Scoville scale

[Small pumpkin]

This may be a long one and a little confusing
Is anyone thinking the Scoville scale is at best a very loose guide line?
Or am I doing something wrong with my chillies or using the scale incorrectly?

Allow me to explain. Every new variety of chilli I grow, Me and Bob try a bit of one. Just so we know what flavour, heat, texture is like. Before we start selling or using them. I'm no chilli head and I don't pretend to be ( I'd like to think I can cope with a reasonable amount of heat in a meal ). We don't try the super hots fresh straight off the plant ( not that brave or stupid ).
This evening we tried thunder mountain longhorn 50,000. Not much flavour, heat - yes but tolerable. Nigel's outdoor 70,000 flavour- I assume so, heat hit in to quickly! Nice fleshy and juicy. Heat - yes had use running for the mint chocolate. Bulgarian carrot 30,000 flavour - quite unpleasant. Heat - out bl@@dy rageous! Got spat out and followed by a couple of mint chocolates.

So I'm starting to think the the Scoville scale is poppy cock . This isn't the first time I've had a similar experience.

It's not just me being a big woos Bob reacts the same.

Any theories? Anyone experienced anything like this ?

[Jay-ell]

I judge heat by the CHFV scale - how many Curry House Flower Vases you have to drink to put the fire out.

I think there's a lot of variables that can effect the heat of a chilli - temperature, watering, feed, sun etc. I've not been able to grow one that blew my head off yet - I really think you need a lot of heat for that. Ironically I decided not to grow any this year as I still have chilli powder left from last year. Wish I had sown the Scorpions or Nagas now with this summer.

I went to a friends wedding in Sri Lanka a few years ago and her brother asked the manager of a restaurant if they could make his curry hotter. After taking it away, spicing it up and bringing it back several times the manager eventually said "No, that's as hot as we do it". Sri Lanka 0 - Antigua 1

[veggiechicken]

That's why I don't eat chillies - they're scary because I don't know how hot they'll be. I don't like "hot".
I measure them on the Orville Scale.

[Scarlet]

How big a pot is the Bulgarian carrot in? I think if you confine the roots they seem hotter....but I could have made that up!

I’ve decided I am a baby with some of the chillies.....the black nagas I grew were vicious definitely a 20pot chilli! I’ve still got loads in the freezer!

[Jay-ell]

Orvile scale - the hotter the chilli the further Keith Harris inserts his arm?

[Small pumpkin]

How big a pot is the Bulgarian carrot in? I think if you confine the roots they seem hotter....but I could have made that up!

I’ve decided I am a baby with some of the chillies.....the black nagas I grew were vicious definitely a 20pot chilli! I’ve still got loads in the freezer!

Bulgarian carrot is in about 15 / 20lt pot.

I picked my first 4 small ripe moruga scorpions yesterday. They went straight into the dehydrator. I didn't need to try them. The smell coming off them when I topped and cut them in half was more that capable of melting your face

[Baldy]

I hate that duck

Yet again I post something neither relevant not informative.

[Jay-ell]

I hate that duck

even like this

Yet again I post something neither relevant not informative.

Nothing new there then

[Bren In Pots]

I grew Orange Habanero the other year and it seemed like some were hotter than others from the same plant, after reading Jays post it looks like it could have been down to temperature, watering, feed, sun etc glad I wasn't imagining it.

[Nicos]

I'm a very inexperienced chilli grower but have successfully grown espellette outdoors previously.
About 12 plants each year.
They get exactly the same care.
Thing is, when dried and stored in a jar (ie jumbled up ) I have come to use them and some are clearly hotter than others.
No idea if different plants are each producing different heats ...or if each single plant is producing variable heat in each chilli it's producing .

[Jay-ell]

When I lived in London the guy who ran the local Chinese takeaway grew hot peppers and I often got given a bag of whatever hot peppers he had been growing - and I mean HOT.

He reckoned that the heat was the important factor and could only get his peppers so hot without artificial heating.

[4Shoes]

I'm finding it is a bit of hit and miss.
The scale is based on how often you can dilute the chilli juice with water until you can no longer taste it. So subjective and so many variables.

Last year I made Cayenne and Scotch Bonnet chilli powder. Cayenne is the hotter. Scotch Bonnet is a bit like a warm paprika.

[Mitzi]

I definitely think climate and growing conditions have something to do with it. I assumed I wouldn't be able to get near a nagabrain chocolate pod but in fact I have eaten a couple of slivers of one and another half pod, all raw. (Well the half pod was sliced onto a pizza but after cooking, not before, so it was warm but not cooked IYSWIM.) It did make me cry and my nose stream and after effects the next day, but I had expected it to cause a lot more damage than that. Can only suppose mine are not as hot as they are supposed to be.

[Jimmy]

Re ridiculously hot chilli eaters.

Do you whip your selves with nettles as well ?

Jimmy

[Small pumpkin]

Re ridiculously hot chilli eaters.

Do you whip your selves with nettles as well ?

Jimmy

Only on a Sunday