Wow, and I'm terrified of T.A.M. Jalapeno at around 2000 Scovilles, unless I mix them well into foods that have soothing and cooling ingredients like cheese or sour cream.

Here is a link that might be useful: TAM

WOW indeed -- I wouldn't even touch the mildest jalapeno variety!

The hottest thing I grow is jalapenos to put in chilis. I'm sure the Indian jwala peppers I grow aren't even as hot as the jalapenos.

I wouldn't even know WHAT to do with a habanero pepper, let alone your scorpions!

You can probably sell them to the Oakland P.D.

I recently read that researchers working with these things said they were so potent that the capsaicin seeped through the nitgril gloves that they were wearing and burned their skin. There is no reason for peppers that hot!!!

Steve

Serranos are as hot as I go. Anything more is madness.

I don't plan to eat any myself......... Should make for some interesting conversation on poker night Like billme's idea! Can ya imagine those in your eyes?

Just thinking about those peppers is making me break out in a cold sweat. OMG.

I can sort of imagine them in my eyes.

I finely diced a lot of jalapenos one night. I didn't bother wearing any gloves, since they were just jalapenos.

However I'd managed to handle enough of them that my fingers started burning. The stuff wouldn't wash off, of course.

And then since it was night, I eventually *had* to take out my contact lenses.

And you know the rest of the story. :)

Worked with a guy that prided himself in being able to eat very hot peppers, so one of our hispanic coworkers brought in some very hot peppers for this guy to try. Short story long, the macho guy ate the peppers, but failed to wash his hands before using the restroom.......

And you know the rest of the story.......

Reminds me of an old story that I posted on the pepper forum quite a while back.

I'm not a macho pepper eating man by any means, but I will eat a little hotter than an average person. Not for bragging rights or anything, I just eat it and don't show off with it.
A co-worker was growing some habanero and asked me if I would eat one if he brought it to work. He had tasted my pickled Jalapenos that I brought for lunch and he couldn't take it.

I said sure, I will try it, but not pop it in my mouth whole, I will need to cut it.

I planned ahead. I had an almost empty bottle of Texas Pete. I rinsed it and filled it with olive oil and some red food coloring, looked the same as Texas Pete!

In case you don't know, olive oil will help keep the heat down!

When I saw him pull them out I said I will be right back, gotta go to the bathroom. I took a big swig of my fake Texas Pete and coated my mouth and went back to the table.

I took a knife and cut out sections between the ribs, they were obvious from the outside. I popped them in my mouth one at a time. They were still pretty hot with the olive oil.

I reached in my pocket and pulled out my fake Texas Pete took a big swig to cool it down. His eyes got big and he said "You are adding Texas Pete to the heat??"

I said "Yep, I thought you said these things were hot!" I let him think about it for a week and finally told him my secret.

He wanted my fake Texas Pete so that he could pull the same prank. I gave it to him and he had a ball!

Come visit us over in the hot pepper forum then, we'll be happy to tell you our hard earned war stories about dealing with superhots.

A few words of warning in the mean time:
1) Buy vinyl gloves now. Not latex, vinyl. You *MUST* wear gloves at all times while cutting those peppers. They are hot enough to burn your skin, and the capsaicin will bleed through latex. If you have a nurse friend, ask them to teach you how to take infected gloves off. You'll thank me later.

2) Never go to the bathroom the same day as handling the peppers. Trust me on this. Even with gloves, even with hand washing with lava soap that make your hands raw, the first time you go pee after cutting superhots you will regret it. Oh holy hannah will you regret it.

3) Store your peppers whole. Do not cut them, do not prepare them in any way unless you intend to use them then and there. I had a friend that lived across town that wanted to try one of my bhuts, so I cut it up into 4 pieces, put each piece in it's own little baggy and drove across town to give them to him. Half way there I could smell the peppers through the bags. 3/4 of the way there it became like mace. By the time I pulled into his driveway my eyes were watering so badly I could barely see enough to keep the car on the road (and it was middle of winter so I couldn't roll the windows down without freezing to death). And that was for a bhut, which is milder than a Butch T.

4) Never, *EVER* be tempted to eat one yourself. This is the big one. You will want to try one after you put so much time and energy into growing them. You will think its only fair that if you're going to say you're man enough to grow them you have to be man enough to eat at least one. Don't do it. The flavor of superhots is soul searing pain followed up by the aftertaste of wishing for death with a slight dash of "Oh sweet Jesus, what have I done?!?" Not that this warning will do you any good, it didn't do any good for me either. I had to try one, and it was half an hour later before I stopped praying for a merciful death, so you'll probably have to learn it on your own as well. Never. Eat. Superhots.

=)