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heat Hottest Pepper in the World Hype

Guinness gave the latest title to the Carolina Reaper.  Ed Currie is reportedly testing or submitting a new strain reportedly somewhere around the 3,000,000 SHU marker.  Lots of folk will disagree with his assessment, but the man gets to taste peppers that very, very, very few people have access to.  This includes the various peppers tht have flown the Death Strain / Death Pepper title.  He rates lots of other peppers hotter than both the current world champ or the one folk think might be the next world champ per Guinness.

Ah, but when someone takes the Guinness record there's tons of money to be made while so many other peppers go much less noticed.  Is it all mass media hype?  Is it the reputation of Guinness World Records?  They give awards for how many live cockroaches a person can hold in their mouth. 

I guess what I am really wondering is what makes the next hot Christmas gift sort of thing.  Could it really be Guinness alone?

http://ted-the-fire-breathing-idiot.tumblr.com/HOTTEST
 
The HP56 isn't really "new" news at all.
 
Personally I don't see it holding up against some of these unstable chocolate crosses out there.
 
Hopefully Ed will be careful who he allows to sell it this time though.
 
The Death Strain was bred for cancer research if I remember correctly.
 
I used to live for the hype. First I got habaneros, then when I heard about ghost peppers I wanted that too and got some. Then I found THP and realized it's not all about the heat. There's a lot of flavors in some of these peppers that can be made into awesome powders and sauces that just completely blow away anything store bought at any heat level I could possibly handle and then some.
 
Hawaiianero: I agree very much.  Love cooking with super hots and figuring out how to bring out their unique flavors.

Helvete, I think that depends on what the definition of a new pepper is.  I count three or four different strains that were contenders for the name, none stable as of maybe three years ago.  Evidently, one of them is now stable and claimed to be around 3,000,000 SHU.  My thinking is the name is several years old, but the pepper (now reportedly stable) is new.

But the thing I am getting at is there seems to be a major emphasis on Guinness World Records and a media frenzy that follows the title holder while other peppers do not get the attention.  I thought it was cost, but then someone posted a place that will test for less than a hundred bucks.  Maybe Guinness charges an arm and a leg to investigate.  No clue really.  Just know there are lots of folk with some truly amazing peppers that don't get nearly the notice.
 
Is that really a shock though ?? The world is run and driven by media... Right now by what I am writing is in someway influencing someone's opinion by a social 'media' forum, so it stands to reason that holding a guiness record is going to create hype... You have to think of all the live tv shows and youtube channels etc out there that feature someone of influence being dared to eat the 'Hottest Pepper in the world' and once your peppers name is attached to that you have a potential of up to 7 Billion potential customers wanting to buy there very own Hottest Pepper in the world.
 
My love for peppers is crossing.. that's no secret  and my excitement is going to be in next seasons results each time... To me its like having Christmas twice a year.. And I have several aims in my crossing.. Heat being the priority .. As I am excited by trying to create a nuclear hot that can compete at the top end... Its like a sport to me.. That being said I also have crosses aimed at Looks  and Flavour as well..
 
Maybe THP could have a monthly survey for the top 20  " Flavour "   " Heat "   " Pod Look " so there could be a chance for all these awesome less publicised peppers to claim a bit of fame ... And allow new to pepper growers on THP to get some good ideas of what the community rates...
 
The " THP Monthly Pepper Records Top 20 " ...
 
Anyway.... Advertised = Acknowledgment .. and that's what Guinness Does  ..
 
That's up to the creators I guess.. It doesn't cost thousands like it used too.. I've heard from as little as $50.. Saying that maybe someone should contact Guiness and ask them the requirements to apply for a heat record and post it on here so we can see what is needed to qualify ..
 
JatT - What is real testing at a real facility vs. what Kraken is talking about? 
 
Frankly, I think Guinness is a joke.  They gave the title to the Naga Viper at one point, a plant that was not remotely stable at the time.  How on earth could they conclude a plant that spits out near random pods is the hottest in pepper in the world.  Maybe on the third Tuesday of October when the moon is full.

Now the CPI test, growing the peppers themselves under the same conditions, testing them themselves, now that was a serious test.  What I think would be really cool is if CPI were to do that same thing every year.  But instead of getting seeds from a dealer, anyone who wants to back their own strain provides lets say 100 seeds and the funding for the process and a bit more.

It'd be a great way to fund a not for profit.  We could have real world information beyond just heat, germination rate, growth rate, how prolific the thing is, and so much more information than just an opinion from people who give awards for how many cockroaches you can hold in your mouth.

Ye, CPI fan here.  All that science shit makes my nipples hard.
 
I'm reffering to a THP member who had friends who worked at a university with the correct testing equipment... He said that he had several pods tested and the University offered tests for $50 each as they used the data or their own studies.. I cant remember were I read this and it wasn't mates rates it was a legitimate price they charged..
 
That being said I am not one to be able to confirm this, and I have heard of prices in the thousands too..
 
Kraken, I -think- I remember the post you are referencing.  The one I remember was during the Carolina Reaper is a renamed Premo discussions.  I also remember the claims of tens of thousands of dollars being spent to certify the Carolina Reaper.  I do not remember if the pepper I am thinking about was the Naga Viper or the 7 Pot Infinity, but one of them was attributed to this guy in a UK Chili club that met in a pub, drank bier, and ate chili.  Saw many a video of the guy and simply do not believe he spent the tens of thousands of dollars that are claimed necessary.  He seemed like an average Joe with a great hobby.

