What is the Scoville Scale?

How hot do you like your sauces?

You probably know that it’s the peppers in your sauce that make it hot, but what exactly makes one pepper hotter than another? And did you know that it’s possible to measure that hotness?

Say hello to the Scoville Scale, the official measurement of how hot a pepper is in what are known as Scoville Heat Units (SHU). And while a relatively mild-mannered jalapeno pepper ranges between 2,500 – 5000 SHU, an explosive little Naga pepper can deliver a fierce 1.3 million SHU bite!

Who invented the Scoville scale

An American pharmacist, Wilbur Scoville, originally developed the Scoville Organoleptic Test in 1912 as a way to quantify the burn (spiciness, heat) of various peppers. What the scale actually measures is the amount of capsaicin (the chemical found in peppers) that makes your tongue burn, your body sweat and your ears ache if you were to eat a pepper high on the Scoville Scale.

Scoville heat units (SHUs) are simply a measurement of the number of times capsaicin needs to be diluted by sugar-water, so a panel of human taste-testers can’t detect the heat of the pepper.

Because human palates vary so widely, today a process known as High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is used as a more scientifically accurate way of measuring capsaicin concentration than human tasters.

Speaking of human tasters, fancy a taste? We make a fire breathing range of Smokin’ Hot Sauces at Cottage Delight, perfect for you to test your chilli heat limits! From Stingin’ Scorpion Chilli, Kickin’ Carolina Reaper and Flamin’ Naga Chilli Sauce, we have the ultimate taste testers for you.

We use three of the hottest chillis on the Scoville Scale to create you super spicy and delicious sauces that are absolutely guaranteed to turn up the heat!

What is a Naga chilli on the Scoville scale

When we say this is playing with fire, we’re not kidding! On the Scoville Scale, Naga Viper peppers measure 1.3 million SHU.

For our Flamin’ Naga Chilli Sauce, we use a combination of plump peaches and Indian jolokia naga chillies to create a lip tingling sauce with a fabulous fruity hot flavour. Add our Flamin’ Naga Chilli Sauce to your burger for a real kick, or stir into mayonnaise for a lively hint of spice.

What is a Trinidad Scorpion on the Scoville scale

We’re turning up the heat with king of the sting, Trinidad Scorpion peppers! They rate 2 million SHU on the Scoville Scale.

For our Stingin’ Scorpion Chilli, we combine Indian Alphonso Mango with Trinidad Scorpion chilli to create an explosive flavour. This hot and spicy chilli sauce is the perfect accompaniment to tacos, a pizza, or even a fully loaded open sandwich!

What is the Carolina Reaper on the Scoville scale

Jeepers reapers! Bred in South Carolina, the Carolina reaper chilli is 400 times spicier than the jalapeno pepper and rates 2.1 million SHU on the Scoville Scale. Definitely not for the faint hearted!

Our Kickin’ Carolina Reaper Sauce won at the Great Taste Awards for its fiery combination of Carolina Reaper chillies that’s definitely not for the faint-hearted. Perfect on burgers or as a dip… if you dare!

Turn up the heat all the way with our Smokin’ Hot Sauces Gift Set!

Our Smokin’ Hot Sauces Gift Set is the perfect choice for those of you that love the heat and are always looking to take your food to new heights of fiery flavour.

With this trio of stingin’ sauces you can enjoy the ultimate chilli challenge and prepare to have your taste buds set ablaze with fiery flavour.