# Black Karen

Also known as Black Karen (Mix).
Species: Capsicum chinense.

Black Karen is a Capsicum chinense cultivar from United States. Capsi’s sourced range is 600,000 SHU (Official breeder). Flavor is earthy, sweet, fruity. Used for Hot sauces, drying, and bold seasoning where extreme heat and dark color are wanted.. Heat is a range, not a single marketing number.
About 24 times a Capsi Jalapeño (25,086 SHU typical).

## Heat sources

- 600,000 SHU · Official breeder
  Towns-End Chili & Spice product page
  https://towns-endchiliandspice.com/products/black-bastard-pepper-seeds

- 400,000–600,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  The Pepper Pantry product page
  https://thepepperpantry.com/products/black-bastard-seeds

- 400,000–600,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  Bohica Pepper Hut product page
  https://bohicapepperhut.com/products/black-bastard-seeds

- 350,000–450,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  Rebec Valley Farm product page
  https://rebecvalleyfarm.com/product/school-bus-karen-pepper/

## Heritage

Unconfirmed

We don't have a documented family for this pepper yet.

Parents:
- 7JPN (Not in Capsi yet)
- Unknown (Unknown parent)

## Page sources

- [Texas Hot Peppers listing: 7JPN Dark × unknown, dark purple pods to dark red with purple splotches, extremely hot, high yielding.](https://texashotpeppers.net/products/black-karen)
- [Towns-End (breeder) page: C. chinense, 7JPN × unknown, F4, red version of Black Bastard, very hot/superhot.](https://towns-endchiliandspice.com/products/black-karen-pepper-seeds)
- [Towns-End Black B@stard page confirming red variants are Black Karen and ~600k estimate for the line.](https://towns-endchiliandspice.com/products/black-bastard-pepper-seeds)
- [Pepper Pantry: developed by Bryan Townshend, 400,000–600,000 SHU, dark purple foliage.](https://thepepperpantry.com/products/black-bastard-seeds)
- [Bohica Pepper Hut: same 400,000–600,000 SHU range and Townshend origin for the line.](https://bohicapepperhut.com/products/black-bastard-seeds)

## FAQ
### How hot is Black Karen?

Capsi’s sourced range is 600,000 SHU (Official breeder). 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 Black Karen taste like?

Earthy with sweet and fruity notes.

### How do I grow Black Karen?

Black Karen: about 100 days to maturity, tropical climate, full sun, hardiness zones 9-11.

### What can I substitute for Black Karen?

Capsi does not have that recorded yet.

Page: https://web.thecapsi.app/pepper/black-karen
Catalog: https://web.thecapsi.app/data