Collection: Hot Heat 30,000 - 100,000 SHU

Hot-class peppers offer true fire and are favored by heat lovers for making spicy table sauces and powerful pastes. Cayenne (30,000–50,000 SHU) is often dried and ground for spice powder, featured in everything from Cajun seasoning to hot sauce. Tabasco (30,000–50,000 SHU) is famous for its role in the eponymous hot sauce brand.

Bird’s Eye Chili (50,000–100,000 SHU), key to Thai and African cooking, brings a sharp, immediate burn with citrusy undertones. These peppers can easily overwhelm those unaccustomed to heat and should be used with care in recipes, especially when seeds and membranes are retained.