Some Like it Hot

Lava Drops

Please meet Greg Foster. He is an avid self-proclaimed hot pepper enthusiast and, in fact, proudly founded San Diego-based Inferno Farms Hot Sauce Company in 2015 where among other items a 0.5 ounce vial of Stooooopid Hot Reaper tincture Lava Drops will set you back $30. Well this past Saturday at the League of Fire’s Reaper Challenge event held in Seaport Village, Greg attempted to break the Guinness World Record for most Carolina Reapers peppers consumed in a minute: 123 Carolina Reapers. Things did not go well. As is standard practice, Greg padded his stomach by breakfasting on fresh bananas earlier in the day, the better to buffer the coming acid bath. The starting bell rang and Greg furiously chomped on Reaper after Reaper taking equal-time cavernous, extinguishing gulps of ice cold water. It was Reaper #44 that ultimately brought Greg tumbling to his knees, doubling over in self-induced sweaty pain and tears.

For a basis of comparison, a Carolina Reaper is 140 times spicier than even the hottest jalapeno. Each Reaper is overloaded with about 2 million Scoville heat units compared to a spicy jalapeno’s 14,000.

60 seconds, 88 million Scoville heat units, untold indigestion. A Guinness representative was seen recoiling in sympathy off to the sides. Greg rebounded backstage under his wife’s careful supervision by shoveling in water, milk and ice cream; a time-worn recipe that shortens recovery time from days to an hour. Better luck next time, Greg! At least peppers are a proven Super Food and as you’ve ingested plenty of them, Too bad they don’t impart SuperPowers. In the meantime, Anyone for some Lave Drops?