Internet’s favourite Spice Lord Sean Evans, who is best known for challenging celebrities to taste the hottest sauces of the world on the YouTube show Hot Ones, has finally bit into the new record holder for the world’s hottest pepper in a special Pepper X edition.
During the show’s recent episode, Evans along with Chili Klaus and Noah Chaimberg sat with Pepper X grower Ed Currie for a spicy session. The Guinness World Records has declared Pepper X as the hottest chilli pepper in the world, dethroning the Carolina Reaper chilli pepper after a decade. Pepper X registers at 2.69 million units, while the Carolina Reaper has an average of 1.62 million SHU.
Pepper X has everyone's attention as it has been reported that it emits an 'immediate and brutal heat.' And while most people around the world may still be wondering what this record-holding chilli tastes like, Evans got to take the plunge and sample some Pepper X in the presence of the man credited for creating this chilli pepper after a decade's worth of efforts.
Evans sat down with fellow spice fanatics Chili Kalus (best known for his Chilismagning series), Heatonist’s Noah Chaimberg and Currie, who they referred to as 'the sick, twisted mind behind Pepper X.' "It took a team," an emotional Currie said. "This is the culmination of a lot of work by a lot of people. People said it couldn't be done. They called us liars. And we proved to them that Pepper X is actually the hottest pepper in the world."
Before sampling the pepper, the group took some time to savour the pepper’s fresh, slightly tropical aroma. Currie promised it would have a vibrant taste of citrus. The group finally bit into the pepper at the 10:35 mark of the 14-minute video. While almost everyone gasped and had an immediate reaction, Evans broke the silence first.
"The skin of my face feels tighter!" he said with his eyes closed shut. “It’s very spicy,” Klaus remarked as he bit into the green-ish pepper. "But I love the flavour. I think there’s some oak in it. And pencil.”
“There's an intense burn that happens immediately, and then your body just starts reacting,” Currie told the group. “You get it in your arms, you get it in your chest. It has no real throat burn like the reaper but that comes on later, when you’re in pain.”
“I’m in heat. I’m done. Thank you very much,” Klaus said as he leaned into the table, between gasps. The Internet gave a double thumbs up to the team and praised Evans and Klaus for handling it rather well. "Nobody can believe how calm Sean is during Hot Ones," wrote a viewer in the comment section.
"All my favorite Hot Guys together! Chili Klaus, I luv the way he kinda whispers in his sweet little voice like he’s hoping that hellfire brewing in his mouth doesn’t cause his vocal chords to incinerate," wrote another viewer.
Currie himself had opened up about his experience with the pepper, the first time he tasted it. “I was feeling the heat for 3½ hours. Then the cramps came. Those cramps are horrible. I was laid out flat on a marble wall for approximately an hour in the rain, groaning in pain,” Currie shared in an interview recently. The grower has also hinted that some pepper hybrids can be cultivated to be much hotter than Pepper X. “Is this the pinnacle?” Currie said of Pepper X. “No, it’s not the pinnacle," said Currie.