Welcome to OrganicLea’s World of Chillies!
At Hawkwood Plant Nursery, we grow and save seeds from more than 50 types of peppers. This living chilli collection includes varieties from almost every part of the world — every continent except Antarctica.
We love chillies for their rich colour and great productivity. Plus, they flavour dishes made in kitchens all over the globe. Are you curious about how spicy the peppers in your veg bag are?
Our tasting team came up with the OrganicLea Heat Rating (OGL Heat Rating), which is a simple guide to the strength of different chillies. We have occasional testing sessions on site during the lunch break.
Each OrganicLea Heat Rating unit is about 10,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), which is a standardised measure of a chilli pepper’s spiciness. The SHU indicates the number of times the fiery chemical compound, capsaicin, must be diluted with sugar water for the heat to become undetectable. So, 1 is very mild, 4 is medium, 6 is hot, and 10+ is extremely hot — up to and beyond 100,000 SHU!
A hotlist of our chilli collection
We’ve gathered together a tried-and-tested selection of piquant peppers:
Bolivian Rainbow has small fruits ranging from purple, yellow and orange ripening to red. Origin: Bolivia. OGL Heat Rating: 7
Cabe Merah Keriting translates to 'curly red chilli'. Its thin, wiry fruit are ideal for satay sauce. Origin: Java, Indonesia. OGL Heat Rating: 3
The seeds for the Chandanagar chilli were collected from a farmer in Chandanagar, Madya Pradesh, India. Origin: India. OGL Heat Rating: 2
The 2cm-long Chinese Five Colour pods are yellow, purple, black and orange ripening to red. Origin: China. OGL Heat Rating: 7
The Christmas Bell/Rose chilli grows in Portugal, where the 3cm-long pods decorate Christmas trees. Origin: Brazil. OGL Heat Rating: 4
The bright yellow Fatalii Yellow fruit are high in the chemical compound dihydrocapsaicin, which gives a second, delayed heat. Origin: Central African Republic. OGL Heat Rating: 10+
The 3-4cm-long orange Feferona pods are used to make preserves in Serbia. Origin: Serbia. OGL Heat Rating: 1
The well-known Mexican cultivar, Habanero, has orange, lantern-shape, 5cm long and 2-3cm wide fruit with a smoky flavour. Origin: Mexico. OGL Heat Rating: 10+
Italiano Picante produces plenty of small, 1.5-2.5cm-long pods that are ideal for arrabbiata sauce. Origin: Italy. OGL Heat Rating: 4
Jalapeno is named for the town of Jalapa/Xalapa. The mild bullet-shape pepper is 3-4cm long and ideal raw in salsas or pickled. Origin: Mexico OGL Heat Rating: 1
Joe's long Cayenne is thought to have originated in Italy. Our seeds came via an Australian heirloom seed company. Pods 15-25cm. Origin: Australia. OGL Heat Rating: 4
The 1-1.5cm-long Kaalakata pods pack a big punch of heat and flavour. Origin: Angola. OGL Heat Rating: 8
Kala Morich is hot, ripens to black and measure 2-3cm long. Origin: Bangladesh. OGL Heat Rating: 8
Kudz has red fruit, 4-6cm long and 1-1.5cm wide. Origin: Turkey OGLHeat Rating: 4
Lemon Drop is popular in Peru, due to its citrus-like flavour. Origin: Peru. OGL Heat Rating: 5
At 4cm in length and width, the Lobrasan pods are a fleshy, cherry-type fruit that ripens early. Origin: Croatia. OGL Heat Rating: 2
Long Green Buddha is mild and excellent in salsa when green. It's 9-12 cm in length and red when ripe. Origin: India. OGL Heat Rating: 1
Vibrant red/orange in colour, Nungwi Tamu pods are 3-4cm long. Origin: Zanzibar. OGL Heat Rating: 9
Lively Nyamirambo is from a district of Kigali in Rwanda. Origin: Rwanda. OGL Heat Rating: 7
The Palestinian pepper is mild, green and 3-5cm long. Origin: Palestine. OGL Heat Rating: 1
