Why Hot Peppers Really Aren't So Hot Anymore

Who knew things like "the environment" and the desire to "breed peppers for an attractive, uniform appearance" would have such an affect on their heat???

From Cooking Light (October 2006):

The growing environment has a huge role in the pungency of peppers, says Danise Coon, program coordinator for the Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. In response to the hot, dry climate of the Southwest, chile peppers produce capsaicin, the chemical that gives the pods their sgnature burn. But as demand has grown, so has the peppers' growing range. And plants grown in rainier and cooler parts of the country don't produce as much capsaicin, so their peppers may lack heat.

To give you some idea...

• Bell peppers score a zero on the Scoville scale which measures a pepper's heat.
  
• On the other end of the scale, habaneros rate 100,000 units or higher.
  
• Most hot peppers these days are ranging anywhere between 2,000 to 50,000 Scoville units.
  

They say, for the hottest jalapenos, you should look for Early and Mitla varieties, which are generally spicier than Delicias, Tam, or even Hot varieties.

I'm on it...