New seeds have just arrived!
Our latest selection of seeds have just arrived over the weekend. Due to delays caused by the USDA inspections and the Memorial Day holiday, all orders that were placed last week will be shipped by June 1st, 2011. Again, we apologize for the inconvenience, but we are doing everything we can to speed up the process. Once again, mahalo nui loa for your support and understanding.
Jamie
Aloha Pepper Heads!
I am in Asia until the end of March. All orders will be processed normally and shipped within 24 hours except for Hawaii. I will not be able to respond to your emails most of the time as I am in remote locations.
Mahalo,
Jamie
NAGA VIPER CHILI PEPPER RECORD --- FACT OR FICTION?
Dear Chili Heads, and Everyone Else,
I have been receiving email after email for several months now regarding the "Naga Viper" pepper that supposedly has broken the record for the hottest pepper. I have researched this extensively and have found no concrete evidence that this record has been broken. Sure, I have seen pictures of this pepper, or something called the Naga Viper but the testing from Warwick University in England is not conclusive. Sure, they tested something that rated the 1.3 million on the Scoville scale, but what was in this sample? It could have easily been laced with synthetic capsaicin (remember pepper spray tests at approximately 2 to 5 million SHU). Further, they stated that they only tested a small sample and concluded that further testing was needed by another source to verify and confirm the results. AND, how did they test this small sample? The only recognized testing method that I know of is via HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography). Was it tested by this method? We have had our Bhut Jolokia peppers tested many, many times in New Mexico. We ALWAYS send them about 1/4 cup of each sample to be tested and this is because the lab requires this amount to verify results. Warwick University stated that they only had a small sample for their testing. Did they test the "Naga Viper" more than once? I think IF a potential world record was set, that they would have tested again, or THAT THE OWNER OF THIS SAMPLE would have tested again to verify. I know that if I would have set the world record that I would have had Guinness there to verify and post this ASAP. With this being said, I have doubts that this chili pepper did test at this record breaking level. Not to ruffle any feathers in the UK, I just don't buy this story.
To read this article and more, click here
Aloha and Mahalo,
Jamie
Keep the orders coming!
Aloha,
I have gotten several inquiries lately asking if we are still shipping seeds. The answer is YES. Nothing has changed except that we will no longer grow our organic Bhut Jolokia peppers commercially. I was just overwhelmed with all of the work--it's a bear to grow 400 plants organically. I will still be here to answer your questions, or to give you advice. I will still be growing the Bhut Jolokia pepper in my own garden along with several other varieties of peppers and of course all of my other fruits and vegetables. So, please keep those orders coming. We ship within 24 hours on any weekday order (Fridays before 2PM please).
Aloha, and Mahalo,
Jamie
thehottestpepper.com
Giant Seed Sale
First, I would like to thank all of you that have purchased my products over the past 3 years. It has been fun, and I have learned a lot. Next, I would like to bid all of you a fond "ALOHA" as I will be shutting down the commercial side of my website. It was just too much work taking care of all of the plants by hand and was cutting into my time to surf and run. I will still be here to answer questions and help all of you grow the hottest pepper, and/or I will be happy to give you advice on organic gardening. But, the great thing is that I have had a great growing season and have the mother lode of 100% organic Bhut Jolokia seeds ON SALE beginning in a few days...
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Back in the USSA
Aloha Pepper Heads! I have just returned from China. Again! And, I have to go back in another 4 weeks. In a few of our companies, we are manufacturers of outdoor/backyard products - backyardxscapes.com and bambooandtikis.com. This requires me to go to China, the Philippines, etc. a few times per year. This year however, I have been to China 3 times. With each new trip comes a new adventure...
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How to Care for Your Pepper Plant and Keep it Alive Through the Seasons.
Many people have asked me if it is possible to keep pepper plants through the winter and replant them next season. Pepper plants, both sweet and hot are perennials which means they live for more than 2 years...
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a Note from "Clean Water for the World"
Dear Jamie Kocher, Thank you for your generous donation of $1,000 from the "The Waimea Bay Chili Pepper Company". Your donation will help "Clean Water for the World" put our water purifiers in places that do not have potable water. 4,500 children die every day from water-borne diseases. Thanks for helping us in our efforts to change that statistic. Peace, Paul Flickinger, Executive Director, Clean Water for the World
THE HOTTEST PEPPER - JAMIE TV
Meet The Hottest Pepper
The hottest pepper in the world (By Far)
The origin of the Bhut Jolokia goes back hundreds of years and can be traced to the state of Assam in northeastern India. It was originally grown in this region as well as in areas of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.
It is also called the following names-
Naga (Cobra snake) Jolokia in Sanskrit
Raja Mirchi (King of Chilis) Nai Miris (Cobra Chili) in Sri Lanka
Naga Morich (Cobra Chili) in Bangladesh
Oo-Morok (Tree Chili) in Manipur
The Ghost Pepper or Ghost Chili in US
It was not known to the Western world until around 2000.
On September 6, 2000 the Defense Research Laboratory (DRL) located in Tezpur, Assam, India published a report stating that it had achieved a new world record of 855,000 SHU (Scoville heat units) obtained from a Naga Jolokia pepper. The DRL utilized the original method of measuring the heat of peppers invented by Wilbur Scoville in 1912. This method of testing was disputed by several professors, and experts in the United States and other parts of the world. They stated that this type of testing was too subjective and the only recognized and accurate type of testing was High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) because it removes all subjectivity. The chili tested by the DRL was not recognized as the record holder because of this.
Bhut Jolokia seeds were brought to the United States to be planted and tested by members of the Chili Pepper Institute (CPI) located on the campus of the New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico in 2001. Because of poor fruit and seed set, it took several years to get an acceptable field trial. Finally in 2005, at the Leyendecker Plant Science Research Center (1.5 miles south of Las Cruces) seeds were started in a plant medium under strict control and guidelines utilizing man-made chemical fertilizers. Professor Paul Bosland of NMSU was in charge and finally in the Fall of 2006, success was achieved. The Bhut Jolokia was confirmed as the world record holder by Guinness, and in February, 2007 it was official. Rated at 1,001,304 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), it bested by almost 2 times the old record holder the Red Savina Habanero.
At The Waimea Bay Chili Pepper Company, all of our plants are grown organically. The heat content of the Bhut Jolokia is increased by humidity and rainfall, something that we have plenty of here on the North Shore of Oahu. Our plants are 2 to 3 times larger than the typical Bhut Jolokia and produce 5 times as many fruit (300-400) per plant. It is our intent to break Professor Bosland's record this year. Stay tuned...
Featured Items
Changes in Color With Growth
As the fruit ripens,
it changes color,
slightly changes shape
and gradually
becomes red.
Guinness Book of World Records
In 2006, The Bhut
Jolokia was declared
"The Hottest Pepper"
in the world by the
Guinness Book
of World Records.
It's the Heat Gland that Houses the Heat
The heat gland
of the pepper is
the source of the heat!
