Recognized by Guinness World Records in 2023, Pepper X is the world’s hottest chili pepper replacing the Carolina Reaper as Number 1 according to the Scoville Heat Index which measures such things.
Pepper X was created by the Puckerbutt Pepper Company in South Carolina, the same company founded by Ed Currie, that created the Carolina Reaper. The Carolina Reaper previously held the record for the world’s hottest chili pepper.
Using Scoville Heat Units (SHU) as a measure of spicy heat, Pepper X averages just under 2.7 million SHU, comparable to using pepper spray and just about 1,000 times hotter than most jalapeƱo peppers.