sweet elements can help balance the spicy as well, so, for example, a salsa of pineapple, mint and habenero works well.

    36. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by GooberToo · · Score: 1

      So what's the point?

      Why is it some of the smartest comments are made by anonymous? At any rate, you are completely correct.

      Existing chillis are already so hot, they are rarely used at full potency even in the meanest of pepper sprays. For food, once you reach a fraction of heat in widely available peppers, the ability to taste food is horribly diminished, if not completely destroyed. Its certainly not an enjoyable experience.

      People need hotter chillis like they need a larger hole in their head.

    37. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Someone better find a better ice cream to start chasing these chilies with.

      Man up, and just throw a roll of toilet paper in the freezer.

    38. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by eleuthero · · Score: 2

      Pain releases endorphins too--there's a physical need for them to react appropriately to a situation causing you pain. Makes me wonder about those who cut themselves for the pain / release involved as compared to the above poster who likes peppers for a similar reason.

    39. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by milkmage · · Score: 1

      just because it's 1.4 MIL SHU doesn't mean it doesn't _taste_ good (good flavor) - cooking with them might impart a nice flavor to the food and as long as you don't use too much, it doesn't get too hot.

      http://www.thedailymeal.com/hot-pepper-showdown-eating-naga-viper
      "The heat of course is fun and news-grabbing, but the flavors of the chiles are what sustains interest. There's an analogy to drinking. There will always be people trying to see who can drink the most booze, but really if you’re drinking wines you want to learn all the different flavors. Chiles are the same way."

      some people dig it, and there's a market:
      "Ass in the Tub Armageddon"
      http://hotsauceemporium.co.uk/detail.php?prodID=146

    40. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Sene · · Score: 0

      I've never heard chile being used, unless you mean the country, but it seems to be one of the used forms. Chili still would be the most commonly used. I think the Texan food has come quite a bit later. From wikipedia: "Chili pepper (from Nahuatl chilli, chilli pepper, chilli, chillie, chili, and chile) is the fruit[1] of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Chili peppers originated in the Americas. After the Columbian Exchange, many cultivars of chili pepper spread across the world, used in both food and medicine."

    41. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by GargamelSpaceman · · Score: 1

      It's the burning hoop that gets me. As someone said above, Ice Cream only cools the pain if you put it in your ass.

      There are 2 places Haberneros are edible that I've found: A piece of raw pepper eaten in the same mouthful as a piece of meatball, and when made into saurkraut. When made into saurkraut, they really aren't hot at all. I'd put them way under the hotness level of a jalapeno. I don't know why. Maybe it's because all the capsaicin gets leached out? But then the kraut would be too hot you'd think.....

      --
      ...
    42. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by The+Living+Fractal · · Score: 2

      No, the pain is very real. The existence of harm is the illusion.

      --
      I do not respond to cowards. Especially anonymous ones.
    43. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by lazybeam · · Score: 1

      I couldn't finish this: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=109033997044 though my (then) housemate did. Finish the world's hottest burger and get your name on a plaque.

      --
      --
      no sig for you. come back one year.
    44. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It could still poke a hole into your stomach or intestines if you ate it whole. People, you have to chew it. Or smoke it, but this one would probably kill you from the shock.

    45. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by MrKaos · · Score: 1

      You know...at the very least, when talking about the peppers themselves they should spell it right...chile. Chili is the good stuff they make in TX with ground chiles, beef, tomato...etc.

      I like mine with beans too, so I'm not only liking the TX version.

      But isn't the pepper itself supposed to be spelled chile?

      well it ain't chilly... Don't tell Jack Black

      --
      My ism, it's full of beliefs.
    46. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Falconhell · · Score: 1

      If it's about laying off the insanity chillis I'm way ahead of you!

    47. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by mug+funky · · Score: 2

      this thread is full of chili wussies.

      it's not like we sit alone, crying, listening to linkin park and eating chilies.

      we get drunk with our mates and try to out-do each other. then after a minute or 5 of searing pain, you get the sweet sweet rush.

      after 1 such experience, you've developed a tolerance to the pain (but the rush still happens), and a wee bit of an addiction to the rush.

      chili wussies are the reason it's so hard to find decent Thai food outside of Thailand. everything in my town is overburdened with coconut cream and palm sugar, because white bread dicks can't take a little spice.

    48. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by mug+funky · · Score: 1

      it goes away after a while.

      both in the immediate sense and the long term.

    49. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by mug+funky · · Score: 1

      Or smoke it

      holy shit! i never thought of that.

      i'm absolutely going to do this.

    50. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      remember when the lowly Jalapeno was the king of peppers? i used to be the guy who always won the bet when i would drink a bottle of Tabasco. i won thousands over the decades. i told this to someone the other day and he sad 'so what, that's nothing.' they used to say ' no way, i dont believe you.'

    51. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by aiht · · Score: 1

      Or smoke it

      holy shit! i never thought of that.

      i'm absolutely going to do this.

      I occasionally used to smear a bit of chili along the side of my cigarettes. It clears out your throat something fierce, but it's kinda nice too. Hard to get the level right, though.

    52. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by oldmac31310 · · Score: 1

      Indians have been considered caucasian and even white - whatever either of those terms mean. All race classification is meaningless as far as I'm concerned and the evidence I think is in the fact that such classifications have changed over the centuries and even now still vary widely depending on which country/nation/group is doing the classification. It is indeed a dead horse that need be flogged no longer, but there are those that will persist with it. My point was that the (ignorant patronizing) guy who brought up Indian food in the first place was pretty close to accusing the guy (anonymous coward) who reasonably offered the opinion that too much 'heat' was not for him. It was an impetuous idiotic leap by 'lonelytrail' and I shouldn't have taken the bait. To close, I would like to say that as an Irish person, I do not identify with either the classification of 'white or 'caucasian' as I view any such classifications demeaning. This in light of the fact that Irish people were barely allowed human status until relatively recently. So they got to be human before black, people. No achievement in that. I'm all for miscegenation, mixing it all up, culturally in all aspects, food, music, art etc. I call an end to the likes of 'lonelytrail' sitting on his fat arse making jackass illogical assumptions. And...I love food from all parts of the world - spicy is good - too 'hot' is not for me. I can take a reasonable amount of heat, but prefer to taste the food. Russia isn't Asia, but they lay claim to a lot of land that is in Asia. That's my understanding anyway.

      --
      http://www.acetonestudio.com
    53. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by EdIII · · Score: 1

      LOL!!!!!!!

      Woooooooossssshhhhh

      You both don't get the point, although you make an interesting argument about why to even eat something that hot in the first place.

