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My take on Blairs' 16 Million

B

Blundaar

This is, more-or-less, my response to to the thread on the person trying to off some of his 16 Million on e-bay. In a nutshell- Blair pulled a fast one over the mindless masses by packing a little capsaisin in a vial and calling it collectible. What a scam. Working in the chemical field, I can pull out one of the science catalogs sitting on my desk and order either natural or synthetic capsaisin for a fraction of what Blair charges.
Please, don't get me wrong- I think (from some correspondance with him) that Blair is one of the nicest, coolest guys you'll ever chat with or write to. It's just that I believe that a "collectable" should be the product of some thought and a little work in the kitchen- not from a science catalog.
 
what you say is correct, you can order a type from a science catalog. But (history) there was a rush to get the hottest of the hottest hot stuff in the world out. Blair released 6am, then The Source came out with at 7.1 million units and was in preparations for a higher extract sauce when Blair release Caldera's tower, and to finally just max out the max, end the race AND get in the Guiness Book of World Records, he created/bottled and sold the hottest possible product.

It's a collectable in that respect.
 
I wouldn't care if Blair bottled air and called it No Cap. It wouldn't surprise me if the collectors bought it for $999.99 a bottle.

I can one up you on being bugged by Blair, though... Only, it's not Blair himself that bugs me. It's what everybody says about 16,000,000 Reserve.

Check this out... 1,000,000 ppm of capsaicin, is equal to 15,000,000 Scoville Units; ergo, calling pure capsaicin crystal 16,000,000 is a marketing angle or bad math. I prefer the former since I think Blair is a danged smart feller. How do we know this? Because 1:15 is the ratio used to convert ppm to Scoville units and based on the amount of time Blair is in the business, he would know this... Or at least he should.

I don't have a problem with the marketing angle. I have a problem with everyone and their dog on the internet going around saying that pure cap is 16,000,000.

It's as if everyone with a website failed math. :roll:

T
 
Tina Brooks said:
I wouldn't care if Blair bottled air and called it No Cap. It wouldn't surprise me if the collectors bought it for $999.99 a bottle.

I can one up you on being bugged by Blair, though... Only, it's not Blair himself that bugs me. It's what everybody says about 16,000,000 Reserve.

Check this out... 1,000,000 ppm of capsaicin, is equal to 15,000,000 Scoville Units; ergo, calling pure capsaicin crystal 16,000,000 is a marketing angle or bad math. I prefer the former since I think Blair is a danged smart feller. How do we know this? Because 1:15 is the ratio used to convert ppm to Scoville units and based on the amount of time Blair is in the business, he would know this... Or at least he should.

I don't have a problem with the marketing angle. I have a problem with everyone and their dog on the internet going around saying that pure cap is 16,000,000.

It's as if everyone with a website failed math. :roll:

T
Click to expand...
Maybe he bombarded the vial with highly energetic, subatomic particles to add that extra "heat". So what if the potential side-effects are man-boobs and a craving for human brains...
 
Tina Brooks said:
I wouldn't care if Blair bottled air and called it No Cap. It wouldn't surprise me if the collectors bought it for $999.99 a bottle.


T
Click to expand...

Do you seriously think collectors are that stupid?
 
Ryan Bell said:
Tina Brooks said:
I wouldn't care if Blair bottled air and called it No Cap. It wouldn't surprise me if the collectors bought it for $999.99 a bottle.


T
Click to expand...

Do you seriously think collectors are that stupid?
Click to expand...

I don't believe "stupid" is the term I would have chosen.

Fwiw, worldwide sales of the pet rock achieved what, several million, several billion... Last time I was in WalMart, I saw an assortment of Chia Pets... This guy collects chocolate wrappers. People collect cigar bands, tea bags, rum labels, wine bottles, bottle caps... You get the idea.

Nope... "stupid" isn't the word I would have chosen.
 
Blundaar said:
Maybe he bombarded the vial with highly energetic, subatomic particles to add that extra "heat". So what if the potential side-effects are man-boobs and a craving for human brains...
Click to expand...

You say that like it's a bad thing!

T
 
i kinda like to look at things in a different way....one thing i think that blair has brought to the table is a hot sauce awareness...until there was all of these sauces there wasnt much of a talk...now when im at a cook off and someone says..i heard of this sauce that was really fn hot it was dave's or and when i bring a bottle out.there like yeaaaaaaaaa let me see if i can handle that........yeaaaaa let me try and see how hot it is.
and of course i get a good laugh out of newbies reaching for every bottle of water in site.....evil laugh
 
Like I said, Blair is one smart man. It's the 16 million number I don't like...

And worse, it suddenly seems to be everywhere!!!

T
 
Oh I agree, Dan! Calling it 16,000,000 is a coup of great marketing!

That doesn't mean that everyone should simply shut down their mathematical aptitudes. lol

T
 
I don't get what your saying Tina...help me understand.

I did find this:

From Margen, S. et. al (1992).The wellness encyclopedia of food and nutrition: How to buy, store, and prepare every variety of fresh food. Distributed by Random House. ISBN 0-929661-03-6.

"One part per million is equivalent to 15 Scoville units. Bell peppers have a value of zero Scoville units, whereas habaneros -- the hottest peppers--register a blistering 200,000 to 300,000. Pure capsaicin has a Scoville heat unit score of 16 million." (p.140)

and this
* In accourdance with ASTA 21.3, Pungency Of Capsicums And Their Oleoresins (HPLC Method). Pure Capsaicin *16,000,000
 
OK forget it Tina, I found my answer:

↑ Ula (1996), op. cit. "The HPLC measures the capsaicinoid(s) in ppm, which can then be converted to Scoville units using a conversion factor of 15, 20 or 30 depending on the capsaicinoid." This would make capsaicin 15,000,000
↑ http://www.zarc.com/english/cap-stun/tech_info/oc/hplc.html Method 21.1 High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)] Manufacturer's website, describes procedure for measuring capsaicin strength and converting to Scoville units by "assuming" pure capsaicin = 15,000,000 Scoville
 
thakswet said:
OK forget it Tina, I found my answer:

↑ Ula (1996), op. cit. "The HPLC measures the capsaicinoid(s) in ppm, which can then be converted to Scoville units using a conversion factor of 15, 20 or 30 depending on the capsaicinoid." This would make capsaicin 15,000,000
↑ http://www.zarc.com/english/cap-stun/tech_info/oc/hplc.html Method 21.1 High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)] Manufacturer's website, describes procedure for measuring capsaicin strength and converting to Scoville units by "assuming" pure capsaicin = 15,000,000 Scoville
Click to expand...

You got it.

Ergo... my message to everyone: learn to multiply!

And for those who might suggest that Blair's capsaicinoid is actually either the 20 or 30 million scoville types... Consider this; were THAT so, 16,000,000 reserve wouldn't be a crystal.

I suppose I'm just a little anal about this, huh??

T
 
Tina, your might be 'multiply' about this, BUT your SO right about it. I can completely appreciate what you taught me today and thank you.
 
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