Bhut Orange Copenhagen
Also known as BOC · Bhut Jolokia Orange Copenhagen · Orange Copenhagen
Bhut Orange Copenhagen is a Capsicum chinense selection from Hørsholm, Denmark. Capsi’s sourced range is 519,000–613,000 SHU (Lab-verified; typical 566,000). Flavor is citrusy, fruity, tropical. Used for Ideal for colorful hot sauces, salsas, pickling, drying into vibrant orange powder or flakes, jams and jellies. Heat is a range, not a single marketing number.
About 18 times a Capsi Jalapeño (31,902 SHU typical).
Growing
~90 days to maturity
Fruit size
6–8 cm
Flavor & Use
Bright citrus and tropical fruit notes with orange or mandarin character; notably less bitter than many other orange Bhut Jolokia types and highly aromatic.
Culinary
About
An orange variant of the Bhut Jolokia (ghost pepper), the Bhut Orange Copenhagen produces shorter, wider, chubby and wrinkled pods that mature from green to a vibrant golden-orange. Selected by Søren Friis Larsen in Hørsholm, Denmark, starting around 2009 from orange fruits on Bhut Jolokia-related plants and refined over generations with Bjarne Højlund, it is prized for a cleaner, less bitter fruity-citrus taste compared to other orange ghosts. Plants grow 90–120 cm tall and are prolific, maturing relatively early for a chinense at about 90 days. The peppers are excellent for sauces, salsas, jams, drying, and powder, delivering high heat with complex flavor.
Backstory
Selected and stabilized around 2009 in Hørsholm, Denmark (near Copenhagen) by chili enthusiast Søren Friis Larsen from orange-fruited plants related to Bhut Jolokia, possibly a mutation or cross. Refined over successive generations of selection for flavor, heat and vigor in collaboration with Bjarne Højlund; the variety was later trademarked and shared with growers as Bhut Orange Copenhagen (BOC).
Appearance
Growing
Heritage
Bhut Orange Copenhagen is a selection of Ghost Pepper.
Søren Friis Larsen · 2009
Peppers bred from Bhut Orange Copenhagen
Larsen’s interviews and a 2013 breeder email both say one orange plant appeared among ten Bhut Jolokia seedlings in 2009 and was selected, not crossed. Højlund’s catalog and independent seed lists treat it as that Ghost off-type; a habanero second parent is only a newspaper guess.
Sources
Heat figures in Capsi are tied to a source and a trust tier. How we verify heat
- 519,000–613,000 SHU · Lab-verifiedLars Duelund, Ole G. Mouritsen (2017) Food Chemistry · HPLC10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.11.074
- 591,000 SHU · Official breederLars Sandager Ramlow (2014) sn.dk (Frederiksborg Amts Avis) · HPLC
- 600,000–900,000 SHU · Vendor ClaimBhut Orange Copenhagen Seeds
- 600,000–900,000 SHU · Vendor ClaimBhut Orange Copenhagen
- 900,000 SHU · Vendor ClaimBhut Orange Copenhagen Pepper Seeds
- 1,000,000 SHU · Vendor ClaimBhut Orange Copenhagen Chili Pepper
- 2013 Danish news article detailing Søren Friis Larsen’s development of Bhut Orange Copenhagen in Hørsholmdinavis.dk
- Seed catalog listing SHU range 600,000–900,000+, flavor notes, plant size and days to harvestpepperjoe.com
- Detailed growing specifications, 3×3-inch pod size, plant height, 900,000 SHU and Danish originreimerseeds.com
- Origin story attributing discovery and selection to Soren Friis Larsen and Bjarne Hojlund in 2009superhotchiles.com
- Plant height 100–120 cm, heavy yield of golden-orange fruits and approximate 1,000,000 SHUmerakiseeds.com
- Species confirmation, 600,000–900,000 SHU, appearance and citrus-tropical flavor descriptionthehippyseedcompany.com
- Danish Wikipedia entry confirming 2009 Hørsholm origin by Søren Friis Larsen, refinement with Bjarne Højlund, and trademark statusda.wikipedia.org
- UK specialist farm listing confirming Danish creators Soren Friis Larsen and Bjarne Hojlund, SHU 600,000–900,000+, fruity notes and growing requirementssouthdevonchillifarm.co.uk
Last updated 18 Aug 2026 at 07:17
FAQ
- How hot is Bhut Orange Copenhagen?
- Capsi’s sourced range is 519,000–613,000 SHU (Lab-verified; typical 566,000). Capsi uses a sourced range and a trust tier, not a single marketing number. How we verify heat: https://web.thecapsi.app/learn/heat-and-capsaicin/how-we-measure-heat
- What does Bhut Orange Copenhagen taste like?
- Bright citrus and tropical fruit notes with orange or mandarin character; notably less bitter than many other orange Bhut Jolokia types and highly aromatic.
- How do I grow Bhut Orange Copenhagen?
- Bhut Orange Copenhagen: about 90 days to maturity, subtropical climate, full sun, hardiness zones 9-11.
- What can I substitute for Bhut Orange Copenhagen?
- Capsi does not have that recorded yet.