      Eating the ice cream is not cheating, and has nothing to do with your mouth. Think about it. There is an entrance..... annnnddd.... an exit. Which one do you think the ice cream is for? :D

      P.S - "Come on Ice Cream" is a quote from a movie that is quite apropos.

    54. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Obfiscator · · Score: 1

      I disagree that tolerance grows quickly. In central Africa, they have a pepper that they like to add to food. Looks like a habanero, but I don't know the actual species (just called "pepe" or "piment" locally, which is a generic name for "pepper"). I spent two years trying to eat that damn thing, and I still was no where near even what other members of my family can do (who haven't lived anywhere peppers are heavily used).

      So, I'd guess it's part genetics as well. I do enjoy the taste of milder peppers, but as the pepper gets hotter, all other flavor goes away for me.

      --
      "Nothing shocks me. I'm a scientist." -Indiana Jones
    55. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thank you! I thought I was the only one who noticed this. We didn't have all these hot peppers in the area when I was growing up, and now you can find them quite easily.

    56. Re:COME ON ICE CREAM!!! by bughunter99 · · Score: 1

      Frozen Grapes are good chili coolers too.

  2. I've got to order some of these! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now I see this after I planted my garden with ghost chilis!

    1. Re:I've got to order some of these! by ackthpt · · Score: 1

      Now I see this after I planted my garden with ghost chilis!

      As a rule, chilies grow hottest where they get the most sun and the weather is hot. High humidity keeps the air warm overnight, which helps in the production of Capsaicin. For northern hemisphere there's still plenty of time to plant these before their best months of production (July-August).

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  3. How Much Is That in Quetzlzacatenango Peppers? by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 1

    the world's hottest chilli (1,463,700 SU), surpassing the current Naga Viper chilli, at 1,382,118 SU

    But how much is that in Quetzlzacatenango peppers?

    1. Re:How Much Is That in Quetzlzacatenango Peppers? by internerdj · · Score: 1

      Sorry, that is not an accepted slashdot unit of measure. Please restate the question in the form of Libraries of Congress.

    2. Re:How Much Is That in Quetzlzacatenango Peppers? by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      To measure it properly, basically it's going to be 7 tequilas to get over a Trinidad Scorpion Butch T chili. Quetzlzacatenangos are only 5.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    3. Re:How Much Is That in Quetzlzacatenango Peppers? by jd · · Score: 1

      Assuming the Library of Congress to be at STP, how many LoCs is this new chilli?

      --
      It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
    4. Re:How Much Is That in Quetzlzacatenango Peppers? by corbettw · · Score: 1

      Nothing involving Congress is ever hot.

      --
      God invented whiskey so the Irish would not rule the world.
    5. Re:How Much Is That in Quetzlzacatenango Peppers? by internerdj · · Score: 1

      15 scovilles is approximately 1 ppm capsaicin. A library of congress is approximately 0.001 ppm of the data universe. This pepper should be about 1000 LoCs. Admittedly, there are significant roundoff errors in that calculation, but it should be good enough for the layman.

    6. Re:How Much Is That in Quetzlzacatenango Peppers? by geekoid · · Score: 1

      .5 Plus with these pepper you don't get to meet Johny Cash.

      IN YOUR FACE SPACE COYOTE

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    7. Re:How Much Is That in Quetzlzacatenango Peppers? by geekoid · · Score: 1

      All Simpson references take president over LoC.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    8. Re:How Much Is That in Quetzlzacatenango Peppers? by Ol+Biscuitbarrel · · Score: 1

      Searching for 'hot Congresswoman' Google suggests Stephanie Herseth, whoever that is.

    9. Re:How Much Is That in Quetzlzacatenango Peppers? by EdIII · · Score: 1

      I don't think that LoC is the proper unit of measurement or form for this question.

      Let's look at SSI, or Standard Suicidal Index instead.

      A zero, is basically a person indifferent to life and death. One could say this person is in a state of Zen.

      A -three would be like eating really good ice cream or laughing with friends. The urge to live is significant. A -ten would like sex with to chicks so hot they could give an erection to your dead grandfather. All you can think about is living.

      A +one would represent a fairly bad day. A +two would be losing your WoW account or the basement flooding. A +three would be would be intense pain.

      From experience I can say that concentrated sauces made from +1,000,000 SU chilis can cause a person to reach -nine.five. At that level your just about ready to pull the trigger to get it to stop.

      Also from experience, the bathroom trip put me a +eleven. The only thing that saved my life was the fact the pain paralyzed me from the waist down and I passed out in the bathroom.

    10. Re:How Much Is That in Quetzlzacatenango Peppers? by corbettw · · Score: 1

      YMMV, but "cute" != "hot".

      --
      God invented whiskey so the Irish would not rule the world.
  4. I'll pass. by grub · · Score: 1


    I eat habaneros and get a serious case of the Ring of Fire.

    --
    Trolling is a art,
    1. Re:I'll pass. by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 0

      I pooped out a burning ring of fire
      I went down, down, down, and the flames went higher
      and it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire
      the ring of fire

  5. Sissy units by Omega+Hacker · · Score: 2

    Let me know when you have something to measure in terabecquerels.... ;-)

    --
    GStreamer - The only way to stream!
    1. Re:Sissy units by Americium · · Score: 1

      A terabecquerel is just 27 Curies. The capsaicin isn't radioactive.

    2. Re:Sissy units by Massacrifice · · Score: 1

      radioactive woosh for you.

      --
      -- Home is where you eat your heart out.
  6. What's the point? by Literaphile · · Score: 2

    I don't get it - what's the point? With a chili that hot, even if it's diluted in a sauce you're not going to get anything resembling a nice flavour or taste, just fire in your mouth. I'd much rather eat something that packed a moderate punch along with decent flavour.

    1. Re:What's the point? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The point is to point and laugh at the fool that goes to the toilet immediately after preparing the hot sauce.

    2. Re:What's the point? by osgeek · · Score: 1

      The point is Youtube.

      Go to Youtube and search for "ghost pepper". You'll come up with an assortment of fools proving their machismo on camera.

      Some of the videos are hilarious.

      I welcome these new all-powerful chili pepper overlords and the Internet hilarity they bring with them.

    3. Re:What's the point? by dragonhunter21 · · Score: 2

      Riot control. Imagine if even a diluted version of that pepper were to get sprayed at you. You'd be face-down in the dirt, crawling at your eyes in seconds.

      --
      Sent from my CR-48
    4. Re:What's the point? by mr1911 · · Score: 1

      You don't even have to read TFA - the summary mentions "crowd control grenades".

