1/5
Low to No Heat
Bell / Poblano / Anaheim
0–2,499 SHU bandMatt's Heat Ratings
The Fire & Flavor Heat Scale
Fire & Flavor's five-level heat model follows the first recognized pepper in ingredient order, using that pepper's researched SHU band to place the sauce from low-to-no heat through extreme.
The SHU values describe raw pepper potential. Finished product heat can shift dramatically with pepper percentage, dilution, processing, fermentation, ripeness, and batch variation.
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2/5
Mild
Jalapeño / Fresno / Chipotle
2,500–9,999 SHU band
3/5
Medium
Serrano / Cayenne / Thai Chile
10,000–99,999 SHU band
4/5
Hot
Habanero / Scotch Bonnet
100,000–699,999 SHU band
5/5
Extreme
Ghost / Scorpion / Reaper / Pepper X
700,000+ SHU bandPepper Research
Peppers Currently Named in the Archive
74 peppers
| Pepper | Estimated SHU | Scale | Products | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bell Pepper | 0 | 1/5 Low to No Heat | 12 | High |
| HabanadaCornell-bred heatless C. chinense with habanero-like aroma. | 0 | 1/5 Low to No Heat | 1 | High |
| Sichuan PepperNot a Capsicum pepper. Its tingling sensation comes primarily from sanshools rather than capsaicin. | 0 | 1/5 Low to No Heat | 5 | High |
| Yellow Bell Pepper | 0 | 1/5 Low to No Heat | 1 | High |
| Shishito | 50–200 | 1/5 Low to No Heat | 0 | High |
| Banana Pepper | 0–500 | 1/5 Low to No Heat | 2 | Medium |
| Carmen Sweet Pepper | 0–500 | 1/5 Low to No Heat | 2 | High |
| Aji Dulce | 0–1,000 | 1/5 Low to No Heat | 0 | Medium |
| Cubanelle | 0–1,000 | 1/5 Low to No Heat | 0 | Medium |
| Paprika Pepper | 0–1,000 | 1/5 Low to No Heat | 2 | Medium |
| Sweet Pepper | 0–1,000 | 1/5 Low to No Heat | 0 | Medium |
| Anaheim | 500–2,500 | 1/5 Low to No Heat | 1 | High |
| Poblano | 1,000–2,000 | 1/5 Low to No Heat | 4 | High |
| Ancho | 1,000–2,500 | 1/5 Low to No Heat | 6 | High |
| Pasilla | 1,000–2,500 | 1/5 Low to No Heat | 3 | Medium |
| Bulgarian PepperGeneric Bulgarian pepper label; cultivar can vary. | 0–5,000 | 2/5 Mild | 1 | Low |
| Cherry Bomb Pepper | 2,500–5,000 | 2/5 Mild | 7 | Medium |
| Guajillo | 2,500–5,000 | 2/5 Mild | 4 | High |
| Hatch Green ChileHatch identifies a growing region and includes cultivars with differing heat. | 1,000–8,000 | 2/5 Mild | 6 | Medium |
| New Mexico Chile | 500–10,000 | 2/5 Mild | 1 | Medium |
| Korean Chili FlakeGochugaru heat varies by cultivar, seed content, and grind. | 1,500–10,000 | 2/5 Mild | 8 | Low |
| ChipotleChipotle is a smoke-dried ripe jalapeño. | 2,500–10,000 | 2/5 Mild | 30 | High |
| Fresno | 2,500–10,000 | 2/5 Mild | 6 | Medium |
| Jalapeño | 2,500–10,000 | 2/5 Mild | 84 | High |
| MoritaA smoked ripe jalapeño type. | 2,500–10,000 | 2/5 Mild | 3 | Medium |
| Red Jalapeño | 2,500–10,000 | 2/5 Mild | 17 | High |
| Hungarian Wax | 5,000–10,000 | 2/5 Mild | 0 | Medium |
| Serrano | 10,000–25,000 | 3/5 Medium | 25 | High |
| Aji Lemon Drop | 15,000–30,000 | 3/5 Medium | 2 | Medium |
| Barker's Xtra Hot New Mexico Chile | 15,000–30,000 | 3/5 Medium | 2 | Low |
| Chile de Árbol | 15,000–30,000 | 3/5 Medium | 2 | High |
| Italian Long Hot Pepper | 15,000–30,000 | 3/5 Medium | 2 | Medium |
| Calabrian Chile | 25,000–40,000 | 3/5 Medium | 1 | Medium |
| Red Chili FlakeGeneric flakes may blend multiple cultivars. | 15,000–50,000 | 3/5 Medium | 3 | Low |
| Aji Amarillo | 30,000–50,000 | 3/5 Medium | 3 | Medium |
| Cayenne | 30,000–50,000 | 3/5 Medium | 31 | High |
| Green Cayenne | 30,000–50,000 | 3/5 Medium | 1 | Medium |
| Tabasco Pepper | 30,000–50,000 | 3/5 Medium | 1 | High |
| Aji LimoAji Pepper Sauce publishes a 30,000–60,000 SHU range. | 30,000–60,000 | 3/5 Medium | 1 | High |
| Pequin | 30,000–60,000 | 3/5 Medium | 1 | Medium |
| Chiltepin | 50,000–100,000 | 3/5 Medium | 2 | Medium |
| Thai Chile | 50,000–100,000 | 3/5 Medium | 12 | Medium |
| Piri Piri | 50,000–175,000 | 4/5 Hot | 1 | Medium |
| Aji RocotoAji Pepper Sauce publishes a 100,000–250,000 SHU range for Rocoto. | 100,000–250,000 | 4/5 Hot | 8 | High |
