Until fairly recently, we did not really understand why Ghost Chillies behave differently to other chillies.
Then they discovered Ghost Chillies have a fair amount of Capsaicin (the stuff that makes chilli hot) - not just in the veins and seeds (as is the case with most mild chillies), but also in the fruit cells and - most surprisingly - in the cell walls, where the Capsaicin appears in a slightly oily form.
So instead of one kind of heat, Ghost Chillies have three. This is where it gets interesting... the heat builds at different rates, in different places... and it does not ‘let go’ easily or quickly - hence Ghost Chilli - it haunts you for hours!
Ukuva’s Ghost Chilli Hot Drops is hot - in fact, it is very, very hot - its so hot it should be kept away from small children, pets and un-informed people... BUT there is a great deal of chilli magic in Ghost Chilli when its used the right way - and it does not have to be insanely hot.
Sure - if you’re a complete heat-freak-chilli-head: use it at the table and be generous - Ghost Chilli will elevate most prepared foods to chilli-lovers’ heaven.
If you’re a little more cautious - use a little bit of Ghost Chilli when you’re preparing the dish (literally drops!) - it ‘zings’ many more flavours than normal chilli because it attaches to different carriers in the food: some to the watery molecules, some to the fat particles - some react with the sugars, some with the salt, some with the sour and some with the bitter... Some of the chilli taste presents as ‘lively’, front and center - some of the chilli taste lingers in the background and builds - each bite adding a little more chilli depth.
It is a chilli experience unlike any other, much more rounded; more ‘complete’ - and best of all, you can choose: HOT or not so hot.
Enjoy!
PS: People often ask how 'hot' is HOT? For a start, not everyone experiences 'chilli heat' the same way- some people are by nature more immune - some more sensitive - but even the most robust chilli fans have been known to sweat a little after a meal with a generous helping of Ghost Hot Drops!
If a salad pepper is ‘0’ on the Scoville Heat Units (SHU) scale, and a Habanero is roughly 100,000 SHU, the Ghost Chilli is between 8 and 10 times hotter at around 1,000,000 SHU. Pure Capsaicin is 16,000,000 (defence grade pepper spray around 2,000,000).