About KnowThePepper

Why We Made This

We started KnowThePepper because the pepper information online was either too shallow or flat-out wrong. We'd see sites listing SHU numbers with no source, growing advice that didn't account for climate, and "comparison" pages that were just two paragraphs of filler.

We wanted something better: a place where you can look up a pepper and actually learn what it tastes like, how hot it really is (with a cited source), what to use instead if you can't find it, and how to grow it yourself. Right now we cover 400+ varieties with profiles, comparisons, growing guides, and substitution data.

How We Work

The Team

KnowThePepper is a small team: pepper growers, a food scientist, a trained chef, and a heat enthusiast who'd rather be in the garden or the kitchen than behind a desk. Between us, we've grown over 200 varieties, made more hot sauce than we can count, and argued at length about whether the Scotch Bonnet is better than the habanero (it depends on the dish).

Marco Castillo Founder & Lead Writer

M.S. Agricultural Extension, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (2010); B.S. Horticulture, Texas A&M University (2008)

I grew my first habanero at 14 in my grandmother's backyard in Oaxaca. That single plant turned into a lifelong obsession. Twenty years later, I've grown over 200 varieties across three climate zones, tasted every pepper in this database (yes, including Pepper X), and built KnowThePepper because I was tired of seeing wrong SHU numbers and recycled content everywhere. I've volunteered with agricultural extension programs in Central America, judged at the ZestFest Hot Sauce Awards, and my superhot garden has been featured in Chile Pepper Magazine.

187 peppers 2 guides Pepper cultivation Superhot varieties SHU testing

Karen Liu Contributing Editor & Food Scientist

M.S. Food Science & Technology, UC Davis (2015); B.S. Chemistry, UCLA (2013)

I spent three years in a food chemistry lab studying capsaicinoid extraction before I realized I'd rather write about peppers than pipette them. I'm the one who fact-checks every SHU number on this site against published research — if it's not in a peer-reviewed paper or a USDA database, it doesn't go live. I have a Master's in Food Science from UC Davis and an unhealthy attachment to my HPLC calibration curves.

4 guides Capsaicinoid chemistry HPLC analysis Scoville testing

Rafael Peña Growing Guide Author & Master Gardener

Master Gardener Certification, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (2012); B.S. Plant Science, New Mexico State University (2011)

I'm a Master Gardener with 20 years of dirt under my fingernails. I run KnowThePepper's trial garden in central Texas, where we test whether growing advice actually works across different soils and climates. Before peppers, I spent a decade growing heirloom tomatoes commercially. Turns out peppers are harder, more rewarding, and far more addictive to collect.

1 guides Pepper cultivation Soil science Seed starting

Sofia Torres Culinary Writer & Recipe Developer

Professional Chef Diploma, Culinary Institute of America (2014); Certified Culinary Professional (CCP)

I'm a trained chef turned food writer who believes peppers are the most underused ingredient in American kitchens. I worked the line at two Michelin-starred restaurants in Mexico City before moving to the US, where I now develop recipes and write about how peppers actually behave in a pan — not just how they taste raw.

15 peppers Mexican cuisine Recipe development Pepper substitutions

James Thompson Hot Sauce Reviewer & Comparison Editor

Certified Cicerone (Beer); Certified Specialist of Spirits (CSS)

I have reviewed over 500 hot sauces and eaten more superhot peppers than my doctor would approve of. I write the comparison articles on KnowThePepper because I genuinely believe the best way to understand a pepper is to taste it next to another one. Before this, I ran a hot sauce review blog for four years and competed in chile eating contests. I placed third at the Puckerbutt Reaper Eating Challenge in 2022. My tolerance is stupid high. My taste buds somehow still work.

9 comparisons Pepper comparisons Hot sauce reviews Heat tolerance

Where Our Data Comes From

We're transparent about sourcing. Our data comes from public-domain and properly licensed sources. The full list is on our methodology and sources page.

E-E-A-T Standards

We follow Google's Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness framework — not because Google told us to, but because it aligns with how we already think about content quality:

Get in Touch

Found something wrong? Have a pepper we should add? Just want to talk peppers? Visit our contact page. We fix factual errors within 48 hours.