THE DEPARTMENT OF TONGUE STATISTICS
A capsicum minds its own business. A Carolina Reaper calls a meeting about your lunch. Scoville heat units help explain the difference.
FIRST, THE BIT WITH ACTUAL SCIENCE
THE ORIGINAL METHOD
Pharmacist Wilbur Scoville developed his test in 1912. Pepper extract was diluted in sweetened water until tasters could no longer detect the heat. Needing more dilution meant a higher score. Science had essentially invented the world's least relaxing cordial tasting. Sources ↓
THE MODERN METHOD
Modern testing can use high-performance liquid chromatography, or HPLC, to measure capsaicinoids, the compounds responsible for chilli pungency. Those measurements can be expressed as Scoville heat units, or SHU. The machine is less likely to claim it “usually handles spicy food”. Sources ↓
FROM SALAD INGREDIENT TO VERY SERIOUS PEPPER
A pepper with no interest in starting anything.
Each step selects a pepper category, not an equal increase in heat. Figures refer to peppers, never our finished sauces.
| THE PEPPER | REFERENCE SHU | THE CONNECTION |
|---|---|---|
| Capsicum / bell pepper | 0 SHUNo pungent heat | The quiet end of the scale. |
| Jalapeño | 2,000–8,000 SHUTypical pepper range, UF/IFAS | Used in Zestanüs. |
| Cayenne | 25,000–50,000 SHUTypical pepper range, UF/IFAS | A familiar reference point. Not one of our three named peppers. |
| Habanero | 100,000–350,000 SHUTypical pepper range | Used in Citranüs. |
| Ghost pepper / Bhut Jolokia | About 1 million SHUReference figure, not a fixed value for every fruit | A superhot comparison. Not a sauce in our range. |
| Carolina Reaper | 1.64 million SHUAverage reported by Guinness; former record holder | Used in Szechuanüs. |
| Pepper X | 2,693,000 SHUGuinness record average announced in 2023 | Record-book context. Not in our sauces. |
Individual peppers vary with genetics and growing conditions. The first five references follow the University of Florida's guide; the ghost pepper figure rounds its 1,041,427 SHU reference. Reaper and Pepper X averages follow Guinness. Typical ranges and published averages are different kinds of figures. We have labelled them rather than pretending the produce aisle is a calibration laboratory. Reference sources ↓
WHERE OUR LITTLE TROUBLEMAKERS FIT
Here's the family resemblance: Zestanüs brings jalapeño, Citranüs brings habanero, and Szechuanüs brings Carolina Reaper. That puts their pepper ingredients in very different neighbourhoods. It does not assign a measured heat number to any of the sauces.
The finished recipe matters: how much chilli goes in, which batch, and what else joins the party. We could print a very large number and look impressive. We could also call ourselves the Royal Institute of Lunch. Neither would make it true.
Jalapeño, lemon, lime and ginger.
Jalapeño reference: 2,000–8,000 SHU
Pepper range, not a sauce rating.
Finished sauce: not lab-tested.
The zesty one. Comes to lunch with citrus and a bit of personality. Has not brought a PowerPoint.
Habanero, citrus, ginger and garlic.
Habanero reference: 100,000–350,000 SHU
Pepper range, not a sauce rating.
Finished sauce: not lab-tested.
The bacon-and-egg-roll enthusiast. Your breakfast has quietly become the most interesting meeting of the day.
Carolina Reaper, citrus, lemongrass and ginger.
Reaper published average: 1.64 million SHU
Pepper average, not a sauce rating.
Finished sauce: not lab-tested.
Extremely hot. A tiny amount is a sensible introduction. Your lunch does not need an opening ceremony.
QUESTIONS FROM THE BACK OF THE CLASS
Not reliably. SHU compares pungency, but your experience also depends on the amount, the food carrying it, and your sensitivity. Your mouth is not a laboratory instrument. It is also involved in some fairly dubious karaoke.
Not from the chilli name alone. You would need dependable information about the ingredients and their concentrations, and a finished-product test to substantiate a measured rating. We haven't lab-tested these sauces, so we're not publishing a pretend number.
No. It's a reference page. Start with a little sauce on food, stop if it is too much, and don't pressure anyone else to eat it. Nobody at the Department of Tongue Statistics is keeping a leaderboard.
There are no prizes. There is lunch. We recommend enjoying it.
THE LESS RIDICULOUS PART
Sources reviewed 12 September 2026. The sauce maker confirmed that the three finished sauces have not been lab-tested for SHU.