<Tr> <Th> Scoville scale </Th> <Td> 1,569,300 on average SHU </Td> </Tr> <P> The Carolina Reaper, originally named the HP22B, is a cultivar of the Capsicum chinense plant . The pepper is red and gnarled, with a small pointed tail . In 2013, Guinness World Records declared it the hottest chili pepper in the world, surpassing the previous record holder, the Trinidad Scorpion "Butch T". </P> <P> The sensory heat or pungency detected when consuming a Carolina Reaper derives from the density of capsaicinoids, particularly capsaicin, which relates directly to intensity of chili pepper heat and Scoville scale . Bred in a Rock Hill, South Carolina greenhouse by "Smokin" Ed Currie, proprietor of the PuckerButt Pepper Company in Fort Mill, the Carolina Reaper was certified as the world's hottest chili pepper by the Guinness World Records since August 7, 2013 . The official Guinness World Record heat level was 1,569,300 Scoville Heat Units (SHU) in 2013, according to tests conducted by Winthrop University in South Carolina . The figure is an average for the tested batch; the hottest individual pepper was measured at 2.2 million SHU . </P> <P> The original crossbreed was between a Bhut jolokia (a former world record holder) and a red habanero, and is named' Reaper' due to the shape of its tail . </P>

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