Eating a Carolina Reaper—the hottest known pepper in the world

My friend and colleague Jason went all out planting chile peppers this year. When he said this winter that he was going to plant Carolina Reapers, I told him that when they were ripe, I’d come down, pull the stem off one, chew it up, and swallow it.

Tonight was the night. This is one of the most commanding sensory experiences I’ve ever had. At its peak, this pepper inhabits your soul. You are completely incapable of thinking about anything else. It is one amazing ride.

Thanks for the experience, Jason!

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6 thoughts on “Eating a Carolina Reaper—the hottest known pepper in the world”

  1. A few notes as I think to make them:

    This pepper (and copious accompanying milk) sat in my stomach somewhat uneasily for a time at Jason’s house. When I got home, it got considerably worse, and I was afraid I was going to throw up. The nausea was all the way gone in another 10 minutes, and I escaped without emesis.

    I can taste Carolina Reaper in my burps almost seven hours later.

    I very much enjoy saying I did it. I mostly didn’t enjoy doing it. This is the first spicy/hot food experience I’ve had that I don’t care to repeat.

    Reply
  2. The Carolina Reaper’s departure occurred about 17 hours after I ate it. It was unpleasant but highly manageable. I’ve noted before that there’s no apparent logic to what’s going to cause that kind of problem and what isn’t. This was pretty smooth. Then something as tame as canned jalapenos can hit very hard.

    Reply
  3. I was going to ask about the “ring of fire.” Yours is a cautionary tale – I kept waiting for you to throw up. That did not look like a good time. I doubt when i am next in Fort Mill if i will swing by to purchase some of these peppers.

    Kudos to you for sticking by your promise! I felt really bad for you once the pain hit.

    Reply
    • Cheryl, that’s so great that you commented, because I actually thought of you about half an hour before this video. I debated whether to wear my Lou Holtz Carolina Football hat. I chose not to solely because I knew you would be offended. 🙂

      The Carolina Reaper has culinary value, for sure. It really does taste very good. I’m looking forward to a Reaper sauce from Jason.

      Don’t feel bad for me. Feel bad for people who get blindsided, not dumbasses who jump into the pit gleefully!

      Reply
  4. Bo, although you “jumped into the pit gleefully,” I still felt bad for you when you were going through the most pain in the video. Your blog of the Carolina Reaper was like a professional scientific experiment and reporting, and not like the frat boy “hey, watch me do THIS” type of video. Even during the most intense pain you calmly kept describing the pepper’s effects. (The frat boys would have been hurling themselves against the walls and ceiling while screaming like a band of banshees.) So, your blog of the Carolina Reaper experience was quite educational. I will stay safely on the mild side of the jalapeno and say “bravo!” to you.

    Reply

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