Red Savina Habanero
Also known as Giant Red Habanero · Red Savina · Red Savina Chile · Savina Habanero
A legendary record-holding habanero variety famous for its massive size, intense tropical-fruity aroma, and extreme heat that once held the Guinness World Record for the hottest pepper.
About 9.9 times a Capsi Jalapeño (25,086 SHU typical).
Growing
~95 days to maturity
Fruit size
4–6 cm
Flavor & Use
Intensely sweet and tropical-fruity with bright citrus, mango-like, and floral undertones; the flavor is rich and complex, providing a refined sweetness that balances the extreme, lingering heat.
Culinary
About
The Red Savina Habanero is a specially selected and stabilized variety of the chinense species originally developed in California from traditional Caribbean habanero stock. Its pods are significantly larger and more wrinkled than standard habaneros, typically 2–3 inches long and wide with a distinctive lantern or bell shape and deep lobes. They ripen from green to a brilliant, glossy scarlet red. The plant grows vigorously and bushy, often reaching 3–4 feet tall with high productivity in warm conditions. Beneath its ferocious heat lies a complex, sweet-tropical fruitiness with citrus, mango, and floral notes that many growers and chefs consider superior to ordinary habaneros. This variety became an icon in the superhot pepper world during the 1990s and remains a benchmark for heat and flavor in home gardens and gourmet hot-sauce production.
Backstory
In 1989 Frank Garcia of GNS Spices in Walnut, California isolated a single red-fruited plant from a field of orange habaneros and selected it over several generations for hotter, heavier pods. The cultivar was USDA-registered and received Plant Variety Protection (PVP #9200255; certified 1993, expired 2011). Garcia later told Saveur the lone-mutant-in-the-tractor story was the press version; he was an aerospace engineer who put his children's college funds into breeding a consistently extra-hot red habanero. McIlhenny bought the fruit for Tabasco Habanero in 1996.
Appearance
Growing
Heritage
ExploreRed Savina Habanero is a selection of Orange Habanero.
Frank Garcia Jr., GNS Spices · 1993
Sources
FAQ
- How hot is Red Savina Habanero?
- Capsi’s sourced range is 248,556 SHU (Lab-verified). 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 Red Savina Habanero taste like?
- Intensely sweet and tropical-fruity with bright citrus, mango-like, and floral undertones; the flavor is rich and complex, providing a refined sweetness that balances the extreme, lingering heat.
- How do I grow Red Savina Habanero?
- Red Savina Habanero: about 95 days to maturity, warm subtropical climate, full sun, hardiness zones 9-11.
- What can I substitute for Red Savina Habanero?
- regular habanero (milder), Scotch Bonnet (similar flavor profile)