Most people should avoid Reaper peppers like the plague. We’re not trying to be harsh.
Really, we’re not. But, some people really should just stay away from these peppers.
Perhaps we should say that again.
Unless you’ve had experience with some seriously hot peppers and sauces in the past, stay the F away from Reaper peppers. They’re too hot for you to handle. And, there’s reason to believe you’re not mature enough to handle the heat.
In case we haven’t made this entirely clear, here are a few clues that you should have nothing to do with Reaper peppers:
• You’re pretty certain sriracha is the height of heat. Or, you’ve been brave enough to try Tabasco’s Habanero sauce.
• You’ve never bought chili peppers to cook with, and you have a single (crusty) bottle of hot sauce in your pantry.
• You’ve decided to give Wendy’s Ghost Pepper Fries a miss because you can’t see the point. (However, if fast food makes you sick generally, we’re not going to rule you out for this one alone.)
• You don’t have any idea what the Scoville scale is, nor have you ever heard the word capsaicin.
• You can’t wait to try the new Chile Mocha at Starbucks because you’re sure it will give you a little bit of kick.
• You haven’t tried the hottest wing sauce available on the menu… anywhere.
• You’re being offered a wrinkly looking pepper from a classmate in school.
Now, that’s hardly an exhaustive list, but it’s a start. And, if any of these apply to you, stay away from Reapers.
Seriously pay attention to the last one.
Some middle school kid in Indiana brought a couple of Reapers to school to show off. We can only assume what he was thinking as he plucked them from his dad’s garden and carefully packed them into his school bag with his lunch and an English paper. Then, he offered said Reapers around the school.
You can guess what happened, can’t you?
Dozens of kids became ill after reacting badly to the Reaper’s power. The whole thing came to light when someone inadvertently dabbed some Reaper oil into his eye (he had touched one of these peppers) and then proceeded to scream in agony.
If you can handle a Reaper, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. These babies rate over 1.5 million on the Scoville scale. That’s stupid hot for most people. And, we mean the majority of the planet. Even if you love your food spicy, happen to be a hot sauce manufacturer, or have bigger balls than a bull – it’s still stupid hot.
Just look at the reaction of these girls who really thought they could handle the heat. It’s clear that they thought they were tougher than you to begin with and it brought them to their knees. Indeed, one needed the assistance of a respirator.
It’s just a warning; we’re just being kind. Stay away from Reapers because they’re way too hot for you to handle. Start with something a little milder… like a drop of Mad Dog 357 Original hot sauce (or even our Reaper Sriracha). #justsaying
