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Given the wide selection of options in our Dried Bulk Chilies section, we thought it would be a good to list each chili in terms of its heat level and flavor to help you decide between them.
The Scoville Scale:
The Scoville heat scale (developed in 1912) is the oldest and most commonly referenced method of measuring pepper heat. The testing method is actually pretty simple: a panel of five or more judges is subjected to a taste test featuring the paste form of each pepper that has been diluted with sugar syrup. The degree of dilution required for the judges not to detect any capsaicin in the mixture determines each pepper’s rating on the scale. Despite its inherent subjectivity, this scale is still a useful way of ranking peppers relative to other peppers.
Chile Heat Scale:
|
Pepper |
Flavor Profile |
Scoville Heat Level |
|
Bell Pepper |
|
0 |
 |
Nora Chilies |
(earthy, little or no heat) |
0-1,000 |
 |
Shishito Peppers |
(grassy, citrusy, very mild) |
50-200 |
|
Pepperoncini |
|
100-500 |
 |
Aji Panca Chilies |
(mild and fruity, poblano-esque) |
500-1,500 |
 |
Red Anaheim Chilies |
(sweet, fresh form of New Mexico Chilies) |
500-1,500 |
|
Poblano |
|
500-2,500 |
 |
Mulato Chilies |
(chocolate/licorice-like flavor) |
500-2,500 |
 |
Organic New Mexico Chilies |
(dried red Anaheim peppers) |
500-2,500 |
|
New Mexico Chilies |
(dried red Anaheim peppers) |
750-1,250 |
|
Organic Aji Panca Chilies |
(mild and fruity, poblano-esque) |
1,000-1,500 |
 |
Green Anaheim Chilies |
(immature fresh New Mexico Chilies) |
1,000-1,500 |
 |
Ancho Chilies |
(dried poblanos) |
1,000-1,500 |
 |
Pasilla Negro Chilies |
(good in moles) |
1,000-2,000 |
 |
Guajillo Chilies |
(mild flavor, some heat) |
2,500-5,000 |
 |
Jalapeño Chilies |
(some heat, grassy-earthy flavor) |
2,500-8,000 |
 |
Red Fresno Chilies |
(fresh chilies, good in sauces & soups) |
2,500-10,000 |
 |
Puya Chilies |
(similar flavor to Guajillo, more spice) |
5,000-8,000 |
 |
Organic Chipotle Chilies |
(smoked, dried Jalapeño) |
5,000-10,000 |
 |
Yellow Caribe Chilies |
(fresh chilies, great baked or in soups) |
5,000-15,000 |
 |
Aji Amarillo Chilies |
(essential in Peruvian food) |
5,000-25,000 |
|
Chipotle Chilies |
(smoked, dried Jalapeño) |
7,000-25,000 |
 |
Cascabel Chilies |
(round, with seeds that rattle) |
8,000-12,000 |
 |
Smoked Serrano Chilies |
(savory, not fruity heat) |
8,000-22,000 |
 |
De Arbol Chilies |
(similar to cayenne) |
15,000-30,000 |
 |
Japones Chilies |
(medium-strength asian chile) |
15,000-36,000 |
|
Organic Aji Amarillo Chilies |
(essential in Peruvian food) |
40,000-50,000 |
 |
Pequin Chilies |
(spicy, hint of citrus, sweetness) |
40,000-50,000 |
 |
Aji Limo Rojo Chilies |
(organic, slightly sweet, crisp) |
50,000-60,000 |
 |
Tepin Chilies |
(powerful but brief heat) |
50,000-70,000 |
 |
Fresh Thai Chilies |
(available red or green) |
~50,000-100,000 |
 |
Dried Thai Chilies |
(used in Thai, Chinese cooking) |
50,000-100,000 |
 |
Aji Cereza Chilies |
(organic, milder substitute for Habaneros) |
70,000-80,000 |
 |
Habanero Chilies |
(very hot, fruity/floral flavor) |
100,000-200,000 |
|
Organic Habanero Chilies |
(very hot, fruity/floral flavor) |
100,000-300,000 |
|
Scotch Bonnet Chilies |
(similar heat to Habanero, different flavor) |
150,000-325,000 |
 |
Ghost Chilies |
(very, very hot with slight smokiness) |
300,000-400,000 |
|
Trinidad Scorpion Chilies |
(incredibly hot) |
Up to 1,400,000 |
What is Capsaicin?
