Bhutlah Red Chilli
One of the hottest chillies on earth - a brutal ghost pepper x Douglah superhot
A fearsome modern superhot - Bhut Jolokia crossed with 7 Pot Douglah to make something hotter than either parent. Said to rival the Carolina Reaper, with a complex fruity-earthy flavour beneath an overwhelming, instant heat. For experienced growers only.
Handle with care — this is a superhot chilli
This variety is exceptionally hot. The capsaicin in superhot chillies can cause real discomfort and even burns to skin and eyes, so a few simple precautions make all the difference when handling the fresh or dried fruit:
- Wear disposable gloves whenever you cut, deseed, or handle the fruit
- Keep your hands well away from your eyes, nose, and face while working
- Never touch contact lenses with hands that have handled the fruit
- Work in a well-ventilated space — the fumes from cooking or drying can irritate the lungs and eyes
- Wash hands, knives, and boards thoroughly with soapy water afterwards
- Keep fresh and dried fruit well out of reach of children and pets
The plants themselves are perfectly safe to grow and handle — these precautions apply to the ripe fruit and its seeds.
About this variety
A deliberate cross between the Bhut Jolokia and the Trinidad 7 Pot Douglah, bred to be hotter than either parent, and it worked. The red form is routinely put alongside the Carolina Reaper. What sets it apart from the ghost pepper it came from is the timing: where a Bhut Jolokia creeps up on you, the Bhutlah lands almost at once and lands hard.
There is real flavour under it for anyone equipped to find it. The ghost side gives the floral fruitiness, the Douglah side the deep earthy Caribbean richness, and the two together make something complex enough to justify a hot sauce rather than a dare. The pods are large, gnarled and heavily wrinkled, often finishing in a point, ripening to a glossy deep red.
The plant is as vigorous as the fruit suggests, reaching 1.5m or more and carrying a serious weight of pods, so the branches want support by late summer. It needs a greenhouse or polytunnel and the longest season you can give it. This is not a chilli for the curious. Wear gloves and eye protection when picking and processing the fruit, and use it in fragments rather than pods.