Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Carolina Reaper seeds in the UK

Updated: 21 October 2026

You are looking at a packet that says around two million Scoville units, and you want to know whether that number is the world record or a seller’s line. Carolina Reaper seeds in this amazon.co.uk set are two colours at £3.95, and the Trinidad Scorpion packets are two colours at £3.45. Buy one only if you want a superhot for sauce, you will wear gloves, and you can wait until autumn. If you wanted a jalapeño, stop here. The twelve-row table is the [Chili seeds comparison](/hub/herb-seeds/chili-seeds). Peter F. used the Guinness archive, the RHS profile, and the listing text. He did not measure a pod. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are looking at a packet that says around two million Scoville units, and you want to know whether that number is the world record or a seller’s line.

Our top picks

SPECIALITYSEEDS.COM Trinidad Scorpion Yellow

Best overall

SPECIALITYSEEDS.COM Trinidad Scorpion Yellow
6.8/10about £3.45
View offer
SPECIALITYSEEDS.COM Trinidad Scorpion Chocolate

Alternative

SPECIALITYSEEDS.COM Trinidad Scorpion Chocolate
6.1/10about £3.45
View offer
SPECIALITYSEEDS.COM Carolina Reaper Yellow

Alternative

SPECIALITYSEEDS.COM Carolina Reaper Yellow
4.9/10about £3.95
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.These four packets are not a cooking chilli
  2. 2.What the record measured
  3. 3.Reaper or Scorpion inside this set
  4. 4.Gloves, sap, and a long season

These four packets are not a cooking chilli

Which? puts habaneros around 100,000–350,000 and jalapeños around 2,500–10,000. These four seller figures run from about 1.2 million to about 2 million. Scotch Bonnet Red, around 300,000, is already hot and is not this page’s subject. Scorpion Yellow is £3.45, around 1,600,000, 10 seeds, a medium bush. Scorpion Chocolate is £3.45, around 1,200,000. Both Reaper colours are £3.95, around 2,000,000, and Chocolate has no star line stored. All four say 10/10. A claim that the colours were bred from the original Reaper is seller text, not a pedigree you can check. Thai Dragon’s about 800,000 bullet names another variety.

What the record measured

Guinness recorded Carolina Reaper, from Ed Currie of the PuckerButt Pepper Company, at an average of 1,641,183 Scoville heat units. Winthrop University tested it. The record dates from 11 August 2017. On 16 October 2023 Pepper X took the record at 2,693,000, and the Reaper average was restated as 1.64 million. Pepper X is not in this twelve. Do not call these packets the world’s hottest. The RHS profile prints 2.2 million and hardiness H2, so the plant does not survive freezing. Sea Spring lists 1,650,000, and one fruit at 2.2 million, in counts of 15 or 20 seeds. Use 1,641,183 for the old record. Use around 2,000,000 only as this seller’s line.
SPECIALITYSEEDS.COM Trinidad Scorpion Yellow

Testsieger

SPECIALITYSEEDS.COM Trinidad Scorpion Yellow
6.8/10about £3.45
View offer

Reaper or Scorpion inside this set

There is no winner among the four. The Scorpions cost 50p less per packet here, both for 10 seeds. Yellow is 5.0 from 8, and the only review body is Good. Chocolate is 5.0 from 2, which is not a trial. Reaper Yellow is 3.8 from 8. Both written reviews report no growth, one after a tea soak in sterile compost at 30°C, with a 2024 date on the seed. Reaper Chocolate has no reviews. All four print 8–21 days at 22–28°C, which those two failures did not match. Choose a Scorpion for the price and a floral lantern fruit. Choose a Reaper for the name and a spiked tail, and test a pinch before you trust the window. None says F1.

Gloves, sap, and a long season

Wear gloves, keep sap off eyes and children, and wash your hands. Sea Spring’s rule is never dare, never bet, and never trick someone into eating one. NHS capsaicin pages are about prescribed cream and skin irritation, not growing. If sap gets in an eye, rinse with clean water. Use A&E or 999 for severe pain, a change in sight, or a strong chemical, and NHS 111 if it is not settling, including for a child under 5. The RHS harvests Carolina Reaper from mid-August to October. A May sowing will not finish a frost-tender plant. No height in centimetres is stored. Prices are the 19 October 2026 shelf prices.

Common questions

Are Carolina Reaper seeds the world's hottest?
No packet in this set should be called the world's hottest. Guinness gave the 2017 Carolina Reaper record to Pepper X in October 2023. The Reaper average on that record was 1,641,183 Scoville heat units, later restated as 1.64 million. Seller lines of around 2,000,000 on these yellow and chocolate listings are not that test.
Does the Guinness figure apply to yellow or chocolate seed?
The 11 August 2017 average was for the Carolina Reaper record, tested at Winthrop University. It was not a test of ASIN B0DLB1YRY6 or B0H6WQBSXJ. The RHS profile prints 2.2 million for the plant name. That profile figure is also not a measurement of these two packets. Treat each number as its own source.
Should I buy a superhot if I wanted a jalapeño?
No. A jalapeño type band is a few thousand to about 10,000 on Which?'s page. These seller figures are around a million or more. The kitchen packet in this comparison is the JustSeed jalapeño. A superhot in the same pan is a handling hazard, not a stronger version of the same seasoning.
Do I need gloves?
Yes, for the fruit. Keep sap off eyes and children, and wash your hands afterwards. Do not use a superhot for a dare or as a trick. The irritation is the point of the chemistry, which is why NHS medicine pages still warn about capsaicin on skin.
What do I do if the sap gets in an eye?
Rinse with clean water. Use A&E or 999 if there is severe pain, a change in sight, or you are treating it as a strong chemical in the eye. Use NHS 111 if it is not settling, and use 111 for a child under 5. This page is not a medical protocol beyond that NHS route.
Will a superhot ripen in a UK summer if I sow late?
The RHS harvest for Carolina Reaper runs from mid-August to October, and the plant is frost-tender. A May sowing does not leave that season. Sow indoors from late winter if you are going to grow one at all, and do not plant out until nights stay at 12°C.
Is a 5.0 from two reviews evidence the chocolate Scorpion is better?
No. Two reviews are not a trial. The only written review mentions delivery, patience, and a heated tray. The yellow Scorpion's 5.0 from 8 is also thin, because the only review body is the word Good. The yellow Reaper's written reviews both report no germination, which is a reason to be careful with that packet, not a ranking of flavour.

Related pages

Chilli seeds buying guide

Best chilli seeds

How to sow chilli seeds

Chili seeds

Growing chillies indoors in the UK on a windowsill

Sources

Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these twelve listings were read on 19 October 2026. Page updated 21 October 2026.

  1. RHS: grow your own chilli pepper (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. RHS: Capsicum chinense Carolina Reaper (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Kew: chillies (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Which?: how to grow chillies (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK: plants that need a plant passport in Great Britain (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK: issuing plant passports in Great Britain (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. The Seed Marketing Regulations 2011, Schedule 3 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Guinness World Records archive: hottest chilli, 2017 (retrieved 19 October 2026)