Blood Ghost Pepper
Also known as Blood Ghost · Blood Ghost JS · Bhut Jolokia Blood
Minnesota-bred Red Ghost × Pink Tiger hybrid with near-black pods that ripen dark red and black-mottled. Superhot, sweet-fruity, and grown as much for its dark plants as for sauce heat.
About 32 times a Capsi Jalapeño (25,086 SHU typical).
Growing
~110 days to maturity
Fruit size
6.5–10 cm
Flavor & Use
Sweet and distinctly fruity up front, with light smoky depth and little of the floral note typical of red ghost peppers. The burn is a classic chinense creep rather than an instant spike.
Culinary
About
Blood Ghost is a modern Capsicum chinense hybrid of Red Ghost Pepper and Pink Tiger, selected for dark ornamental plants and a fruitier, less floral take on ghost-pepper flavor. Unripe pods are near-black or green-black; they ripen to a deep dark red or maroon, often mottled with black patches, and keep the thin, wrinkled skin of the Bhut Jolokia family. Plants are productive and container-capable, with dark purple to black stems and foliage, and usually reach about 3.5–4 feet. Heat is superhot—typically cited at 800,000 SHU and ranging from about 600,000 to 1,000,000 SHU—so a little fruit goes a long way in sauce, powder, or stew. The line is largely stable after a decade of grow-outs, though an occasional plant can drift back toward a plain red ghost.
Backstory
Jason Schwartz of Toadstool Gardens in Owatonna, Minnesota, crossed a red Bhut Jolokia with Pink Tiger—an Italian ornamental superhot that itself comes from ghost pepper and Pimenta da Neyde. The first plants appeared around 2013; he released the line a few years later after it had settled. Pink Tiger’s anthocyanin-heavy parentage shows in the black-mottled fruit and purple-black stems, while the ghost side supplies wrinkled pods and superhot heat. Schwartz highlights a sweet, highly fruity flavor with almost none of the floral note that turns some people off classic ghosts.
Appearance
Growing
Heritage
ExploreBlood Ghost Pepper is a stabilized line from Ghost Pepper and Pink Tiger Pepper.
Jason Schwartz · 2013
Sources
FAQ
- How hot is Blood Ghost Pepper?
- Capsi’s sourced range is 600,000–1,000,000 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 Blood Ghost Pepper taste like?
- Sweet and distinctly fruity up front, with light smoky depth and little of the floral note typical of red ghost peppers. The burn is a classic chinense creep rather than an instant spike.
- How do I grow Blood Ghost Pepper?
- Blood Ghost Pepper: about 110 days to maturity, subtropical climate, full sun, hardiness zones 9-11.
- What can I substitute for Blood Ghost Pepper?
- Capsi does not have that recorded yet.