As of November 2013, a hybrid called the Carolina Reaper held the official Guinness World Record as the hottest pepper. Its flavor is deceptively sweet, but it's hard to remember that as it proceeds to annihilate your tastebuds. The Reaper starts by lighting a Molotov cocktail in your mouth, then builds from there. The Guinness organization, which uses a different methodology, rated it at just under 1.6 million SHUs. Others place it at about 2.2 million SHUs, or approximately 10 percent hotter than the fearsome Moruga Scorpion.