Pre-orders for 2027 open in early January. Plants are expected to ship from mid-April.
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What makes it special?
A former world record holder to grow yourself. The Carolina Reaper combines extreme heat with a surprisingly fruity, sweet aroma. Averaging around 1.64 million Scoville, it remains right at the top of the superhots to this day.
We grow the Carolina Reaper ourselves in Illmitz and process its fruit into our own products too. For us, it's far more than just a chilli for record hunters: used the right way, it brings not just enormous heat but a distinctive aroma too. Guinness confirmed the variety as world record holder in 2013; today, Pepper X holds that title.
Flavour & Use
The Carolina Reaper starts with a fruity, lightly sweet aroma, before its extreme heat sets in very clearly. Even the breeder describes sweet and fruity notes alongside hints of cinnamon and chocolate, on top of the heat.
With this extreme heat, the Carolina Reaper is a clear heat 10+++ variety. Even small amounts are enough for extremely hot chilli sauces, fermented sauces, powder or other hot preparations.
Fruit & Plant
The fruit of the Carolina Reaper is heavily wrinkled, irregularly shaped and often has the typical pointed "stinger" at the tip. It ripens from green to a bold red and is usually around 3–5 cm long, though fruit size and shape can vary by plant and growing conditions.
The plant grows vigorously and well-branched. Typical height is around 80–120 cm; under especially good, warm conditions, it can grow correspondingly stronger. Like many Capsicum chinense, Carolina Reaper needs above all one thing: warmth and time.
Growing & Care
For Carolina Reaper, we recommend a full-sun, warm and, where possible, sheltered spot. It's especially happy in a greenhouse or polytunnel. It can also be grown very well on a sunny patio or against a sheltered house wall.
For pot growing, we recommend at least 8 litres, ideally 10 litres of soil volume. If you have the space, 15–20 litres is ideal. Especially for a long-growing superhot variety, extra root room is worthwhile.
The substrate should be nutrient-rich and well-draining. Water evenly, but avoid waterlogging. We also recommend regular, moderate feeding with a suitable tomato or vegetable fertiliser.
Carolina Reaper ripens comparatively late. Under good conditions, around 90–100 days from planting out to ripeness is often cited. In our climate, as long a warm season as possible is therefore a clear advantage.
The plant is essentially multi-year, but not frost-hardy. Frost-free overwintering is therefore possible.
Variety Data
Botanical species: Capsicum chinense
Origin: South Carolina, USA
Breeder: Ed Currie / PuckerButt Pepper Company
Heat: extremely hot
Scoville: approx. 1,400,000–2,200,000 SHU, Guinness average approx. 1,641,183 SHU
Flavour: fruity, lightly sweet, aromatic
Fruit colour: green → red
Fruit size: approx. 3–5 cm
Fruit shape: heavily wrinkled, irregular, often with a characteristic stinger
Plant height: approx. 80–120 cm, depending on location and growing conditions
Growth: vigorous, bushy and well-branched
Ripening time: late, approx. 90–100 days from planting out under warm conditions
Position: full sun, warm and sheltered
Suitable for: pot, patio, greenhouse and very sheltered outdoor spots
Pot size: at least 8 litres, ideally 10 litres; 15–20 litres ideal if you have the space
Use: extremely hot chilli sauces, fermentation, drying and powder
Overwintering: possible, frost-free
Special feature: former Guinness world record holder and one of the best-known superhot chillies in the world
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Carolina Reaper - Chilli Plant
Regular price€4,99 EUR
Regular priceSale price€4,99 EUR
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
Carolina Reaper – world-record heat to grow yourself
The Carolina Reaper is an icon among extremely hot chillies. From 2013 to 2023, it held the Guinness World Record as the hottest chilli in the world. Today, that title belongs to Pepper X – but the Carolina Reaper remains, at an average of around 1.64 million Scoville, one of the best-known and most extreme commercially available chilli varieties. An icon among our super hot chilli plants (heat level 10+++).
How hot is the Carolina Reaper?
Carolina Reaper reaches around 1.4 to 2.2 million Scoville Heat Units, with a Guinness average of around 1,641,183 SHU. For comparison: even a habanero sits well below that. With this heat, the Carolina Reaper is a clear heat 10+++ variety – made for real chiliheads.
Despite this enormous heat, the variety has its own aroma. It's exactly this combination of fruity, lightly sweet notes and extreme heat that makes it especially interesting for us as producers.
Origin in South Carolina
The Carolina Reaper was bred by Ed Currie and his PuckerButt Pepper Company in South Carolina, USA. Botanically, it belongs to Capsicum chinense. Typical are the heavily wrinkled, irregular fruit of around 3–5 cm, which ripen from green to bold red and often carry the pointed "sting" at the tip.
Pepper X holds the record – you can grow the Carolina Reaper
Since 2023, Pepper X has been the officially hottest chilli in the world. For chilli gardeners, though, there's a crucial difference: Pepper X isn't offered by its breeder as seed or plants to the public. The Carolina Reaper, on the other hand, you can grow yourself.
That makes the Carolina Reaper an especially exciting variety for us: you can actually follow a former Guinness World Record holder from your own pot, greenhouse or garden through to ripe fruit.
Growing the Carolina Reaper
We recommend a full-sun, warm and sheltered spot where possible; the variety feels especially at home in a greenhouse or polytunnel. In a pot, we recommend at least 8 litres, ideally 10 litres; 15–20 litres is ideal. The plant grows to around 80–120 cm and ripens late: under warm conditions, it takes around 90–100 days from planting out to ripeness. It's perennial but not frost-hardy and can be overwintered frost-free. If you're looking for another extraordinary Reaper variant, the Chocolate Reaper offers a dark-fruited alternative in our plant range.
From our chilli farm straight into the sauce
We don't just grow the Carolina Reaper as a young plant for our range. We also process the fruit from our own growing ourselves.
In our ReapRacha, we use exclusively Carolina Reaper chilli. Fermentation creates an extremely hot, sriracha-style sauce that preserves the variety's characteristic aroma.
Our Karibisches Feuer also contains Carolina Reaper from our own growing – there, alongside Bhut Jolokia, 7 Pot and Trinidad Scorpion Moruga.
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Super friendly service when buying chili plants, and the products are truly excellent. My #1 source for heat :) The ultimate compliment came from an Indian colleague who said that with Tschida chili sauces, he can finally enjoy the level of heat he knows from home here in Europe!
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WE'RE CELEBRATING!
More than just chillies is growing here right now: our new headquarters and our new greenhouse are taking shape. With our topping-out celebration we're marking an important milestone – and we'd love you to share in it!
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