The Orange Ghost pepper is a new member of the Ghost pepper family. At one time, its cousin, the world famous Red Ghost pepper, held the record for hottest pepper. The heat level and flavor of the Orange Ghost pepper is very similar to that of the Red Ghost pepper, but the orange variety has a more citrusy flavor. The extreme heat kicks in almost immediately after consumption and builds up for several minutes.
The Orange Ghost pepper is wrinkly and pointy, and the pods start off green and eventually ripen to a bold orange color. From 2007 to 2012, Guinness World Records certified that the Ghost pepper was the world's hottest pepper. Eventually the Ghost pepper was overtaken by the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T pepper and the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion as the world’s hottest pepper. In 2013, both of those peppers were taken over by the Carolina Reaper.
Although the Ghost pepper is no longer the hottest pepper in the world, it’s still as popular as ever. Some of the most popular hot sauces in the world feature the Ghost pepper as the main hot pepper ingredient. The recent surge in spicy food and beverage items often cite Ghost pepper as a main ingredient, such as Ghost pepper burgers, Ghost pepper chips, and craft beers that are brewed with Ghost peppers.
There are several different colored strains of the Ghost pepper, including the Red Ghost pepper, White Ghost pepper, Peach Ghost pepper, Chocolate Ghost pepper, and Yellow Ghost pepper. The Ghost pepper is related to the Naga Viper, Dorset Naga, Naga Morich, Chocolate Bhutlah, and Jay’s Peach Ghost Scorpion.
