A man who set up one of Britain’s first chilli farms has turned up the heat and developed the hottest chilli pepper – in the WORLD.
Grower Jon Rose, 50, believes his eye-watering hybrid variety is more fiery than any other grown on the planet.
Jon’s chilli – the Naga Hari – is a cross between two fearsome strains found in northern India.
And he says the pepper is so hot that it ”blows away” its closest rivals the Naga Viper and Infinity Chilli.
Jon said his variety will score higher on the Scoville scale – developed to measure the heat of chillies – and is awaiting confirmation.
He said: ”I have tasted a lot of extremely hot chillies but the Nagi Hari is mega-hot. It really is incredibly fiery.
”My tolerance level for heat is a lot higher than most people’s and this chilli blew my socks off. I couldn’t believe it when I tried it.
”I have regularly tasted what are said to be the hottest in the world and this one blows all the others out of the water – it’s fierce.”
Jon, who runs Goffins Farm in Exeter with his wife Sandy, 50, said he is now waiting for the chilli to be officially tested.
He said he would not reveal the exact formula for the orange-coloured hybrid until a reputable university had confirmed it as the world’s hottest.
Jon said: ”Our new chilli is growing well and will be available as soon as it is verified – although it will carry a health warning.
”We are now waiting to have it tested by a reputable university and have it confirmed as the hottest chilli.”
Father-of-seven Jon added: ”My father grew up in India and I travelled with him a lot when I was a child.
”My love of hot food and frustration with the quality of chilli peppers available in the supermarket led me to start my own farm.
”We now grow 15-20 different types of chillies. People are more open minded about different foods now so the sale of our chillies has become successful.”
The world’s hottest chilli – the Naga Viper – was grown in Cark-in-Cartmel, Cumbria, and scored 1,349,000 on the Scoville Heat Unit scale.
Look forward to pitting the Naga Viper against any chilli there is! “bring it on!”