Not many people have made themselves acquainted with the peppers that top the Scoville scale, and most have never had the opportunity to test their spice level by eating the blood-red Carolina Reaper.

It ranges from sweet bell peppers at zero to the mighty Naga Jolokia (ghost pepper) at over 1,000,000 Scoville units! That one is right off the scale! Pure capsaicin rates between 15,000,000 and ...

Hot peppers aren’t for everyone, but that’s where the Scoville scale comes in handy. The scale is named after American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville, who developed the pepper spiciness test in 1912.