# Death Spiral

Also known as Death Pepper, Death peppers, Death Spiral chilies.
Species: Capsicum chinense.

Death Spiral is a Capsicum chinense cultivar from United Kingdom. Capsi’s sourced range is 1,195,149–1,500,000 SHU (Vendor Claim). Flavor is fruity, citrusy, floral, sweet. Used for hot sauces, salsas, chili powder, pickling, fermented sauces. Heat is a range, not a single marketing number.
About 52 times a Capsi Jalapeño (25,086 SHU typical).

## Heat sources

- 1,500,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  HRSeeds
  https://www.hrseeds.com/product-page/death-spiral-pepper-1

- 1,300,000–1,400,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  ChilliChump Seeds
  https://chillichumpseeds.com/s/death-spiral/

- 1,400,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  HRSeeds
  https://www.hrseeds.com/product-page/death-spiral-pepper-1

- 1,300,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  Top O' the Scoville: Our Favorite Superhot Peppers
  https://www.rareseeds.com/blog/post/top-o-the-scoville-our-favorite-superhot-peppers

- 1,200,000–1,300,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  Livingseeds
  https://www.livingseeds.co.za/vegetable-seeds/peppers-chillies/extreme-peppers/death-spiral-red.html

- 1,195,149 SHU · Vendor Claim
  SpiceQuest Labs · HPLC
  https://spicequestlabs.com/products/death-spiral-2-total

- 1,630,000 SHU · Unverified
  u/GreazzyPizza (2025) Reddit r/HotPeppers · HPLC
  https://www.reddit.com/r/HotPeppers/comments/1pbpn5t/death_spiral_scoville_test/

## Heritage

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

Peppers bred from Death Spiral:
- [Death Dragon](https://web.thecapsi.app/pepper/death-dragon)
- [Death Spiral Mustard](https://web.thecapsi.app/pepper/death-spiral-mustard)

## Page sources

- [PepperScale: Death Spiral Pepper Guide](https://pepperscale.com/death-spiral-pepper/)
- [PepperGeek: Death Spiral Peppers - A Beautiful Superhot](https://peppergeek.com/death-spiral-pepper/)
- [Baker Creek Rare Seeds: Death Spiral Pepper Fruity And Hot](https://www.rareseeds.com/blog/post/death-spiral-pepper-fruity-and-hot-hot-hot)
- [Reimer Seeds: Death Spiral Pepper Seeds](https://www.reimerseeds.com/death-spiral-pepper-seeds)
- [Refining Fire Chiles: Official origin and pod description](https://www.superhotchiles.com/product/death-spiral-pepper-seeds/)
- [Baker Creek: Product page with growing tips and specs](https://www.rareseeds.com/pepper-hot-death-spiral)

## FAQ
### How hot is Death Spiral?

Capsi’s sourced range is 1,195,149–1,500,000 SHU (Vendor Claim). 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 Death Spiral taste like?

Fruity and citrusy with subtle floral notes and surprising sweetness that balances the extreme heat.

### How do I grow Death Spiral?

Death Spiral: about 105 days to maturity, warm climate, full sun, hardiness zones 9-11.

### What can I substitute for Death Spiral?

Capsi does not have that recorded yet.

Page: https://web.thecapsi.app/pepper/death-spiral
Catalog: https://web.thecapsi.app/data