'Grim Reaper Brown' Hot Pepper Breeders Mix

Capsicum chinense

Origin: Cooley Springs, South Carolina

Improvement status: Breeding population

Seeds per packet: ~10

Germination tested 11/2023: 99%

Life cycle: Annual

Like 'Grim Reaper Red,' breeder Kevin Bane of Cooley Springs, South Carolina, got this pepper from his late friend Donnie Armstrong before he passed. This one is also the product of that single pepper plant that grew from a bunch of seeds kept in a hot garage for too many years. Kevin calls this "one mean looking chili." Says it has spikes and tails, that the fruit "look like they want to hurt you and they will." The flavor is very chocolatey, a bit earthy, floral, paired with knock-your-socks-off heat. "Chocolate love powder," Kevin calls it. "Brutal stuff. I love it."