# Caribbean Red Habanero

Also known as West Indies Red Habanero, Caribbean Red.
Species: Capsicum chinense.

Caribbean Red Habanero is a Capsicum chinense landrace from Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. Capsi’s sourced range is 200,000–225,000 SHU (Lab-verified; typical 225,000). Flavor is citrusy, fruity, smoky, sweet. Used for hot sauces, salsas, stews, stir-fries, jerk seasoning. Heat is a range, not a single marketing number.
About 9 times a Capsi Jalapeño (25,086 SHU typical).

## Heat sources

- 200,000–225,000 SHU · Lab-verified
  Harold A.A. Gibbs and Leonard W. O'Garro (2004) HortScience 39(1):132-135 · HPLC
  DOI: 10.21273/HORTSCI.39.1.132
  https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI.39.1.132

- 300,000 SHU · Official breeder
  (2014) Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute
  https://www.cardi.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2014/07/GENUINE-CARIBBEAN-HOT-PEPPER-SEED-PRODUCED-AND-SOLD-BY-CARDI-25jul2014.pdf

- 445,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  Caribbean Red Pepper — Tomato Growers Supply Company
  https://tomatogrowers.com/collections/peppers-hot-peppers-ultra-hot/products/caribbean-red

- 350,000–400,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  Kitchen Garden Seeds — Caribbean Red Habanero Hot Chile Pepper
  https://www.kitchengardenseeds.com/caribbean-red-habanero-hot-chile-pepper.html

- 445,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  Holmes Seed Company — Caribbean Red Habanero Pepper Seeds
  https://www.holmesseed.com/caribbean-red-habanero/

- 400,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  Reimer Seeds — Caribbean Red Pepper Seeds
  https://www.reimerseeds.com/caribbean-red-pepper-seeds

- 400,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  Sandia Seed Company — Red Habanero Caribbean Seeds
  https://www.sandiaseed.com/products/red-habanero-caribbean-seeds

- 350,000–450,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  Pepper Joe's — Habanero Caribbean Red Pepper Seeds
  https://pepperjoe.com/products/habanero-caribbean-red-organic-pepper-seeds

## Heritage

Landrace

Caribbean Red Habanero is a traditional landrace.

Catalogs treat Caribbean Red as a collected Caribbean or Yucatán chinense type with no named parents. CARDI calls the overlapping West Indies Red a landrace later purified for seed, not a planned hybrid.

## Page sources

- [Peer-reviewed capsaicin assay of a Caribbean Red accession](https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/39/1/article-p132.xml)
- [Tomato Growers catalog: Caribbean origin note, fruit size, 110 days, dried-sample heat claim](https://tomatogrowers.com/collections/peppers-hot-peppers-ultra-hot/products/caribbean-red)
- [Baker Creek: West Indies Red Habanero as a Caribbean kitchen-garden heirloom](https://www.rareseeds.com/pepper-hot-west-indies-red-habanero)
- [Reimer Seeds: Yucatán origin, green to orange to red ripening, fruit size](https://www.reimerseeds.com/caribbean-red-pepper-seeds)
- [Kitchen Garden Seeds: plant height, days, germination, fruit size](https://www.kitchengardenseeds.com/caribbean-red-habanero-hot-chile-pepper.html)
- [Adams and Sisnett 2001: West Indies Red landrace and CARDI breeding-line names](https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/256675)
- [RHS plant profile: pale green to orange to red fruit, smoky-fruity flavor, 2.5-4 cm pods](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/307212/capsicum-chinense-(habanero-group)-habanero-caribbean-red/details)
- [UF/IFAS EDIS HS1244 heirloom hot pepper guide including Caribbean Red Habanero](https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-hs1244-2013)

## FAQ
### How hot is Caribbean Red Habanero?

Capsi’s sourced range is 200,000–225,000 SHU (Lab-verified; typical 225,000). 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 Caribbean Red Habanero taste like?

Tropical fruity aroma with bright citrus notes, a hint of smokiness, and increasing sweetness when fully ripe

### How do I grow Caribbean Red Habanero?

Caribbean Red Habanero: about 110 days to maturity, tropical climate, full sun, hardiness zones 9-11.

### What can I substitute for Caribbean Red Habanero?

Habanero

Page: https://web.thecapsi.app/pepper/caribbean-red-habanero
Catalog: https://web.thecapsi.app/data