The short answer is no.
The long answer is, well…longer.
What is The Armageddon Chilli?
The Armageddon Chilli is a pepper being grown in the UK by grower Salvatore Genvoese of lovemychillies.co.uk. It currently clocks in at 1.3 million on the Scoville scale which is around 400 times hotter than a jalapeño. The Armageddon Chilli is the hottest commercially grown chilli in the UK currently and was cultivated by Tozer seeds as a quick growing, easy to harvest ‘Super Hot’ Chilli.
What is actually the worlds hottest chilli?
The Carolina Reaper holds the world record for hottest chilli in the world and clocks in at and average of 1.569 million on the Scoville Scale. The ‘Reaper’ (originally named HP22B) is a hybrid between a Pakistani Naga Viper pepper and a La Soufrière from the island of St. Vincent, which gave birth to a bright red, gnarled and pointy tailed little monster.
you can read more about the Carolina Reaper here.
Will The Armageddon Chilli be the hottest one day?
The thinking is that due to warmer weather across the globe this will benefit chilli growers as the increased temperatures will leade to a stronger flavour and more heat. The point that media outlets seem to be missing is that this will be true for all chillies including The Carolina Reaper. So while The Armageddon Chilli may increase it’s potency, the reigning champion may also increase it’s own. It’s worth noting that while the average SHU for a Carolina Reaper is 1.569 million, there have been cases of them reaching 2.4 million. So the Armageddon Chilli will not only have to bridge the gap as it stands now but will have to create a huge gap of it’s own or it may only be the hottest chilli for a brief moment.
and that’s not even taking into account other peppers that are currently being grown that may well surpass both the Armageddon Chilli and The Carolina Reaper. One example is Pepper X which has already been grown by the creator of The Carolina Reaper, Ed Currie.
Pepper X is though to clock in already at 3.18 million on the Scoville Scale, so this Chilli once verified by Guinness Book of Records may blow all other Super Hot’s out af the water and of rising temperatures increase the heat of other chillies, I can only imagine the heights that Pepper X may reach.
You can read more about Pepper X here
So Why are people saying that the Armageddon Chilli is the hottest?
Well it simply comes down to good promotion. The Armageddon Chilli is currently being sold by Tesco (a UK supermarket chain) so they are sending the pepper out to TV’s shows, newspaper reports and anyone else who they think will report on the Chilli. This coupled with the information about chillies getting hotter and you start to get an interesting story.
Tesco chilli buyer Nick Foulds said:
“The arrival of the incredibly potent Armageddon will join other legendary varieties such as the ‘Trinidad Scorpion’, ‘Bhut Jolokia’, ‘Komodo Dragon’ and of course the ‘Carolina Reaper’ among the super-hot chillis we’ve sold in recent years.
“We chose it because of its wonderful fruity taste which added to its awesome strength will create an unforgettable dish.
“But remember to be very economical with it – you only need a few tiny slivers.”
One example of marketing of the Chilli can be seen i the video below where the presenters of ‘Good Morning Britain’ taste the Armageddon Chilli.
I’m the guy behind The Chilli Expert. I’m always learning new things about growing, cooking and eating Chillies which I hope I can share with you all.
