Guides

Longer reads on the science, craft, and history of pepper heat. The calculators answer how; these answer why.

The Scoville Scale, Properly Explained

The science, the history, what the numbers mean in practice, and why the same pepper varies 2-5x in heat.

~10 min read

How to Make Hot Sauce at Home

Pepper selection, fermentation vs quick-cook, acidity for safety, heat management, and troubleshooting.

~10 min read

Capsaicin and Heat Tolerance

Why your mouth burns, why tolerance varies, and how to build yours over 4-8 weeks.

~10 min read

Growing Peppers by Climate Zone

Which peppers thrive in your USDA zone, container vs garden, and maximizing capsaicin production.

Coming soon

A Brief History of Pepper Cultivation

From the Amazon basin to every cuisine on earth. How peppers conquered the world in 500 years.

Coming soon