Capsaicin is the naturally occurring molecule in chili peppers (likely evolved to deter mammals from eating them) that causes a burning sensation when it comes into contact with any tissue. Recent biological studies have demonstrated that it also actually activates heat receptors in the human mouth (just as menthol activates cold receptors).
Too Hot?
One of the easiest ways to tone down a chile pepper is by removing the seeds and inner ribs. This will significantly decrease the total capsaicin level of the pepper.
Organic Dried Chile Options:
In addition to our Organic Aji Limo Rojo Chilies and Organic Aji Cereza Chilies, we now offer an organic choice for some other varieties: Organic Aji Panca Chilies, Organic Ancho Chilies, Organic Chipotle Chilies, Organic Habanero Chilies, Organic New Mexico Chilies, and Organic Aji Amarillo Chilies.
Still Can’t Decide? Try one of our dried chile pepper samplers!
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Browse More:
Dried Chile Recipes & Techniques
Fresh Chile & Pepper Recipes
Culinary Techniques
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Email This Post
Hi Justin,
Here is a link to the Gather article about your chili and ghost peppers. We had a lot of fun talking about your peppers.
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?memberId=192501&articleId=281474977601064&nav=MyGather
March 12th, 2009 at 9:07 pmI am desperately looking for fresh or frozen aji armarillo peppers, any leads? Thank you
April 4th, 2009 at 9:02 amI’m afraid at this time we only have access to dried aji amarillo peppers. Sorry!
-Matthew
April 6th, 2009 at 9:19 amGhost Beef Jerky
1 Cup Soy Sauce
2 TBSP Garlic Powder
2 TBSP Onion Powder
3 Ghost Peppers
1/4 cup Water
4 TBSP Lemon Juice
1 Pound Londo Broil ( beef of choice )
In small food processer add 1/2 cup soy sauce and peppers. Blend till liquid. pour into glass bowl. Slice beef into 1/4″ strips. mix all ingredents together add beef. Marinaite over night in refer and dehydrate. A dehydrator is best.
July 8th, 2010 at 11:48 amwhats dihes can i cook with the typ cillie.
December 28th, 2010 at 10:54 pmHi Jeniffer,
You’ll find all of our chile recipes here —> Chile Recipe Collection.
As to which recipes work for which chiles, most chiles can be used in all chile recipes, it just depends on how hot you want the finished dish to be!
December 29th, 2010 at 1:46 pmDo you ever have either Urfa or Aleppo peppers in stock? These are both out of the middle east and a bit hard to find, both have excellent characteristics of heat, flavor and a bit of smokiness.
thanks
August 29th, 2011 at 9:37 amHi Tim,
While we don’t currently carry them on the site, we may be able to special order crushed Aleppo peppers for you in bulk. Send us an e-mail (info (at) marxfoods (dot) com) or give us a call (866-588-6279) if you’d like a custom quote!
Matthew
August 29th, 2011 at 11:27 amMarxFoods
When can you get fresh bhut jolokia chilies? And what is the price on them
January 31st, 2012 at 8:45 pmHi Travis,
We’re not sure when the fresh ghost chilies will be back in stock, but if you’d like we’d be happy to notify you when we have them again. Unfortunately we can’t predict at this time what the price is going to be when they return.
Matthew
February 3rd, 2012 at 3:16 pmMarxFoods.com
Every other place has ghost peppers as topping out at one million scoville units. Why are yours rated so much lower?
May 6th, 2013 at 12:44 pmHi JG,
Ghost chilies, like all chilies, can vary in heat level from chile to chile and from origin to origin. How & where they are grown can make a huge difference. That million scoville units you see elsewhere online is, in our opinion, better described as “up to 1 million scoville units”. It’s not our impression that it’s based on the actual chilies being sold, but instead the highest test results known being applied to the variety as representative of all ghost chilies.
In our case, the number you see on this chart was provided by the company importing the chilies for us, and is the result of them actually testing their chilies. While there will be variance even within our supply, we felt it was better to err on the side of being accurate rather than sensational.
Matthew
May 8th, 2013 at 8:36 amMarxFoods