      I work with some guys that eat crazy hot stuff just to say they ate crazy hot stuff. I don't think they can even taste anything anymore.

      --
      This post comes with a double-your-money-back guarantee!
      Any offense taken to this post is at your sole discretion.
    5. Re:What's the point? by kjdames · · Score: 1

      Many people believe eating spicy food releases endorphins in your body because your body is tricked into believing that it is in pain and releases the pain-relieving endorphins.

      --

      Typos... that's just how I role.

    6. Re:What's the point? by Duradin · · Score: 2

      It's the same point as putting linux on your [toaster|vacuum|console]. Bad experience, limited use, but you do it anyways.

      I don't know about this new one but Bhut Jolokias are difficult to grow, much more finicky than most peppers, so it's a challenge and if successful a chemical weapons plant.

    7. Re:What's the point? by DarkOx · · Score: 1

      And they are not controlled (yet) so perhaps we can start growing and harvesting them to use against the government oppress^H^H^H^H^H^H^H law officers.

      --
      Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
    8. Re:What's the point? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are numerous uses for peppers including food, relatively safe weapons (personal defense & crowd control), and as pesticides in farming. Furthermore, medical uses are abundant for capsaicin, including the treatment of wounds, skin disorders, digestive problems, and neuropathy.

      So they bred a really hot pepper. Tag as idle and move on, right fellas? I mean it's not about iphones, linux, or obscure physics, so it must not be important.

      In fact, this is the very heart of science, and a type of science (plant breeding) that is older, and more important to the long-term survival of the human race, than virtually all others.

      Plant breeding is hard, thankless work that most people never even think about (except for the occasional GMO/Non-GMO debate). In some plants, such as trees that take many years to grow and bear fruit, selective breeding programs can take decades just to find one desirable trait for disease resistance. Shawn Mehlenbacher at Oregon State University has spent decades breeding hazelnuts that are resistant to Eastern Filbert Blight so that we don't lose the species of tasty hazelnut that you all enjoy.

      This same story is true for virtually all of the food you eat - there is some scientist at some boring agricultural college, at a seed bank, or at a germplasm repository, working his or her life away to make sure that your favorite foods are still available for future generations, and if they have some spare time, breeding them to be bigger, better, and tastier than ever.

    9. Re:What's the point? by Bob+the+Super+Hamste · · Score: 3, Funny

      I have never had a problem growing Bhut Jolokias up here in Minnesota in the summer. We have some nice hot humid days and it still can get cool in the night. I do have to start them inside each year since it is still possible to get some hard freezes even now. I love these peppers since these are what I consider a hot pepper, I grow also grow jalapeños, bell, cayenne, habanero and can eat all of them fresh off the plant like candy. Fresh ones are always better and hotter than the ones from the store

      Interesting story. One time I was making chili and forgot to wash my hands after cutting up all the peppers (about 2 bells, 12 jalapeños, 12 cayenne, 6 habanero, and 6 Bhut Jolokias) and went to pee. I ended up curled up on the floor in the fetal position for about half an hour I have never felt that much pain ever. I was numb for several hours afterwards. I never notice it on my hands as they are rough and calloused, but it is a different story on sensitive skin.

      --
      Time to offend someone
    10. Re:What's the point? by NekSnappa · · Score: 1

      My favorite video of that sort is where a guy gets his (soon to be ex) girlfriend to eat a tablespoon of chili powder by telling her it's cinnamon. Hilarity, and a really pissed off chick, ensues.

      --
      I want to shoot the messenger!
    11. Re:What's the point? by AliasMarlowe · · Score: 1

      The point is to point and laugh at the fool that goes to the toilet immediately after preparing the hot sauce.

      Even if the fool has a hand-wash before going to the toilet, they'll likely be doing a dance of discomfort shortly afterwards. I speak from experience with chopping scotch bonnets for a sauce; the hand-wash with soap proved inadequate. Luckily my GF of the time liked chile, as she said she could still taste it later in a BJ.

      --
      Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
    12. Re:What's the point? by marsu_k · · Score: 1

      Which is why gloves are recommended when handling the hottest varieties. It does stay on your skin for quite some time (remember not to get too friendly with your SO for a while, or not to pick your nose/rub your eyes - yes, been there, done that on all counts). Alternatively, "wash" your hands with vegetable oil first, then with soap and water - as capsaicin is soluble in oil, this removes most of the nastiness.

    13. Re:What's the point? by ChucktheMan · · Score: 1

      Around here they grow chilli to turn into paint. It turns out that it makes an excellent anti-fouling marine paint, since marine animals do not seem to have developed a taste for hot. the hotter the chilli the more paint/acre they can make.

    14. Re:What's the point? by Duradin · · Score: 1

      The bhut jolokia I'm familiar with germinates in 30-80 days (in 80F soil) and isn't ready for harvest for about 150 days, not a MN friendly plant, and a bit of a waste of a good multi-year plant to be planted outside.

  7. So... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is it the new hotness, or hot newness?

  8. Ghost pepper old news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Last I heard the ghost pepper was the hottest. This sounds like it's taking it to a whole new level.

  9. Does not fempute? by uberjack · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You have to wear protective gear, yet in TFA photo, they aren't?

    1. Re:Does not fempute? by phizix · · Score: 1

      They aren't cut open in the photo. The outer surface isn't particularly spicy.

    2. Re:Does not fempute? by BassMan449 · · Score: 1

      I doubt you would need protective gear until you cut them up and got the juice on your skin. That's when you would have issues.

    3. Re:Does not fempute? by jd · · Score: 3

      They were experimenting to see if it causes mutations.

      --
      It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
    4. Re:Does not fempute? by ackthpt · · Score: 1

      You have to wear protective gear, yet in TFA photo, they aren't?

      Skin of the pepper isn't the hot part. When you halve a pepper look for the white fleshy bit around where the seeds are located. That's the hottest part of the pepper. If you are looking for the most intense experience, trim that bit from your peppers and toss the rest.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    5. Re:Does not fempute? by outsider007 · · Score: 1

      TFA says *you* have to wear protective gear. These guys obviously have testicular fortitude above and beyond the average mortal, and also tolerance probably comes into play at some point.

      --
      If you mod me down the terrorists will have won
    6. Re:Does not fempute? by PhrostyMcByte · · Score: 1

      You have to wear protective gear, yet in TFA photo, they aren't?

      They only wear the gear while cooking them. From TFA:

      "We went to Melbourne to cook our first batch of the sauce, the Scorpion Strike, we all had to wear full chemical masks and suit-up with full protection suits and gloves to cook these up." Marcel says. "Imagine, when you start cooking with it - those fumes that come out of the pot."

