Dragon's Breath Pepper

The Dragon’s Breath pepper is an ultra-hot Capsicum chinense cultivar developed in St Asaph, Denbighshire, Wales, by grower Mike Smith in collaboration with Neal Price and Nottingham Trent University. Introduced to the public in May 2017, the cultivar made international headlines after analytical testing recorded extreme capsaicin concentrations peaking at an extraordinary 2.48 million Scoville Heat Units.

Bred originally for horticultural display, the pepper was entered into the 2017 RHS Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year competition. While its sensational heat rating placed it among the most intense chilies ever measured, the figure reflects single-trial university testing rather than an officially recognized Guinness World Record certification.

Origin and Genetics

Dragon’s Breath originated in St Asaph, Denbighshire, Wales, developed by horticulturalist Mike Smith alongside researcher Neal Price and Nottingham Trent University. Classified within the Capsicum chinense species, the cultivar was formally presented in May 2017 as a contender for the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year award.

Botanical Profile

As a member of the Solanaceae family, the plant produces pods that follow a standard maturation sequence, transitioning from immature green to a deep, vibrant mature red as they ripen on the branch.

Heat Profile

Dragon’s Breath sits firmly in the Superhot (1,000,000+ SHU) classification. Initial testing conducted at Nottingham Trent University using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) yielded a peak pungency measurement of 2.48 million SHU.

Despite significant media exposure around these peak figures, the cultivar’s extreme heat measurements derive from initial publicity trials. The rating was never validated through multi-sample peer-reviewed replicate studies or certified by Guinness World Records.