Pasilla Bajio has dark green to black 15-30cm-long pods. They are dried and ground for use in Mexican mole sauces. Origin: Mexico. OGL Heat Rating: 1
Ring Of Fire is a long thin cayenne chilli that ripens early, crops heavily and is ideal for growing in UK gardens. 8-10cm pods. Origin: USA. OGL Heat Rating: 8
Rocoto is from the least common species of cultivated Capsicum. The hairy plant yields lots of 5cm-long red pods with hard black seeds. Origin: Peru. OGL Heat Rating: 4
An OrganicLea grower noticed villagers near the town of Siena, Tuscany, Italy, growing Romanian Yellow in terracotta pots next to their front doors. Origin: Romania. OGL Heat Rating: 4
Rotes Teufele means red devil. The hot pods measure 4-5cm long. Origin: Germany. OGL Heat Rating: 8
Safi ripens to orange. Origin: Africa
The Serrano pepper is from the highlands around the town of Puebla, Mexico. The pods are an ingredient in the famous Mole Poblano sauce. Origin: Mexico. OGL Heat Rating: 3
Soverato comes from around Soverato, Italy, and is probably the only chilli cultivar with its own festival - the Festival del Pepperoncino Soverato. Origin: Italy. OGL Heat Rating: 4
The Tabasco chilli is behind the iconic sauce, made in Louisiana, USA, with a recipe from the Mexican county of Tabasco. Origin: Mexico. OGL Heat Rating: 4
The name Takanotsume refers to the pods' talon shape, meaning Hawk's Claw in Japanese. The pods are 3-4cm long. Origin: Japan. OGL Heat Rating: 6
Trifetti is on the endangered list at the Heritage Seed Library. Also known as Purple Tiger, the plant has small pods that ripen from dark purple to red. Origin: USA OGL Heat Rating: 5
Trinidad Scorpion Butch T is around 1,500,000 SHU, this is the world’s second hottest chilli. The pointed end is said to resemble a scorpion’s stinger, hence the name. Although, it could be due to the unbelievable tongue-sting from eating one. Origin: Trinidad & Tobago. OGL Heat Rating: Off the scale!
Vietnamese Tear Jerker has intense heat. Origin: Vietnam.
Yellow Scotch Bonnet is a key component of jerk seasoning. It is very hot and slightly sweet. Origin: Caribbean. OGL Heat Rating: 10+
More from the collection to whet your appetite
From mild to the hottest of the hot, these chillies all pack a flavourful punch.
- Autumn White
A flavoursome cultivar.
Origin: China
OrganicLea Heat Rating: 1 - Bengali Round
Sourced from the Ghandi Ashram, Chhatapur, India.
Origin: India
OrganicLea Heat Rating: 4 - Bird’s Eye
The ‘Piri Piri’ chilli has a very dry heat.
Origin: Tunisia
OrganicLea Heat Rating: 9 - Carolina Reaper
This is the world’s hottest chilli.
Origin: USA
OrganicLea Heat Rating: Off the scale! - Corno di Torro Giallo
A large multipurpose pepper, sweet and mild.
Origin: Italy
OrganicLea Heat Rating: 1 - Ethiopian Berbere
Berbere is an Ethiopian/ Eritrean spice mix of which this chilli is a vital constituent. It has a rich, smoky flavour.
Origin: Ethiopia
OrganicLea Heat Rating: 4 - Ho Chi Minh
This chilli has a heat that lingers.
Origin: Vietnam
OrganicLea Heat Rating: 2 - Karnataka
A small, hot and dry chilli.
Origin: India
OrganicLea Heat Rating: 3 - Mosi Oa Tunya
Origin: Zimbabwe
OrganicLea Heat Rating: 8 - Peter Pepper
Origin: USA
OrganicLea Heat Rating: 5 - Pimenta Biquinho
The pods have pointed ends and a mild flavour that’s perfect for pickling.
Origin: Brazil
OrganicLea Heat Rating: 1 - Pimenta Cambuci
The pepper pods look a bit like a Bishop’s crown and their heat is mild.
Origin: Brazil
OrganicLea Heat Rating: 1 - Pimento Tupa
A rounded pepper with a fruity flavour.
Origin: Brazil
OrganicLea Heat Rating: 3 - Sanchi Sutra
This chilli variety was found in a market near the ancient Buddhist town of Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Origin: India
OrganicLea Heat Rating: 5