Are Carolina Reapers Hotter Than Ghost Peppers?

When it comes to hot spices, many always want to go higher. This has led to the creation of more and more hot spices that burn. With so many hot chilies on the market, keeping tabs on the heat each provides can be a problem. And in no time, you can ask: Are Carolina pepper hotter than ghost pepper?

Is Carolina Pepper Hotter Than Ghost Pepper?

According to Guinness World Records, the Carolina Reaper is the hottest pepper in the world. It measures 2.2 million Scoville heat units (SHU). The Ghost peppers measure 1.04 million Scoville heat units (SHU). However, the ghost pepper is hotter than the jalapeno, which measures 2500 to 8000 SHU.

The Carolina Reaper measures more on the Scoville scale than the ghost pepper. We consider even though both peppers measure in at over one million SHUs and are super-hot, the Carolina Reaper is ahead in this category.

What You Should Know About the Carolina Reaper

The Carolina Reaper is a pepper known to be one of the hottest peppers in the world. It is a hybrid chili pepper made from Naga Viper pepper x Habanero.

The Carolina reaper appears red and bumpy and has a very evil-looking “stinger” or “tail” at the end. It can range from 1 to 2 inches wide (2.5 – 5 cm) and 2 to 3 inches long (5 – 7.6 cm).

The pods mature to a vibrant red color with green stems, while the skin sports a bumpy texture, though some can have a smoother surface.

Despite the highly scorching heat of this super-hot pepper, the Carolina Reaper tastes fruity and sweet. Its sweetness comes before the scorching heat, and it can take 30 seconds to a minute for the heat to begin to hit. For this reason, it should be used sparingly.

What You Should Know About the Ghost Pepper

The appearance of the ghost pepper can be described as small, wrinkled, and curved. It typically measures up to 1.5 inches long and 1.25 inches wide, making it slightly smaller than a Carolina Reaper pepper in size.

The ghost pepper is bright orange, with a hint of green along its stem and blossom. In contrast to the Carolina reaper’s bumpy appearance, the ghost pepper has a less rough surface because it lacks spines (small protrusions) on its surface.

This versatile pepper has a smoky, sweet, and bitter flavor that makes it compatible with several dishes. It has a fruity taste with an intense heat level, making it perfect for adding spice to many recipes. It’s also widely used in cuisines worldwide due to its unique flavor profile and high heat level.

Will Eating A Carolina Reaper Kill You?

There is a lot of uncertainty when it comes to eating Carolina Reapers. Some claims eating too many can be fatal, but there’s no record of anyone dying from it. If you’re looking to add some spice to your life, try them sparingly at first.

A number of physical reactions can occur when you eat a hot pepper. You might become sick and vomit or feel like your mouth is on fire. Your eyes may water, making it difficult to see clearly; your breathing may become heavy, even causing you to sweat.

These symptoms typically start to manifest within minutes of eating the pepper. Still, they can last for hours after ingestion has ceased. This is why they are used in low quantities and rarely feature in dishes but are more famously used in competitions.

Is There Any Similarity Between Ghost Pepper And Carolina Reaper?

Yes, there is a similarity between Carolina reapers and ghost peppers. Both are members of the Capsicum chinense family, known for its extreme heat. They also have a similar taste of being flavorful.

Ways to Cool Your Mouth from Hot Peppers

If you’ve taken a bite of ghost pepper or Carolina reaper, you can do a couple of things to help reduce the hotness you feel in your mouth. Here is what you can do: 

Take milk-based products

You can take milk-based products like cheese and yogurt to cool down your mouth. The reason why dairy is so effective at cooling down the heat of peppers is that it contains a protein called casein.

Casein helps break down the action of capsaicin by binding with them, making them easier for your taste buds to deal with. However, when using a dairy product to arrest the hotness of pepper, it must contain casein to have any chance of cooling your mouth. This means not all milk products are suitable for use in this manner.

Acidic drinks or food 

While milk is a primary go-to for easing chilies burn, there are plenty of other acidic drinks and foods you can turn to. If you don’t want to use milk, consider eating or drinking something naturally high in acids.

You can turn to lemonade, limeade, or orange juice to help you out. You could also try eating tomato-based foods like salsa or an actual tomato.

Acids can help neutralize capsaicin because it’s an alkaline substance. Thus, by balancing out your mouth with acidity via citrus fruits or tomatoes, you can avoid becoming too uncomfortable while eating Carolina reapers or any other hot pepper.

Eat carbohydrates

If you’re looking to eat hot peppers, but don’t want to feel as though your mouth is on fire, try eating carbohydrates. Carbohydrates can help neutralize the burning sensation and cool down your mouth.

Starchy food’s volume is excellent when eating spicy foods since it can help act as a physical barrier between capsaicin and your pain receptors. A piece of bread, rice, or a tortilla will do the trick here.

What Not to Use as a Coolant from Hot Pepper

While the above are great for cooling your mouth after taking hot peppers, here are some things you should never try to use in such a manner: 

Avoid drinking water

Drinking water will not help cool your mouth nor help you digest the hot pepper. Drinking water can make the burn worse.

Why? Because capsaicin is oil-based, when you drink water, it’ll spread this molecule around your mouth. This can set off even more pain receptors than just eating your pepper alone would have done.

Don’t use alcohol

You will need to consume a large amount of alcohol for it to have the chance of numbing the hotness of any chili. The downside is that alcohol is a vasodilator, which causes the blood vessels to dilate. This can cause an increased sensitivity to pain and discomfort when consumed in large quantities.

Conclusion

Carolina Reapers are hotter than ghost peppers but have a similar flavor. The Carolina Reaper has a citrusy flavor that’s more enjoyable than the pure heat of the ghost pepper.

The critical difference between the two peppers is in their heat intensity. Carolina Reapers measure about 2 million on the Scoville scale, which means they’re about twice as hot as a ghost pepper.