Species Capsicum chinense Breeder Butch Taylor Heat Exceptionally hot Higher classification Capsicum chinense | Hybrid parentage Trinidad scorpion Origin Crosby, Mississippi Rank Cultivar | |
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Scoville scale 500,000 - 1,463,700 SHU Scientific name Capsicum chinense 'Trinidad Scorpion Butch T' Similar Carolina Reaper, Naga Viper pepper, Habanero, Scotch bonnet, Tabasco pepper | ||
The Trinidad scorpion 'Butch T' pepper is a Capsicum chinense cultivar that is among the most piquant peppers. It is derived from the Trinidad scorpion, which is indigenous to Trinidad and Tobago. It was named by Neil Smith from The Hippy Seed Company, after he got the seeds originally from Butch Taylor (the owner of Zydeco Farms in Woodville/Crosby, Mississippi and a hot sauce company) who is responsible for propagating the pepper's seeds. The "scorpion" peppers are referred to as such because the pointed end of the pepper is said to resemble a scorpion's stinger.
World record
The Trinidad scorpion 'Butch T' pepper was, for three years, ranked the most pungent ("hot") pepper in the world according to Guinness World Records. A laboratory test conducted in March 2011 measured a specimen at 1,463,700 Scoville heat units, officially ranking it the hottest pepper in the world at that time. One possible secret to the chili's heat, according to a cultivator of the pepper, is fertilizing the soil with the liquid runoff of a worm farm. In August 2013, Guinness World Records recognized the Carolina Reaper as the hottest pepper in the world, at 1,569,300 SHU.
