In 1912, a pharmacologist named Wilbur Scoville put together a panel of brave souls who tasted solutions of hot peppers and slightly sweetened water. They diluted until they detected no heat, and rated pepper varieties by the dilution factor. For example, a gallon of habanero extract poured into a vat would take 300,000 gallons of water to dilute it.
Scoville heat units for selected peppers:
0 to 5,000
- Bell, pimiento: 0
- Anaheim: 1,000 to 1,400
- Jalapeno: 2,500 to 5,000
5,000 to 20,000
- Wax: 5,000 to 10,000
- Serrano: 7,000 to 25,000
- Chipotle (smoked jalapeno): 10,000
20,000 to 70,000
- Arbol: 25,000
- Tabasco: 30,000 to 50,000
- Cayenne: 35,000
- Thai: 50,000 to 100,000
Over 70,000
- Jamaican Hot: 100,000 to 200,000
- Scotch Bonnet: 100,000 to 250,000
- Habanero: 100,000 to 300,000
Mouth on fire? Water or beer just spreads the flame. The best extinguishers are milk, ice cream, or yogurt, rice, or bread.