    7. Re:Does not fempute? by ackthpt · · Score: 1

      They were experimenting to see if it causes mutations.

      Pretty much all capsicums (peppers) are cultivars or mutations of the original plants from Central America. What is interesting is to seek out the original plants.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    8. Re:Does not fempute? by nedlohs · · Score: 1

      Which has exactly nothing to do with something causing mutations.

    9. Re:Does not fempute? by Curunir_wolf · · Score: 1

      They were experimenting to see if it causes mutations.

      Pretty much all capsicums (peppers) are cultivars or mutations of the original plants from Central America. What is interesting is to seek out the original plants.

      And here I thought peppers had been grown in India for much longer than that, because they are so prevalent there, but it turns out you are correct. India produced black pepper (and other spices) for thousands of years, but the capsicums were not introduced there until the 17th century. The name pepper (like many "mistaken identity" names to blame on Columbus' voyage to America) was coined when he brought dried chilis back to Isabella, supposedly since he wasn't able to bring back the Indian pepper like he set out to do.

      --
      "Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
      --- Jerry Garcia
    10. Re:Does not fempute? by Daehenoc · · Score: 1

      You can handle the fruit without protective gear when the fruit are whole (not cut or damaged), but if the fruit are cut or damaged, or you are cooking with them, then you need protective gear - I hacked open one of my Naga Jolokia last year and had to wear gloves!

  10. Drugs by PhreakOfTime · · Score: 2

    I don't get it - what's the point?

    It releases quite pleasurable natural drugs in your brain.

    Endorphins

    It's a legal drug, for now.

    1. Re:Drugs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      Can we ever have a discussion about anything without the pro-drug hippie losers telling everyone to get high?

      God I am so sick if you people. Pregnant mom with morning sickness? Smoke weed! Want to stop children from trying drugs when they are 12? Give them weed when they are 6! Enjoy food? It's because you are GETTING HIGH!

      I wish some kind of super-drug that was fatal was developed so the Earth could be purged of all the idiots like yourself, and you could even die doing what you think you love too. Then I wouldn't have to hear about how red your eyes are, or how high you got last Friday, or how high you plan to get next Friday, because I don't give a FUCK.

      >>herp a derp legal drugs

      I hope you commit suicide someday.

    2. Re:Drugs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Angry Troll much?

      I didn't see the GP say anything about encouraging drug use, much less about smoking weed. I saw an answer to a question someone asked as to why anyone would enjoy eating these peppers.

    3. Re:Drugs by ackthpt · · Score: 1

      I don't get it - what's the point?

      It releases quite pleasurable natural drugs in your brain.

      Endorphins

      It's a legal drug, for now.

      Want to try something fun? Half a bunch of hot peppers - habaneros, scotch bonnets or hotter and place on one of those fan driven dehydrators inside your house. Hours of fun as your eyes, sinuses and lungs encounter airborne capsaicin. It's almost like swimming in caffeine.

      Took hours to air out the house...

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    4. Re:Drugs by NekSnappa · · Score: 1

      Yep, my boss once maced his whole family by putting dried habeneros into a food processor.

      --
      I want to shoot the messenger!
    5. Re:Drugs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Go back to Reddit with this crap and bitch at the trees, you nasty troll.

    6. Re:Drugs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wimp.

      I do this all the time to make Habanero dust. Deyhdrate, then grind.

    7. Re:Drugs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      On a similar note, I was cooking once using daves insanity hot sauce. I was frying up some steaks and as usal i put a few drops on (by a few drops i mean literally 3 drops) I missed the steak and it landed directly into the pan. Within second, it was hard the breath in the kitchen, and after I went into my room, my family came running out of the house. The airborne spices were so strong, that we had to literally stand outside for a good 20 minutes or risk watering eyes and inability to breath.
       
        to this day, that bottle of sauce sits in my fridge, untouched

    8. Re:Drugs by PhreakOfTime · · Score: 1

      I was cooking once using daves insanity hot sauce

      I love Dave's. I took an entire mouthful of it at a bar one night, because my friends didnt think I enjoyed hot spices. Granted, if you have never had spicy food in your entire life, it may be quite a shock. But like anything else, once you are accustomed to a certain level of spice, it doesn't hurt that bad.

      Yes, my eyes were watering, and I felt hot. And had I done something like that in the days before I ate such things, it might have been a very intense experience, much like you describe. It is a little like running a marathon, it hurts like hell at first, until that first time you get past 'the wall', when the endorphins kick in. After that, its quite a pleasurable experience, and it very difficult for someone who hasn't done it to imagine what it is like. The uninitiated, tend to think it is a linear response; the stronger means more painful for longer time. But much like running, after a certain amount of time and consumption(different for everyone) it is a very enjoyable experience.

  11. I've never commented before but, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is an article on slashdot because....?

    1. Re:I've never commented before but, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      this is /., no longer "news for nerds, stuff that matters", but "whatever random articles get submitted, the moderators don't give a shit anymore"

    2. Re:I've never commented before but, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      SCIENCE!

    3. Re:I've never commented before but, by Xtifr · · Score: 1

      There's well-established connection between hackers and very hot foods, as documented in the Jargon File. See, for example, the entry on food and laser chicken. I know numerous nerds who are obsessed with the Scoville ratings of their condiments.

      Also, as an AC noted, SCIENCE! But in this case, science that touches on a common nerd obsession.

    4. Re:I've never commented before but, by Datamonstar · · Score: 1

      Because REAL programmers eat really spicy foods.

      --
      The eternal struggle of good vs. evil begins within one's self.
  12. Um...yum? by wandazulu · · Score: 1

    Given the protective gear necessary to handle these peppers, I'm assuming they aren't going to be available to the home consumer at the local co-op. Even if the home consumer got ahold of one of these, it seems like its mere presence in the kitchen would render chili and salsa essentially inedible; what would I do with one of these, really?

    1. Re:Um...yum? by Jason+Levine · · Score: 1

      I can see this finding its way into some restaurant's food challenge. The Phaal challenge of Man vs. Food comes to mind:

      http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/01/the-phaal-challenge-at-brick-lane-curry-house-on-man-v-food-video/

      Any time a gas mask is required for cooking, you can tell the food will be spicy!

      --
      My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
  13. Always remember by beamdriver · · Score: 1

    "It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you’ve done, or think you can do. There’s a confrontation with destiny awaiting you. Somewhere, there is a chilli you cannot eat."

    -- Daniel Pinkwater, A Hot Time in Nairobi

  14. If the goal is just a chemical burn at this point by elrous0 · · Score: 1

    Why not just make chili with 12 Molar Hydrochloric Acid? Let's see you top THAT with some lousy chili pepper!

