James Thompson

Why you should trust me: I have been reviewing hot sauces and rating peppers for over six years. I ran the blog HeatSeeker for four years, reviewing 500+ commercial hot sauces with a consistent methodology. I have eaten raw superhots on camera more times than I can count and competed in sanctioned chile eating contests. I placed third at the Puckerbutt Reaper Eating Challenge 2022.

What I do at KnowThePepper: I write the head-to-head comparison articles. Every comparison includes firsthand tasting notes — I eat both peppers raw, cooked, and in sauce form before writing. I also maintain the heat tier classifications and write the substitution guidance for when you cannot find the pepper you need.

My hot sauce shelf: Currently 87 bottles deep. My daily rotation includes a habanero fermented sauce from Yellowbird, anything by Heartbeat, and a ghost pepper sauce from a guy in Vermont who grows everything himself.

Favorite comparison I have written: Scotch Bonnet vs Habanero. People think they are the same pepper. They are not even close in flavor. That article gets more traffic than anything else I have written, probably because everyone has the same argument.

Least favorite tasting experience: A Trinidad Moruga Scorpion raw, on an empty stomach, at 7 AM for a video shoot. The cramps lasted four hours. Worth it for the content.