Then again, I think Guinness is probably sick of Chili Heads who claim to have a new pepper every time something slightly different pops up.  So I imagine they have changed the rules to involve something more meaningful than average SHU.  Like maybe proof the plant really is something new and not just someone who managed to hit the right way to juice up an existing pepper.  Hell, maybe they are wanting dna now.

Its like this, I know I can take the same exact seeds from the same exact pod, grow them differently, and have dramatically different tastes and heat levels.  I am NOT saying I believe the whole Carolina Reaper is a Primo controversy, but I see nothing to stop someone from doing something like that.  People do not all have a sense of ethics or pride.  A lot just have a sense of $.
 
I really don't want to get too into this convo, but Guinness demands years of data and testing to even consider changing the record, a one time finding is not what they are about.  That is why it is so expensive.  It must also be a certified testing facility not some guy who knows a guy who studies at a university.  I can tell you that Ed Currie has invested probably 100K in growing and testing his potential record breakers.  He takes it very seriously and these peppers are not a flash in the pan, one time hot, they are stable when they are tested.
 
That's not true they update Guinness every year (in print) and constantly, and if you have a Ghost that beats a Scorpion, it will be listed, even if the Ghost had a different SHU before, because they go by the pepper tested, not a trial of tests or peppers. Like the dude that can eat 300 bananas, if they see him do it they don't need to know any more.
 
And who cares?

JayT said:
I really don't want to get too into this convo, but 
 
:rofl:
 
You might want to do some research.  They have really specific guidelines on the peppers now.  Maybe because of all the competition.  Ask someone who entered a pod.
 
JayT said:
You might want to do some research. 
 
Research? You mean JayT it? :lol:
Yellowfin2na said:
Might answer the cost questions.
 
http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/carolina-reaper-peppers-100-times-hotter-jalapeno/story?id=20756069
 
Quote from the article:
"He says he has spent about $12,000 to get the Guinness Book Of Records to call his pepper the hottest, presenting the organization with the evidence from Winthrop's lab, where chemist Cliff Calloway has been testing exactly how hot the peppers are."
 
I don't know what that quote means. He spent that much proving it or paid Guinness?
 
And I thought JayT didn't want to debate in here? :lol:
PS. I'm talkin' out my ass, per usual.
 
Might give Guiness a call and see what there requirement is and get back to you ..

But in relation to testing costs and accuracy .. It's all done on a machine now... Not by 10 people sitting in a room sipping water, so a HPCL used at one place and a HPCL at another are probably going to give the same results wether costing $12,000 at Winthrop worth or $50 art ULC or wherever ...

Oh look High Performance Liquid Choromatography pricing, from $35-$90 per hour ..

https://www.scienceexchange.com/services/hplc

Even if DNA testing and other things are required to get the record , atleast on the surface .. Costs to test your peppers to value there heat can be done somewhat cheaply prior to forking out for Guiness requirements.

I do not see that plant genealogy is going to be a nessesity , a DNA test to prove its not the same pepper might be required and cost $???? and may add additional costs, and saying that what if they share a parent plant , does that show a 99.9% match like human DNA .. I don't know I'm not a scientist
 
JayT said:
.I can tell you that Ed Currie has invested probably 100K in growing and testing his potential record breakers.
Two thoughts.

1. No, you can tell us that Ed Currie says he probably spent 100K.  Unless you are his book keeper, you have not a clue.  You can not even be sure of anything reported about Mr. Currie or any interview with Mr. Currie is accurate.  Not saying Mr. Currie has had any hand in this, but the interviews and reports claim wildly contradicting numbers which are often impossible.

My favorite example: "This year, his company will produce 17 million pounds of hot peppers." - 2013
 
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/grower-says-worlds-hottest-pepper-may-be-the-answer-to-cancer/
 
Yield per acre is about 500 pounds.  So we take 17,000,000 pounds divided by 500 and we get 340,000 acres.
 
In the whole of the United States, only 42,666 acres of chili peppers were harvested by all the farms of all the states combined.  Figures are old, but still.

http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/content/files/table_46_us_chile_peppers.pdf

The year before, 2012 he said he was growing 100 acres.  Of that 100 acres, he was asked how many pounds he would harvest:

"This year, my goal is to get 78000 mature plants and harvest the majority if them from June until Dec. Dependent upon the variety of HP, we harvested 40-100 pods, 3 times, so I am hoping to double that yield. " - http://thepepperseed.com/peppers/interview-with-ed-currie-of-pucker-butt-pepper-company/

If I assume he meant pounds not pods, then we have at best 100 pounds x 3 harvests for 300 pounds which is 3 pounds per acre.   If he reached the stated goal, he would have obtained 6 pounds per acre and 600 lbs.  What?  CPI says you should be able to get 500 lbs per acre.  Well that makes no sense at all.

2. Uh ye, you can spend as much money as you want on growing peppers.  If a hundred thousand is accurate for growing and testing, how does that have any relation to what testing costs. 

 
 
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