Red Savina



The Red Savina pepper is a cultivar of the habanero chile (Capsicum chinense Jacquin), which has been to produce hotter, heavier, and larger peppers. It is also commonly known as the Dominican Devil's Tongue Pepper or the Ball of Fire Pepper in Guyana.

Frank Garcia of GNS Spices, in Walnut, California, is credited with being the developer of the Red Savina habanero. The exact method Garcia used to select the hottest strains is not publicly known.

The Red Savina is protected by the U.S. Plant Variety Protection Act (PVP #9200255)

Samples of Red Savina have been measured as high as 580,000 Scoville units, however many chilli enthusiasts growing the Red Savina have been unable to reach this level of heat, even with certified Red Savina seed. The Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico, conducted an extensive field trial to test the Red Savina. In this scientific growth trial the Red Savina was unable to reach 250,000 scoville units.

Most pepper aficianado's seem to agree that, in spite of the hype about the pepper, the Caribbean Red Habanero is actually hotter and more flavorful than the Red Savina, routinely achieving scoville ratings of well over 400,000.

In February 2007 the Red Savina chili was displaced in Guinness World Records as the hottest chili in the world by the Naga Jolokia pepper. The Red Savina held the record from 1994 until 2006.