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  15. Like Hotdog eating contest by ackthpt · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I like hot food, very hot food, but I don't see any of these hottest chilies making it to my pantry any time soon.

    Outside of the curiosity of how much Capsaicin we can get a capsicum to produce, these don't appear terribly useful in dietary circles. Though I suppose someone could host a contest of gastonomic masochists to see who can eat the most.

    For painkiller they might be useful. I grew Habanero peppers and a woman at work asked if she could have some for her grandfather. A day after I gave her bag of a dozen she said he really appreciated them - could he get some more. I was awestruck - "He ate all of them already?" No, he mashed them up and applied them to his arthritic hands to take the pain away. Aha. Well done, him. I had more than I needed and gave them as many as they could take - the plants really went to town from mid July to late August in Michigan heat and humidity.

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    1. Re:Like Hotdog eating contest by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Best use for habaneros... Inner Beauty Hot Sauce

      This recipe is from http://www.hotsauceblog.com/hotsaucearchives/home-style-inner-beauty-hot-sauce-recipe/ and is very close to the one we use (not sure where we got our recipe - it's written down on a tattered, mustard-stained piece of paper). We put up a couple quarts of this every fall.

      Home Style Inner Beauty Hot Sauce Recipe

      Ingredients
      12 fresh habanero chiles — roughly chopped
      1 ripe mango — peel, pit, mash
      1 cup cheap yellow prepared mustard
      1/4 cup brown sugar — packed
      1/4 cup white vinegar
      1 tablespoon prepared curry powder
      1 tablespoon ground cumin
      1 tablespoon chili powder
      salt and freshly cracked black pepper — to taste

      This style of hot sauce, widely used in the West Indies, is basically habanero peppers (also known as Scotch Bonnets), fruit, and yellow mustard, with a few other ingredients thrown in. Use this recipe as a guideline. Habaneros are at the top of the chile pepper heat scale, so feel free to substitute other peppers of your choice. Funnel the sauce into an old pint liquor bottle.
      Mix all the ingredients together and stand back. This will keep, covered and refrigerated, until the year 2018. Be careful, though: If it spills, it will eat a hole in your refrigerator. If you ever want to dispose of it, call the local toxic waste specialists.
      WARNING: Hottest sauce in North America. Use this to enhance dull and boring food. Keep away from pets, open flames, unsupervised children, and bad advice. This is not a toy. This is serious. Stand up straight, sit right, and stop mumbling. Be careful not to rub your nose, eyes, or mouth while working with habaneros. You may actually want to wear rubber gloves while chopping and mixing — these babies are powerful.

    2. Re:Like Hotdog eating contest by ackthpt · · Score: 1

      I make habanero garlick dill pickles and habanero sweet and sour pickled carrots. They are always in big demand. I've been tempted to go into business.. maybe when I retire.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    3. Re:Like Hotdog eating contest by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I use a hotsauce for cooking that's made with Naga Jolokias because it imparts a good amount of capsaicin to a dish without otherwise altering its flavour (there's a slightly detectable flavour outside the capsaicin, but it's far less noticeable than if I'd used just about any other sort of hot sauce). This little bottle is going to last ages at this rate; I suppose you could argue an eco benefit there.

    4. Re:Like Hotdog eating contest by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So you can't see a use for hotter chili? How about needing less in dishes to give X amount of heat and flavor? It's called efficiency. Instead of 1 Tbs people can use 1/2tsb for the same effect.

    5. Re:Like Hotdog eating contest by Paul+Jakma · · Score: 1

      You simply use less of them. Where I might use 7 to 10 super-market bird eye chilis, I'd use 1 jolokia - and still get a significantly hotter meal. I have some 8% b.w. Jolokia chili paste and that's quite easy to use in meals. Jolokia has a nice fruity taste too, nicer than the bird eyes. Also, after eating it fades to a background level heat that lasts a good bit longer than other chili too, which is nice.

      The Jolokia is definitely very hot (you do need to be careful handling them once cut) but it's still quite useable for cooking.

      --
      I use Friend/Foe + mod-point modifiers as a karma/reputation system.
    6. Re:Like Hotdog eating contest by ultramk · · Score: 1

      I use a 600k scoville-rated ghost pepper sauce on a daily basis. I'm a "non-taster" on the old scale, so I require a lot of stimulation in my food to find it enjoyable. The endorphin rush is significant and pleasurable.

      In soup for example, I use a few drops, which gives me the effect of adding a ton of some milder hot sauce. The advantage is that I get a tiny fraction of the sodium that I would from Tabacso or something similar--and sodium's something I'm trying very hard to keep a lid on.

      The interesting thing is that after a month or two of this, my tolerance level went through the roof. The great thing is that now that the heat has died away somewhat for me, the complex and fruity flavors of the ghost pepper itself really shine through. Delicious stuff.

      --
      You catch enchiladas by picking them up behind the head and holding them underwater until they don't kick anymore -VeGas
    7. Re:Like Hotdog eating contest by garcia · · Score: 1

      I eat foods laced with the ghost pepper often wings and Caribbean to name two of my most favorite) simply because I enjoy eating spicy foods.

      The problem with spicy foods is that you apparently gain tolerance to the effects. The first few times I had ghost wings I got an endorphin rush (light headed, arms went numb, etc) but subsequent tastings have provided much less response.

      While I know there are plenty of extracts available which will permit me to add up to 15+ million Scoville units, I prefer to keep the fresh pepper taste (or at the very least an all natural experience) when eating my food.

      Hot foods aren't for everyone. In fact, I don't recommend you jump right to the ghost pepper (or higher) if you cannot handle anything more than a jalapeno. But being that I really do enjoy eating pickled habaneros raw and adding ghost peppers to most foods, I personally believe that furthering natural Scoville ratings is a great thing.

      I cannot wait to try something 50% hotter than the ghost chili. I'm sure it'll bring me right back to that high I experienced the very first time I tried them.

      YMMV.

    8. Re:Like Hotdog eating contest by kimvette · · Score: 1

      The problem with spicy foods is that you apparently gain tolerance to the effects.

      You do. I used to eat habaneros all the time - raw (yes, just eating them whole, seeds and all), stir fried with chicken, etc. but now I rarely eat chilis, so the little red peppers you get in vietnamese or thai dishes are very hot to me, and so is even the lowly jalapeno. I had a tolerance for it before and was quite addicted to hot peppers but after years of eating chili peppers infrequently I have near zero tolerance for them.

      --
      The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
    9. Re:Like Hotdog eating contest by mbrod · · Score: 1

      Yah, I grew two habanero's in pot's here in the NE. Got more than I could eat in a lifetime. Surprised me. Great to hear it helped ease someones pain.

