The
Scoville scale is a measure of the "hotness" of a chili pepper.
These fruits of the Capsicum genus contain capsaicin, a chemical
compound which stimulates thermoreceptor nerve endings in the skin,
especially the mucus membranes, and the number of Scoville Heat
Units (SHU) indicates the amount of capsaicin present. Many hot
sauces use their Scoville rating in advertising as a selling point.
The scale is named after its creator, chemist Wilbur Scoville.
Scoville's original
method for testing hotness was called the Scoville
Organoleptic Test, which he developed in
1912. As originally devised, a solution of the
pepper extract is diluted in sugar water until the
"heat" is no longer detectable to a panel of
(usually five) tasters; the degree of dilution gives
its measure on the Scoville scale. Thus a sweet
pepper, containing no capsaicin at all, has a
Scoville rating of zero, meaning no heat detectable
even undiluted. Conversely, the hottest chiles, such
as habaneros, have a rating of 300,000 or more,
indicating that their extract has to be diluted
300,000-fold before the capsaicin present is
undetectable. The greatest weakness of the Scoville
Organoleptic Test is its imprecision, because it
relies on human subjectivity. Being a natural product, the heat
can vary from pepper to pepper, so this scale is just a guide.
|
HotSauce.com Scoville
Chile Flame Scale |
|
Pepper & Extract
Varieties |
Flame Rating |
Scoville Heat Units
(SHU) |
|
Sweet Bell Peppers, Sweet
Banana, Pimento |
 |
0 - 100 |
|
Mexican Bell, Cherry; New
Mexico, Anaheim, Pepperoncini |
|
100 - 1,000 |
|
Ancho, Pasilla, Espanola,
Anaheim |
|
1,000 - 1,500 |
|
Sandia, Cascabel, NuMex Big Jim |
|
1,500 - 2,500 |
|
Jalapeno, Mirasol,
Chipotle, Poblano |
|
2,500 - 5,000 |
|
Yellow Wax, Serrano |
|
5,000 - 15,000 |
|
Chile de Arbol, Manzano |
|
15,000 - 30,000 |
|
Aji, Cayenne,
Tabasco, Piquin |
|
30,000 - 50,000 |
|
Santaka, Chiltecpin, Thai |
|
50,000 - 100,000 |
|
Habanero, Scotch Bonnet, Bird's
Eye, Jamaican Hot |
|
100,000 - 350,000 |
|
Red Savina Habanero, Indian Tezpur |
|
350,000 - 855,000 |
|
Dorset Naga |
|
876,000 - 970,000 |
|
Naga Jolokia Pepper
("Ghost" Pepper) |
|
855,000 - 1,041,427 |
|
Common Pepper Spray |
|
1,150,000 - 2,000,000 |
|
US Grade Police Pepper Spray |
|
2,500,000 - 5,300,000 |
|
Homodihydrocapsaicin |
|
6,000,000 - 8,600,000 |
|
Nordihydrocapsaicin |
|
8,800,000 - 9,100,000 |
|
Pepper Extracts, Blair's
Reserve's, The Source, Dave's Private Reserve |
|
2,000,000 - 10,000,000 |
|
Pure Capsaicin, Blair's 16
Million |
|
15,000,000 - 16,000,000 |
| Scoville
Heat Ratings for TABASCO® brand Sauces |
 |
- TABASCO® brand SWEET
& Spicy Pepper Sauce: 100-600 Scoville Heat Units
- TABASCO® brand Green
Pepper Sauce: 600-800 Scoville Heat Units
- TABASCO® brand Garlic
Sauce: 1200-1800 Scoville Heat Units
- TABASCO® brand Chipotle
Pepper Sauce: 2000-2500 Scoville Heat Units
- TABASCO® brand Pepper
Sauce: 2500-5000 Scoville Heat Units
- TABASCO® brand Habanero
Sauce: 7000-8000 Scoville Heat Units
|
|
