Hard-Core 10+

If you don’t often eat very spicy foods, you might be completely unaware of the different levels of spiciness and you might find it difficult to relate to the purely theoretical number values. So that you know what we mean with these numbers, we feel obliged to explain this in a little more detail.

The different degrees of spiciness of products containing capsaicin

There are all kinds of different chili varieties, but contain more or less capsaicin. Capsaicin is the active ingredient that is responsible for the sensation of spicy heat. It is a natural part of the chili pepper. This active ingredient can be extracted and concentrated. Many chili sauces and powders are produced without using added concentrated capsaicin. In this case, the respective type of chili is used directly, sometimes in combination with other varieties if desired, in order to achieve a certain level of spicy heat. Spice levels 3 – 5 are suitable for beginners, who want to enjoy some spicy food. Most people are comfortable with this range of spiciness as they find this amount of spicy heat to be tolerable. If this amount of heat is used over a longer period of time, the body slowly becomes accustomed to it. At this point, you might want to attempt moving on to the spice levels 6 – 8. This range is already too hot for some people. Spices and sauces from this range are therefore usually only used by most people in diluted form or in very small amounts. Many chili lovers refer to spice levels 9 – 10 as “extreme sauces” and call this “inhuman” chili sauces. For untrained chili-eater, so-called extreme sauces and  inhuman chili sauces really are like hell on earth. Even proper inside experts call them divinely delicious, but devilishly hot. These and spices and sauces contain added capsaicin and should only be added to food in very small doses.

Warning! Please handle inhuman chili sauces rated 10+ with care

Chili sauces rated 10+ and the equivalent spices are only to be used minimally. Chili sauces rated 10+ contain larger amounts of added capsaicin and can cause extreme pain in your mouth and throat. Please never use chili sauces rated 10+ to play a trick on someone. For people who usually only add a very small amount of spice to their food, 10+ rated chili sauces can trigger a sheer pain shock. Please use such extreme chili sauces very sparingly and make sure you warn your guests before serving the food. Full fat milk and fatty food can help reduce the sensation of spicy heat relatively quickly.