# Red Savina Habanero

Also known as Giant Red Habanero, Red Savina, Red Savina Chile, Savina Habanero.
Species: Capsicum chinense.

Red Savina Habanero is a Capsicum chinense selection from California (developed), United States. Capsi’s sourced range is 248,556 SHU (Lab-verified). Flavor is tropical-fruit, citrus, mango, floral, sweet. Used for gourmet hot sauces, salsas and relishes, mango-habanero pairings, marinades for seafood and poultry, spicy cocktails. Heat is a range, not a single marketing number.
About 9.9 times a Capsi Jalapeño (25,086 SHU typical).

## Heat sources

- 248,556 SHU · Lab-verified
  Bosland PW, Baral JB (2007) HortScience 42(2):222–224 · HPLC
  DOI: 10.21273/HORTSCI.42.2.222
  https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI.42.2.222

- 500,000 SHU · Official breeder
  Heat | New Mexico State University - Chile Pepper Institute
  https://cpi.nmsu.edu/chile-info/heat.html

- 350,000–577,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  Red Savina pepper
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Savina_pepper

## Heritage

Selection

Red Savina Habanero is a selection of Orange Habanero.

Credit: Frank Garcia Jr., GNS Spices · 1993

Parent:
- [Orange Habanero](https://web.thecapsi.app/pepper/orange-habanero)

Garcia’s 1992 PVP application records a single red plant found in a 30-acre standard habanero field, then three generations of selection. That source stock is Capsi’s Orange Habanero; no second parent is named.

## Page sources

- [Cultivar overview: breeder, PVP #9200255, Guinness dates, and the unverified 577,000 SHU claim versus the NMSU mean.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Savina_pepper)
- [Bosland & Baral, HortScience 42(2):222–224 (2007). Replicated NMSU HPLC trial: Red Savina mean 248,556 SHU.](https://journals.ashs.org/view/journals/hortsci/42/2/article-p222.xml)
- [Jonathan Kauffman, Saveur (2022). Garcia interview: press origin story versus the college-fund breeding project; Tabasco Habanero 1996.](https://www.saveur.com/culture/decade-of-the-chile-pepper/)
- [Grower notes: 1989 field selection, PVP dates, pod size, thick walls, green–orange–red ripening, 30–50 pods/plant.](https://www.harmonypeppers.com/post/blog-red-savina-habanero)
- [Seed catalog listing exclusive to Garcia/GNS stock: 380,000–500,000 SHU, 3–3.5 ft plants, ~90 days transplant to harvest.](https://www.reneesgarden.com/products/pepper-habanero-red-savina)
- [Specialist heat/flavor guide: 350,000–577,000 SHU published range, lantern shape, sauce and salsa uses.](https://pepperscale.com/red-savina-habanero/)
- [Culinary profile: Garcia origin, fruit size, sauce and marinade use, first habanero with USDA plant-variety protection.](https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-types/superhot-chili-peppers/red-savina-habanero-chili-peppers/)

## 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)

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