    10. Re:Like Hotdog eating contest by ackthpt · · Score: 1

      The problem with spicy foods is that you apparently gain tolerance to the effects.

      You do. I used to eat habaneros all the time - raw (yes, just eating them whole, seeds and all), stir fried with chicken, etc. but now I rarely eat chilis, so the little red peppers you get in vietnamese or thai dishes are very hot to me, and so is even the lowly jalapeno. I had a tolerance for it before and was quite addicted to hot peppers but after years of eating chili peppers infrequently I have near zero tolerance for them.

      I hadn't eaten hot food for a while and visited the Pho King for lunch. Those little red chilies were HOT! Now after months of eating curry all the time I pop them into my mouth like candy.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    11. Re:Like Hotdog eating contest by DMUTPeregrine · · Score: 1

      I use a 1.2 million sauce regularly. I, too, have a very high tolerance for spice. Naga jolokias do have a great flavour, very difficult to describe properly. They are great dipped in lime juice.

      --
      Not a sentence!
    12. Re:Like Hotdog eating contest by Thelasko · · Score: 1

      For painkiller they might be useful.

      It's also used in racehorses for similar effects.

      --
      One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
    13. Re:Like Hotdog eating contest by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are several company's producing hot sauces using this pepper which has been around several years. The chile pepper community has been growing and consuming the Butch T scorpion for a while now. Butch himself is actually from Texas. He traded seeds to Neil Smith from The Hippy Seed Company in AU. Also of you tube pepper video fame. Neil supplied the seeds to Marcel De Wit.

      I have two different commercial scorpion American made sauces in my fridge now.

  16. Re:If the goal is just a chemical burn at this poi by DCFusor · · Score: 1

    Because HCL tastes too much like lemonade and would clash with the other flavors in the chili?

    In fact, the effect on skin (and tongue) is much less with the HCL. Now, if you were talking sulfuric or nitric.... But you wouldn't want to become flammable yourself - that's how you make guncotton.

    --
    Why guess when you can know? Measure!
  17. Paradox of sensation by NicknamesAreStupid · · Score: 1

    Amazing, something that seems so painfully hot when eaten can be used as an analgesic.

    1. Re:Paradox of sensation by Drakkenmensch · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You don't care much about that itchy rash on your leg when your face is melting off.

    2. Re:Paradox of sensation by Firethorn · · Score: 1

      Well, ever used 'icy-hot'? Various heat balms? Same idea, I'm thinking.

      On another note, Cocaine has been used as an analgesic for the eyes, if my memory is working.

      --
      I don't read AC A human right
  18. Re:If the goal is just a chemical burn at this poi by Loadmaster · · Score: 1

    New from Coke Lime Flavored HCL that blends perfectly with your hot wings!

  19. Words Hottest by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sorry for the Autonomous comment - long time reader, haven't posted before.

    I had the opportunity to eat this pepper at the chili festival, and I had three of them. These peppers are remarkable in their flavor and bite. The heat doesn't build up, it bites all at one like wassabi, but the flavor - its fantastic.

    I am eagerly waiting for these peppers to be widely available.

  20. Jyeeaahh by eyenot · · Score: 1

    Just in time for the Beastie Boys Hot Sauce Committee Part Two!

    --
    "Stratigraphically the origin of agriculture and thermonuclear destruction will appear essentially simultaneous" -- Lee
  21. So this is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...really a weaponized form of food?

    1. Re:So this is... by PhilJC · · Score: 1

      You've obviously never come across Dwarf Bread before!

  22. Best comment ever by Saija · · Score: 2

    and not by the inmates of an Australian insane asylum as rumored

    --
    Slashdot ya no es que lo era! ;)
    1. Re:Best comment ever by BigBadRich · · Score: 1

      and not by the inmates of an Australian insane asylum as rumored

      Down here, we call that "Parliament"

  23. And you're going to put that thing in your mouth? by OglinTatas · · Score: 1

    The chili is so scorching that Marcel and his team have to wear protective gear when handling the new variety.

    Seriously, what is up with the ever hotter chilis? The hottest ones are long past the point of being edible. Even the first generation habanero extracts from way back in my college days would burn all the taste buds off one's tongue AND scorch one's rectum leaving a toilet full of blood.

    Escalating the heat in one's food is an addictive thing, but when one gets to the point I describe above, one would generally--I did anyway--realize that it is not good for one and one is not really enjoying it anymore.

    I'm not in it for super hot anymore, I'm in it for flavor, but because of my early experience with super hot, I generally let other people determine whether my recipes have reasonable heat values.

    ...it is difficult writing without the indefinite you construct.

  24. Meh. by PPH · · Score: 1

    Try the Fukishima Dai-ichi chilli some time.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
    1. Re:Meh. by DragonTHC · · Score: 1

      too soon!

      --
      They're using their grammar skills there.
    2. Re:Meh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's like nuclear meltdown in my mouth!

    3. Re:Meh. by I)_MaLaClYpSe_(I · · Score: 1

      Try the Fukishima Dai-ichilli some time. There, fixed that for you.

    4. Re:Meh. by PPH · · Score: 2

      On the contrary. The half life Fukushima jokes is pretty short.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
  25. Wash your hands before going to the bathroom by Overzeetop · · Score: 1

    Happened to a friend - didn't wash well after eating a bunch of (very) hot wings, then went to recycle that pitcher of beer. Couldn't sit still the rest of the evening.

    --
    Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
    1. Re:Wash your hands before going to the bathroom by ackthpt · · Score: 1

      Happened to a friend - didn't wash well after eating a bunch of (very) hot wings, then went to recycle that pitcher of beer. Couldn't sit still the rest of the evening.

      I've burned my face a few times. Takes practice to remember that capsaicin will soak into skin while cutting up habaneros with bare hands.

      Don't rub eyes. Don't pick nose. Done stick finger in ear. If you have shaved your face that morning, don't rub fingers across face.

      It goes away after a while, but can feel much worse than a severe sunburn.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    2. Re:Wash your hands before going to the bathroom by Bob+the+Super+Hamste · · Score: 0

      Very true. One time I was making chili and forgot to wash my hands after cutting up all the peppers (about 2 bells, 12 jalapeños, 12 cayenne, 6 habanero, and 6 Bhut Jolokias) and went to pee. I ended up curled up on the floor in the fetal position for about half an hour I have never felt that much pain ever. I was numb for several hours afterwards. I never notice it on my hands as they are rough and calloused, but it is a different story on sensitive skin.