| DatilUF/IFAS testing found maturity-dependent results from about 61,500 to 123,000 SHU, while broader references extend to 300,000. | 60,000–300,000 | 4/5 Hot | 5 | High |
| KS Lemon Starrburst | 100,000–300,000 | 4/5 Hot | 1 | Low |
| Habanero | 100,000–350,000 | 4/5 Hot | 149 | High |
| Scotch Bonnet | 100,000–350,000 | 4/5 Hot | 23 | High |
| Smoked Habanero | 100,000–350,000 | 4/5 Hot | 1 | Medium |
| Fatalii | 125,000–400,000 | 4/5 Hot | 2 | Medium |
| Red Savina Habanero | 350,000–577,000 | 4/5 Hot | 2 | High |
| Chocolate HabaneroNMSU lists tested Chocolate Habanero values up to roughly 700,000 SHU. | 425,000–700,000 | 4/5 Hot | 11 | High |
| Chocolate Ghost Pepper | 800,000–1,200,000 | 5/5 Extreme | 1 | Medium |
| 7 Pot PepperGeneric 7 Pot entry. Individual cultivars vary and some exceed this range. | 780,000–1,300,000 | 5/5 Extreme | 3 | Medium |
| Leviathan Pepper | 800,000–1,300,000 | 5/5 Extreme | 1 | Low |
| Scorpion Red TailCultivar identity and published testing are inconsistent. | 800,000–1,400,000 | 5/5 Extreme | 3 | Low |
| Ghost PepperPenn State lists approximately 750,000-1,500,000 SHU; NMSU cites roughly 1 million SHU. | 750,000–1,500,000 | 5/5 Extreme | 76 | High |
| Chocolate Scorpion | 800,000–1,500,000 | 5/5 Extreme | 2 | Low |
| Scorpion PepperGeneric scorpion label; named cultivars can test substantially hotter. | 800,000–1,500,000 | 5/5 Extreme | 23 | Medium |
| 7 Pot PrimoClassified in the Extreme tier under the approved superhot hierarchy. | 1,200,000–1,470,000 | 5/5 Extreme | 7 | Medium |
| Death Spiral Pepper | 1,200,000–1,500,000 | 5/5 Extreme | 1 | Low |
| Chocolate Douglah | 923,000–1,850,000 | 5/5 Extreme | 1 | Medium |
| Apocalypse ScorpionSuperhot Scorpion cultivar; published values vary and overlap the Reaper threshold. | 1,200,000–1,600,000 | 5/5 Extreme | 1 | Low |
| Chocolate BhutlahSuperhot hybrid with widely varying reported results; Classified in the Extreme tier under the approved superhot hierarchy. | 800,000–2,000,000 | 5/5 Extreme | 1 | Low |
| Trinidad ScorpionA superhot Scorpion-type pepper classified in the Extreme tier under the approved hierarchy. | 1,200,000–2,000,000 | 5/5 Extreme | 8 | High |
| Carolina ReaperGuinness reported tested averages near 1.57-1.64 million SHU. | 1,400,000–2,200,000 | 5/5 Extreme | 76 | High |
| Chocolate Reaper | 1,400,000–2,200,000 | 5/5 Extreme | 1 | Medium |
| Yellow Reaper | 1,400,000–2,200,000 | 5/5 Extreme | 1 | Medium |
| Apollo PepperProprietary superhot hybrid without a stable public laboratory range; placed at Reaper tier based on maker positioning. | 1,400,000–3,000,000 | 5/5 Extreme | 1 | Low |
| Dragon's BreathWidely repeated claimed figure; not recognized as a verified Guinness record. | 2,480,000 | 5/5 Extreme | 5 | Low |
| Pepper XGuinness-recognized average based on Winthrop University testing. | 2,693,000 | 5/5 Extreme | 2 | High |
| Chili ExtractExtract potency varies too widely to estimate without a stated SHU or concentration. | Not published / too variable | Product research | 1 | Low |
| Chili PepperGeneric pepper wording does not identify a cultivar. | Not published / too variable | Product research | 2 | Low |
| Racha PepperProprietary cultivar. Racha Organics publishes mild, medium, and hot sauce tiers but no numeric SHU range. | Not published / too variable | Product research | 3 | Low |
No peppers found
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How product ratings are calculated
- Read the stored ingredient list in its listed order.
- Find the first recognized pepper and match it to a researched SHU range.
- Place that pepper in one of Matt's five anchored heat bands.
- When a full ingredient list is missing, use the first ordered pepper field and mark the result as a fallback.
If no dependable pepper order is stored, the archive retains its existing product-level researched estimate instead of inventing an ingredient position. Proprietary peppers without published SHU testing use clearly marked maker tiers.