Frequently Asked Questions

How can you measure/rate the heat of chillies?

There are a few different ways of measuring the heat of a chilli.

The first documented way to measure the heat of a chilli is invented and created by: Wilbur L. Scoville in 1912. He used a panel of people who would taste test the chillies. The sample would be watered down up until the panel could no longer detect any heat. The units of water added to the sample would then be rated on the Scoville scale (For instance the Habanero is rated app. 200.000 up to 550.000 Scoville units!)

Later in the 20th century around 1980 James Woodbury used a different technique to measure the heat of the chillies. He developed a technique to determine the level of capsaicin (the working ingredient in the chilli causing the pain) by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). A special measuring tool called a spectrofluorometer which can measure the capsaicin levels in parts per million. This is then translated back to the Scoville scale.

How to stop this burning pain!

There are a few first aid tips, which you can use to put out that fire…

Yoghurt, milk, sour cream, ice cream or cheese

Avocado does a good job too. Also any product with peanuts. Sugar, banana, cucumber or dry bread.

Basically any dairy product will take away the pain. The best one so far is yoghurt. Not because it takes the heat away the easiest but because it is not runny and you can keep it into your mouth to cool down. Also ice-cream offcourse this is furthermore a good excuse to eat a whole tub of the stuff.

Do not ever drink or try the following to cool down

Run around berserk with your mouth open, this is definitely not a cool idea to take away the pain. Furthermore it might look a wee bit silly for some.

Drinking of the following liquids makes the burning worse: water, beer or any other fuzzy drink. Although tempting to let your partner know that you really need that beer to cool down it does not work, find another excuse to drink.

The reason for this is that these liquids will open up your taste butts and worsen the sensation of the capsaicin, the working ingredient in the chilli.

What is the hottest part of a chilli?

The hottest part of the chilli is the flesh (called the placenta) around the seeds and the seeds itself. Although the flesh is the hottest part with the highest concentration of capsaicin.

Common reaction after eating chillies

Sweating (like a ....)

Light on your legs, wobbly. (Like using drugs, or so some customers told us)

Hard to breath

Scratching the back of your head

Hiccups

Runny nose

If you eat too much you might experiencing the following: Collapsed throat or hard to breath. Some would like to make love to their partner due to the euphoric sensation of the endorphins kicking in.

Why is chilli so addictive?

At the moment you eat chillies your body wants to cool you down and take away the pain caused by the capsaicin in the chilli. Your brain starts to produce endorphins, which is a natural painkiller. And as soon as they kick in you will feel and experience a nice endorphin rush and euphoria. The natural high, this is the main reason you always want more chilli! You will experience the same sensation with sports e.g. jogging. But to my opinion eating chillies is easier and it saves you the hassle of running down the street.

How can I spice up my chillies?

Cook them and eat them hot. A cooked up chilli will releases the oils and therefore expand its heat. Thus making the sensation hotter.

Add salt to your batch of chillies this will draw the oils out of the chilli and therefore make your chilli hotter. Also you can use white vinegar, grounded pepper, ginger or garlic to boost the heat in the chilli. Or worse, make a deadly cocktail with the lot. If this is still not hot enough try to use these artificial boosters: concentrated oils or get (battery?) acid! We do not recommend this; we prefer the natural taste and heat of our chillies. So do not try this at home please.

How do you spell chilli, chili, chile & Chile?

There are a few different ways of spelling the word chilli. It all depends on where you live.

In USA it is referred to as chile or pepper. Chile is originally Spanish spelling. In Australia we spell it as chilli. In UK/Europe it is again spelled differed and looses an l and spelled as chili. (as a reference to Chili con Carne?)

Christopher Columbus misnamed the chilli to pepper because he thought it was from the same genus/family as black pepper and therefore the confusion: pepper, chilli, chili (con carne) chile & Chile (Country in South America), paprika, capsicum (the Australian word for paprika and pronounced as kap-si-kum) capsaicin (working ingredient in chilli which causes the heat/pain and pronounced as Kap-say-kin.).

So therefore there is no rights or wrong spelling of the word chilli just region dependent. As we say in Australia: No worries mate, she'll be right!

How can I preserve my chillies?

We get alot of questions from our customers who grow their own chillies of how to preserve the access harvest? There are a few ways of preserving your chillies.

• You can put the chillies in an airtight container or plastic bag in the fridge, this way they will last for a few weeks.
• Freeze your chillies, as suggested above, and they will last a few months.
• Put the chillies in vinegar, which is a natural preservative. Keep product out of the sun and put it in your pantry, this way it will last you for a couple of years.
• Or put your chillies in oil same as the vinegar.
• Hang them to dry. Also very nice as a decoration or create your own chilli earring.
• Chillies with a thick skin are hard to dry (they get mould in them before they are dried) therefore these are smoked to preserve them. This is mainly done with the jalapeno chilli. (A smoked jalapeno chilli is called a chipotle chilli)
• Make sauces or chutneys, but leave that up to the experts please..
• The higher the capsaicin level in a chilli the better it preserves. Capsaicin is a natural preservative and therefore the hotter the chilli the better it keeps.

What is the shelf life of your products?

The shelf life of our product is 2 years. However DO NOT put products in direct sunlight (dark pantry or cabinet!) Please refrigerate the product after opening.

After opening the tomato-based chilli sauces and chutney's will keep for a minimum of 2 months in the refrigerator. These are the tomato-based sauces/chutney's: Fiery Frillneck hiss, Outback storm and Kangaroo punch.

All other products will keep for at least 3 months++ in the refrigerator. The extremely hot Turbo Supercharge, Bushfire burn and Dragon's blood even 12 months. (Just make sure to use a clean spoon to get the paste out of the jar!)

What is the Hottest! chilli in the world?

NEW! NEW! The Latest Search for the Hottest Chilli. Read more HERE.