      --
      Time to offend someone
    3. Re:Wash your hands before going to the bathroom by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thats the oldest hot-wings bar story out there. Rubbing eyes/nose is second, but needing to 'shake the dew off the lilly' is the number one story when it comes to hot wings. "It burns!, It burns!" is how the story goes. Its a guy thing. I remember in college participating in a Jalapeno pepper eating contest (no hands). You are given a plate, with half a quart of Jalapenos dumped onto it. Winner gets 3 points, participants get one point. I only got through about 2/3 of my Jalapenos by the time someone else had eaten all of theirs. I was offered water, plus two (TWO!) glasses of beer to quench. It didn't do much, and my stomach was feeling kinda sore later on. Also, what goes up must come down, and what goes in .... well you get the idea. "Fire in the hole!" was the phrase for a day or so.

    4. Re:Wash your hands before going to the bathroom by corbettw · · Score: 1

      That's probably the least-pleasurable way of getting a burning sensation in your privates from Hooters.

      --
      God invented whiskey so the Irish would not rule the world.
    5. Re:Wash your hands before going to the bathroom by NekSnappa · · Score: 1

      I scratched an itch near my eye once after eating a cayenne just before leaving to teach a class at the community college. All of my students thought I was really upset over something.

      --
      I want to shoot the messenger!
    6. Re:Wash your hands before going to the bathroom by Zebedeu · · Score: 1

      We were having a alcohol-induced macho match to see who could eat one of the small dried chillies on the table.
      We didn't know what kind the chillies were, or how strong they would be, so me and 2 more friends took one chilli in our hands and counted to three.

      One of the guys wussed out while me and the other ate our chillies. Relatively speaking they weren't that hot, but we're not used to spicy food, so we suffered quite a bit.
      In the midst of our struggling the 3rd guy threw his chilli back into the bowl and started laughing calling us idiots. In the midst of his laughter a few tears came out and he decided to clean them with his hand.

      The same hand which he'd used to hold the chilli.

      Yeah, great idea man. He was still lucky that it wasn't that bad. It only hurt for like an hour :-)

    7. Re:Wash your hands before going to the bathroom by networkBoy · · Score: 1

      Yes, it can.
      I managed to burn myself in some sensitive areas twice.
      damn that's not fun. I've started 12 Chocolate Habanero plants this year. One of my standing offers will be to take the finely ground powder and snort a line of it.
      I will pay $100 to whomever is foolish enough to do it (on video).
      On a related note, it does make a beautiful salsa or rack of ribs if done right.
      -nB

      --
      whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
    8. Re:Wash your hands before going to the bathroom by eleuthero · · Score: 1

      Couldn't snorting it lead to some kind of disastrous / fatal allergic reaction?

    9. Re:Wash your hands before going to the bathroom by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Last person I know who did it with normal habaneros got a mild buzz and a bloody nose.
      and that was after the tears and such finished.

  26. Re:And you're going to put that thing in your mout by highfidelitychris · · Score: 1

    That's what she said.

  27. A strange game... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 1

    I can appreciate that, for the horticulturally interested, seeing how high a Capsaicin concentration you can get out of something that will actually grow might be an interesting hobby/challenge.

    Beyond that, though, it seems sort of pointless. We know what the active ingredient is, we have techniques both for extraction and purification and for synthesis. It would be a modest effort in benchtop chemistry to produce Capsiacin at 90+% purity from even the comparatively mundane peppers, and 100% pure provides the clear upper limit on heat possible from that compound. Unless the interest is purely in the pepper growing, it seems like the Extreme Heat Sauce crowd could simply obtain the pure product, endure the pain, and go home happy.

    1. Re:A strange game... by NekSnappa · · Score: 1

      You're missing the point. That point being that different peppers not only have different levels of capsaicin concentration, they also have different flavors.

      Although scotch bonnet, and a habenero peppers have similar scoville ratings. The way they effect the taste of what you put them in is different. Just like bourbons that have the same ABV taste different because of the differences in the mashes used by the distillers.

      --
      I want to shoot the messenger!
    2. Re:A strange game... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It basically is just a horticultural curiousity. The hotter hot sauces have long since moved up to using extracted capsaicin.

    3. Re:A strange game... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it seems sort of pointless

      is contradicted by

      techniques both for extraction and purification and for synthesis

      Note the emphasis. A stronger chili could conceivably be a cheaper source of extract, though I strongly suspect that this one is cultivated purely for bragging rights. :)

    4. Re:A strange game... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Um, there is already an industry doing this.

      They take high heat natural peppers, mash them and then blend them with additional pure capsaicin to take the heat past where nature can go.

      Here is an example: Blair's After Death Sauce but there are plenty of others.
      And you can also get the pure extract in oil or even crystal form. (although I _strongly_ advise against using it undiluted)

      The problem with these "enhanced" pepper sauces is that some of them taste a bit like something chemical/medicinal and not exactly a food.
      Although that is normally only a problem if you use the sauce as-is.

      Generally, if you mix the sauce with some other masking flavor, as in a stew or chili, there is usually no problem.

      The attempt to get a natural pepper "up to speed" as it were, is in the interests of creating an extreme sauce that is more natural tasting.

  28. practical applications by DragonTHC · · Score: 1

    we already know that Capsaicin has applications in modern medicine. This should be a great boost in the production yields for medical use. That is, if the company doesn't try to patent a plant.

    --
    They're using their grammar skills there.
    1. Re:practical applications by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I would LOVE to puree them and spray the stuff on my garden, and watch the rabbits and deer go mad

  29. Youtube by edxwelch · · Score: 1

    So, where is the obligatory you tube video of some one eating one of them whole?

    1. Re:Youtube by richardkelleher · · Score: 1

      They decided not to post it after the victim's (I mean subject's) face melted during the filming. That was considered a little extreme even for YouTube.

  30. Scovilles, they'll be the dead of you! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...tricked into believing it is in pain...

    You'd better believe it is raw, actual, undiluted pain! Not some imaginary "if you don't think about it, it will go away" kind of pain, no sir!

    I was once convinced I was quite tolerant to spicy food. I ate Mdm Jeanette and Habaneros as a snack. Then someone got me a few Bhut Jolokia peppers. And, yes, I was stupid enough to accept the dare. Pain and suffering commenced. It is hard to describe the feeling you have about something that you really, really want to stop but which you know is only just starting to build up. Wave after wave of pain.

    You know those things that are not fun when you're doing it, but you can kind of laugh about it later? Well, this is not such a thing. It's been well over a year and I still don't think I should've done that. But hey, you're curious, right? Try it for yourself! It'll hurt only for a couple of hours, you'll live to tell the tale. Probably, anyway.

