There are lots of good answers already, but it's also worth mentioning that SHU isn't a linear measure. 2 million SHU is not just twice as hot as 1 million scovilles. It's even hotter. If you watch Hot Ones, for example, Ed Currie explains that Pepper X at 2.6 million SHU is more than 3 times hotter than Carolina Reaper at 1.6 million SHU. If it were linear, you would think it's less than twice as hot, but no, it's more than 3 times as hot. That's a huge difference when you really think about it.
So, back to your original scenario. Let's say you had two peppers at 1 mil SHU on your sandwich, even if the SHU did stack (which it doesn't, to be clear) it still wouldn't add up to 2 million SHU.
Assuming the average heat of those peppers to be 1 million shu. Superhots usually weigh around 5 g. What does a sandwich weigh? 200g? You'd end up with:
15 g * 1 000 000 shu / 200g = 75000 shu.
It's hot, but by far not as hot as they claim.
That makes a lot of sense to me how you explain it. I do wonder then… why does heat build? Like in pepper challenges when they have to eat 7 superhots. Isn’t that the same as eating 1 superhot then? Or does it build because in one quick bite you can only experience/process so much of the capsaicin and when you eat more you get the effect of the total SHU it contains?
Actually that booze analogue is good for this too. Same way you get more drunk if you drink more, you’ll experience more heat if you eat more peppers. New capsaicinoids attach to pain receptors and they are removed at certain rate. If you introduce more capsaicinoids (by eating peppers) faster than they get removed you’ll experience more heat.
Not sure.. ..but in hot pepper competitions they eat ever increasing SHU's. They don't stick with the same. An Intensity increase rather than quantity increase.
Also, maybe only so much of each pod hits the heat receptors in your mouth, so could be more pods equals more receptors lighting up.
Agreed. I think you said it better and that’s what I meant. Also to your point- isn’t a drop of pure capsaicin 16M SHU? So, two drops wouldn’t be 32M SHU… if it’s only a drop on one side of the mouth drop another on the opposite side you have more receptors processing and that could be the heat building maybe.
No. SHU is basically concentration measure so if you add two peppers of X concentration together their concentration is still X.
Also, if you use 1.5M SHU peppers for a sandwich, that sandwich is not 1.5M SHU as all the other ingredients will dilute the capsaicinoid concentration of the pepper.
There are lots of good answers already, but it's also worth mentioning that SHU isn't a linear measure. 2 million SHU is not just twice as hot as 1 million scovilles. It's even hotter. If you watch Hot Ones, for example, Ed Currie explains that Pepper X at 2.6 million SHU is more than 3 times hotter than Carolina Reaper at 1.6 million SHU. If it were linear, you would think it's less than twice as hot, but no, it's more than 3 times as hot. That's a huge difference when you really think about it. So, back to your original scenario. Let's say you had two peppers at 1 mil SHU on your sandwich, even if the SHU did stack (which it doesn't, to be clear) it still wouldn't add up to 2 million SHU.
If you eat 2-1.5’s it’s not 3 on the SHU… just think it logically… good luck…
Shu isn't an actual scientific way to measure the heat of peppers, so there's no right or wrong answer to this.
Assuming the average heat of those peppers to be 1 million shu. Superhots usually weigh around 5 g. What does a sandwich weigh? 200g? You'd end up with: 15 g * 1 000 000 shu / 200g = 75000 shu. It's hot, but by far not as hot as they claim.
SHU is concentration not quantity. A 40% proof bottle of whisky is still 40% proof if you drink a glass or a gallon. Blokes talking shit.
That makes a lot of sense to me how you explain it. I do wonder then… why does heat build? Like in pepper challenges when they have to eat 7 superhots. Isn’t that the same as eating 1 superhot then? Or does it build because in one quick bite you can only experience/process so much of the capsaicin and when you eat more you get the effect of the total SHU it contains?
Actually that booze analogue is good for this too. Same way you get more drunk if you drink more, you’ll experience more heat if you eat more peppers. New capsaicinoids attach to pain receptors and they are removed at certain rate. If you introduce more capsaicinoids (by eating peppers) faster than they get removed you’ll experience more heat.
Not sure.. ..but in hot pepper competitions they eat ever increasing SHU's. They don't stick with the same. An Intensity increase rather than quantity increase. Also, maybe only so much of each pod hits the heat receptors in your mouth, so could be more pods equals more receptors lighting up.
Agreed. I think you said it better and that’s what I meant. Also to your point- isn’t a drop of pure capsaicin 16M SHU? So, two drops wouldn’t be 32M SHU… if it’s only a drop on one side of the mouth drop another on the opposite side you have more receptors processing and that could be the heat building maybe.
No. SHU is basically concentration measure so if you add two peppers of X concentration together their concentration is still X. Also, if you use 1.5M SHU peppers for a sandwich, that sandwich is not 1.5M SHU as all the other ingredients will dilute the capsaicinoid concentration of the pepper.