new hottest pepper in the world... 1.46 mil scovilles!
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-20053419-503543.html
cbs said:Be warned; The latest news out of Australia is hot -- too hot to handle, literally.
Workers at The Chili Factory in New South Wales are harvesting a huge crop of what they claim to be the hottest chili ever grown.
According to a report in the Australian Geographic, the "Trinidad Scorpion Butch T." registers a taste bud-melting 1,463,700 units on the Scoville scale. Jalapenos usually register between 2,500 and 5,000 units, by comparison. The previous title holder, the Naga Viper, registerd a 1,382,118.
"They're just severe, absolutely severe," Marcel de Wit, co-owner of The Chili Factory told the Australian Geographic. "No wonder they start making crowd-control grenades now with chilies. It's just wicked."
The chili is severe enough that Marcel says he and his team have to wear gloves when handling the fiery flesh, and full chemical masks and suits when cooking the peppers.
"If you don't wear gloves, your hands will be pumping heat for two days," he said.
Marcel believes the key to boosting his chili crop's heat rating was "worm juice" - a nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer extracted from the runoff of worm farms.
The chilies primarily end up as fuel for hot sauces -- the "Scorpion Strike" line -- which The Chili Factory sells on its website.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-20053419-503543.html