  31. Chemical Weapon? by richardkelleher · · Score: 1

    When does it cease being food and instead get classified as a chemical weapon or simply toxic waste?

    1. Re:Chemical Weapon? by DMUTPeregrine · · Score: 1

      When people stop eating them. Some people (me, for one) have a very high tolerance for spice and can eat peppers like these plain. The more spice you eat the less it seems to have an effect, so the continual production of hotter chillies does serve a need.

      --
      Not a sentence!
  32. 1.5 Million SHU is for wusses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Try 10,300,000 - 16,000,000 for Blair's 6 am.

  33. maybe next year by turtledawn · · Score: 1

    I'm growing a naga jolokia this year - for some reason I cannot get most peppers to grow hot in my garden so I figure if I start off with something that overexpresses capsaicin like a mofo I might end up with an acceptable jalepeno-ish level of heat. I'm trying to cut sodium out of my diet as much as possible and hot sauce is a very nice way to provide an edge similar to salt to your food for those days you get tired of garlic or lemon..

    --
    Uh, "if it looks roughly mouse-shaped according to my infra-red sensitive pit, eat it"? --Chris Burke 09-08-10
    1. Re:maybe next year by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      Have you tried potassium chloride?

      You might also want to examine your reason for cutting out sodium. In a normal healthy human sodium levels are self regulating if you get enough water.

    2. Re:maybe next year by turtledawn · · Score: 1

      My cardio hasn't yet felt a need to put me on KCl and I'd rather avoid it if I could. First we're trying diet, then if needed I'll go off my birth control pills, and only if that doesn't work will we move on medications. Right now it appears the diet changes are working. I really, really don't like bananas, but they're starting to grow on me... a bit like mold, but still. It's easier to eat a plain raw banana than a plain raw potato :-)

      --
      Uh, "if it looks roughly mouse-shaped according to my infra-red sensitive pit, eat it"? --Chris Burke 09-08-10
    3. Re:maybe next year by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      I meant using it as a salt replacement for food. It is sold this way in pretty much every supermarket. I take a bunch of it for other reasons, but it does taste vaguely salt like.

    4. Re:maybe next year by Required+Snark · · Score: 1

      Growing hot chili is results from a combination of the genetics of the plants, soil conditions, sunlight, temperature and water/humidity. If other peppers are not hot in your garden then it is likely that the naga jolokia will also not reach it's flavor potential. Try fertilizers and keeping the plant from being cool at night. Hot peppers need a minimum number of days of sunlight to set their fruit, and if they don't get it the pods will not mature. Find growers in your local area and ask what they do.

      --
      Why is Snark Required?
  34. Hotter plants by LongearedBat · · Score: 1

    Hotter vegetation is what causes global warming! ;)

  35. Re:And you're going to put that thing in your mout by Paul+Jakma · · Score: 1

    Chili tolerance doesn't last very long fwiw. Unless you just left, your college chili experiences won't make that much difference to your current tolerance level. ;)

    --
    I use Friend/Foe + mod-point modifiers as a karma/reputation system.
  36. deer? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Perhaps some of these will protect my garden against deer, using regular red peppers is not working.

  37. Guatemalan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Australian? seriously?

  38. Re:If the goal is just a chemical burn at this poi by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Peppers don't cause actual burning. They just stimulate the nerves into THINKING they're burning. Up to certain point, that is. Highly concentrated it'll cause tissue swelling, but won't actually destroy tissue. HCL pretty much does.

  39. Neurotoxins by macraig · · Score: 1

    Yet another neurotoxin to which stupid people voluntarily subject themselves. Amazing. At least this one apparently does no real physical harm, it just feels like it does (and that being the point because it stimulates endorphins).

    Me, I love the acidic flavor of good peppers, but I wish they'd engineer one WITHOUT the capsaicin.

    1. Re:Neurotoxins by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      That would make them totally pointless. Lots of things are neurotoxins. Guess what? No matter what you do you will die, so we might as well have fun while we are here.

    2. Re:Neurotoxins by macraig · · Score: 1

      So capsaicin is "fun"? It has alternate uses for dog and crowd control, fer chrissakes!

    3. Re:Neurotoxins by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      Indeed it is, its use releases endorphins.

      It may well be used for those purposes, the dose makes the poison.

  40. Quetzlzacatenango by cstacy · · Score: 1

    I prefer the merciless peppers of Quetzlzacatenango! Grown deep in the jungle primeval by the inmates of a Guatemalan insane asylum.

  41. Ironically functions as a CPU thermal compound! by dosware · · Score: 1

    Had to associate it somehow with tech...Is Slashdot the new Fark.com?

  42. Worst. Comment. Ever. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you didn't immediately scoff and state that the pepper featured in The Simpsons was grown "deep in the jungle primeval by the members of a Guatemalan insane asylum" (you read this in Wiggums voice, didn't you?) then you should hand in your Comic Book Guy card.

  43. Claim and counter claim... by Rhodri+Mawr · · Score: 1

    Making and selling the hottest chillies seems to be an ongoing competition. The UK grown ones are verified by Warwick University. Who is verifying the australian ones? I wonder how high in term of Scoville Heat Units this arms race is going to go?

    Infinity report from the BBC:
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12505344

    Naga Viper from the grower:
    http://www.chileseeds.co.uk/Naga_Viper.htm

  44. WTH is SU? by twebb72 · · Score: 1

    What are the units they are measuring by... SU? I can't find this unit anywhere online.

    Until I get an answer, I will just assume it stands for 'Successful Ulcers'

    1. Re:WTH is SU? by Guido+von+Guido · · Score: 1

      What are the units they are measuring by... SU? I can't find this unit anywhere online. Until I get an answer, I will just assume it stands for 'Successful Ulcers'

      Scoville unit.

  45. Re:If the goal is just a chemical burn at this poi by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because chilli peppers do not actually burn. The sensation is just an illusion -- despite how agonizing it may be. This is a useful effect; or at least, a different use than concentrated HCl.

  46. Marketing fail by Legion303 · · Score: 1

    "The chili is so scorching that Marcel and his team have to wear protective gear when handling the new variety."

    Yeah, that's the case with most of the hotter peppers. Nice ad, though, Slashdot.

  47. videos by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    lots of info here. http://thepepperseed.com/peppers/the-worlds-hottest-chilli-pepper-trinidad-scorpion-butch-t/

  48. WHY?? by docwatson223 · · Score: 1

    Seriously, just why would you even try to eat something like that?

  49. Just goes to prove... by Falconne · · Score: 1

    ...the world's most dangerous ______ is found in Australia.