Is this a weapon of mass destruction or just a weapon (hot hot hot hot peppers ID)

Hello permies.

As a mature, reasonable adult, I decided last year to try a few hot peppers. I had a few Pimiento de Padron, as well as a few Jalapeno. I had a few seeds too of Habanero, and of the dreaded Carolina Reaper. Since there was basically no summer last year, I had no fruit on those later peppers; and so I decided to dig them, put them in pots and overwinter them inside. This is where I have a problem.

As you all know, one of the biggest lie in life we tell ourselves is, "of course I'm going to remember what I planted there". So, all I am sure of is that I dug up either Habanero or Carolina reaper.

This year, I decided to plant peppers but gradually increasing their strength, in the hope of improving my own capsaicin tolerance, something we all strive to do at some point in life. So I have planted Shishitu (barely a pepper), Purple Delight, Variegata, and Habanero Chocolate brown. So I have a few visual comparison available.

This is the plant I am wondering about: what variety do you think it is, between Habanero and Carolina Reaper ?

Fruits:

Better view of the leaves:


For reference, here is a plant I know is an Habanero (chocolate brown variety, whereas the Habanero from last year was just "Habanero", so it is possible that there are some difference between Chocolate Brown Habanero and "just" Habanero (with some Plenitude K432 grain amaranth that decided to photo bomb):



What are your thoughts ?

i'm going to go with reaper. the folded up bottom of the fruit and sort of bumpy surface give it away.
if you're just building up your capsaicin tolerance, maybe be very careful with this plant. it's not fooling around!

I agree -- Reaper, for all the same reasons.

If you're new to superhots, I suggest one of these in a large pot of chili or similar, and maybe just slice the bottom open, but leave it whole so that you can fish it out and discard it after cooking. Or maybe grind one into a gallon of salsa.

Seeing how the fruit looks like it has a little scorpion tail on the bottom, I think that would be it, thanks for the confirmation.

As a Jalapeno pepper is already hot for me, be sure that I'll try a tiny, tiny bit of that Carolina Reaper.

If you have any tips on actually using very hot peppers, I'm all ears, although I'll probably do some research on my own. I might dilute them a lot, in order to actually eat them at some point.

I will also dry them for storage, however would using an electric dehydrator with a fan be a bad idea ? I don't want to make my kitchen a no man's land; all I am sure off is that actually cooking them can be dangerous with the capsaicin being volatile. I saw a video which had me burst out laughing about the hottest curry in the world, where the cooks literally need gas masks to cook that curry.

If you're going to cut them, then you need to take precautions. You could dry them whole and i don't think there's any issue.

I am a pepper person, I love hot peppers, but I don't like the superhots, frankly. But I know people who make good money selling sauces made from them or selling them to curious buyers. I might use them to make a capsaicin salve or a spray to keep my horses from chewing on the fence, but I don't think I'd use them in food I'd eat. I'll stick with my Chinese reds and habaneros.