Especially among growers in the US, the UK, and Australia, there has been a competition since the 1990s to grow the hottest chili pepper. Chili pepper species and cultivars registering over 1,000,000 Scoville Heat units (SHU) are called "super-hots". Past Guinness World Record holders (in increasing order of hotness) include the ghost pepper, Infinity chili, Trinidad Moruga scorpion, Naga Viper pepper, and Trinidad Scorpion Butch T. The current record holder, declared in 2017, is the Carolina Reaper, at more than 1.6 million SHU.
Given the information provided about hottest chili pepper, which is the hottest naturally grown chili pepper in the world?
Although Carolina Reaper currently holds the Guinness World Record for the hottest chili pepper, it is not the hottest chili pepper that is cultivated naturally. The Ghost Pepper, also known as Bhut Jholokia, is the spiciest chili pepper in the world that is grown naturally. It is most commonly found in Bangladesh and northeastern India. This pepper is frequently referred to as the "ghost pepper" in the West since "bhut" means "ghost" in the Assamese language. These peppers have thin, easily tearing, dented skin.

A ghost pepper and an Ed Currie-bred Carolina Reaper can be compared because both are extremely fiery and have a sweet, fruity flavor. The Carolina Reaper has more than twice the heat of the ghost pepper when it is at its fiercest, despite the fact that both peppers are extremely spicy. Ghost peppers have a maximum SHU of 1,041,427, while the Carolina Reaper has a maximum SHU of 2.2 million.

Ghost peppers have a potent, sweet-fruity chili flavor. The first 30 to 45 seconds do not experience any heat. After the heat sets in, anticipate to experience shortness of breath, hiccups, perspiration, and watery eyes. The burning typically worsens over 10 to 15 minutes before going away after 30 to 40 minutes.