GUAJILO
(between 2,500 and
8,000 Scoville units):
A puree of soaked
chiles guajilos (a
dried pepper) will be
medium-hot, with a
strong flavor, a little
tartness and a hint
of smoke.
SERRANO
(between 8,000 and
22,000 Scoville units):
These medium-hot
green serrano chiles
have a strong, almost
grassy-tasting flavor.
They’re often called
chiles verdes in Mexico.
ARBOL
(between 15,000 and
30,000 Scoville units):
chiles de arbol start out
green and eventually
become bright red and
harbor a hot, sharp,
straightforward flavor.
HABANERO
(between 200,000 and
300,000 Scoville units):
True to its reputation, the
habanero is very, very hot.
It’s most commonly seen in
orange and red, but white,
brown and pink habaneros
exist as well. A variety of
the habanero called red
savina used to be thought
of as the hottest pepper,
but it’s the naga jolokia
that now holds the
Guinness World Record as
the world’s hottest spice,
recording over 1,000,000
Scoville units.