Chili varieties: The best hot & mild chillies

Jalapeño, Tabasco, Cayenne and Habanero are well-known varieties. You can find the best types of chili, from mild and fruity to fiery and hot, here.

The variety of different chilli types and varieties is enormous. In our article we present the best, tastiest and hottest chillies (Capsicum) of the four main types. According to experts, there are 3,000 to 4,000 different types of chili worldwide. This enormous number is divided into about 35 different species. Because both paprika and chili belong to the genus Capsicum, which is divided into over 35 species.

The most well-known types of chili include:

• Capsicum annuum: The most common type, which includes sweet and mild sweet pepper varieties such as block peppers as well as small and fiery hot tepin.
• Capsicum baccatum: A type of chili that is particularly popular in Central and South America and is known for its particularly fruity aroma. One of the better known varieties of C. baccatum is Lemon Drop.
• Capsicum chinense: Although this type of chili does not come from China, as is wrongly assumed, the varieties of this type are among the hottest. Well-known varieties are Habanero or Bhut Jolokia.
• Capsicum frutescens: Plant scientists are still not sure whether this is an independent chilli species. Fruits of C. frutescens are always very hot, which most people should have noticed from the Tabasco variety.
• Other but rather insignificant chili species are Capsicum buforum, C. cardenasii, C. eximium, C. pereirae and C. tovarii.

In our article we present the best, tastiest and hottest chillies of the four main types. Is your favorite variety missing? Then send us a short description and some pictures via email. The variety of different types and varieties of chili is enormous. We have compiled the most popular types of chili for you in our overview.

Capsicum annuum: The most common species

The species Capsicum annuum is the most widespread type of chili. It includes sweet sweet peppers as well as very hot chili. It is sometimes claimed in the literature thatthat C. annuum is an annual, which is simply wrong. The most popular varieties include:

• Aconcagua: These red, thick-fleshed Cubanelle-type chillies are characterized by their aromatic sweetness. This variety is particularly popular in salads or for direct consumption.
• Anaheim: This thick-fleshed chili is one of the most popular varieties, and not just in Anaheim, California, where it is named after. The hanging fruits can be harvested both green and red and used in many ways: grilling, stuffing, eating fresh and much more.
• De Arbol: Due to its tree-like and woody growth, this chili is often referred to as "tree pepper". The thin-walled, slightly broken fruits turn from green to red when ripe and have a slightly smoky aroma after drying.
• Black Namaqualand: The bushy, compact variety bears upright, drop-shaped, rather thin-walled fruits, which turn from black to red. The dark violet flowers and shoots also make this chili attractively decorative. In addition to seasoning, it also makes an ideal pot plant.
• Bolivian Rainbow: This chilli is a popular houseplant because of its dark purple leaves and white flowers with a purple border. The small, upright fruits turn from violet to orange-red, but unfortunately have a rather weak aroma.
• Bonsai chilli: This mini chilli finds a place everywhere! The small red fruits are often used as a substitute for Thai chili.
• Bulgarian Carrot: This variety bears many fleshy, carrot-shaped fruits. The chillies are particularly popular in chutneys, sauces and salsas due to their good heat and sweet aroma. At the same time, they turn bright orange.
• Cascabel: This variety got its name "rattle" because of its round-oval shape and the rattling sound of the dried fruits. The small red fruits have a sweet aroma with a pleasant spiciness.

• Cayenne: This variety is characterized by its biting heat with a slightly smoky aroma and is best known as Cayenne pepper. The thin-walled fruits are elongated, slightly curved and change color from green to red.
• Cayenne Golden: These chilies are wider than the regular Cayenne and bright yellow in color. The two varieties are very similar in terms of heat and aroma.
• Chilhuacle Negro: This variety produces block-shaped to conical chilies that are brown in color and very popular for their smoky aromain spice pastes or moles. The plant is also resistant to tobacco mosaic virus.
• Corno di Toro: The shape of the slightly curved pointed peppers is reminiscent of a bull's horn. The thick-fleshed fruits are ideal for salads and salsas or for stuffing, roasting, pickling and much more.

• Elephant: This variety bears thick-fleshed, pointed-conical fruits pierced with gray fissures. The actually red chili got its name from the resemblance to an elephant's trunk.
• Ferenc Tender: These thick-fleshed, pointed-cap-shaped sweet peppers are very popular in salads and salsas or for stuffing and grilling because of their juicy aroma.

• Feuerkiss: This compact ornamental chilli bears conical to oval fruits with three different fruit colours.
• Firecracker: This short cultivar is also good for pot cultivation. The oblong fruits can range in color from yellow-green with violet veins through orange to red.
• Fish Pepper: The green and white striped red chillies are often used to refine fish dishes. Due to its compact growth, this very decorative variety is also well suited for pot culture.
• Fluorescent: This extremely decorative variety not only has black-purple chillies, but also their foliage and flowers are dark-purple in color. The fruits turn deep red when ripe and have a pungent aroma.
• Fresno: With this variety, too, the ornamental value is in the foreground. The white flowers are framed in violet and the stamens and carpels (sometimes even the shoot) are colored violet. The conical green fruits have a purple vein and turn red when ripe.
• Hungarian Black: Closely related to the Jalapenos, this variety produces conical, thick-fleshed chilies that color from black to red with some black spots. The aroma is also similar to the jalapeno. Its violet flowers and the grain of the foliage and shoots have a high ornamental value.
• Jalapeño: One of the best known and most popular chili varieties! The fleshy, juicy fruits are tapered and turn from green to red with black spots and cracks. Their great flavor makes them popular in salsas or for stuffing, roasting/grilling or pickling.

Tip: Also in our Plantura chili growing setSeeds for the jalapeño included. In addition to four other varieties, the set includes everything you need to grow your own chillies.

• Kitchen Pepper: The wavy, cap-shaped fruits with a partially dented tip are ideal for powder production. Its pronounced but pleasant spiciness is indispensable as a seasoning in any kitchen.
• Lanterna de Foc: The elongated pointed chilies are very similar to cayenne both in appearance and in aroma.
• Purple Cayenne: The unripe, black-purple fruits and the showy flowers are a real eye-catcher! In salsas, the elongated, pointed chillies provide the necessary heat.
• Medusa: The Naschzipfel bears many small fruits without heat. The sweet fruits are therefore ideal for fresh consumption. The compact growth habit and the high ornamental value make this variety the ideal houseplant.
• Mulato: This mild pointed pepper has an excellent smoky aroma and is often used for filling or in chocolate dishes.
• Mushroom Red/Yellow: The thin-walled chillies are shaped like a mushroom and develop a pronounced heat. They are good for making sauces and salsas or for stuffing.
• NuMex Big Jim: The variety bears extremely large fruits weighing up to 100g and thus holds the world record.
• Pequin: This variety bears numerous small, conically shaped fruits. Due to their heat and sweet paprika aroma, the chillies are popular in sauces, soups, salsas and as a spice.
• Peter Pepper: The absolute eye-catcher! The strain is also known as Penis Pepper, and the shriveled fruit shape gives an idea of why. The slightly hot chillies are suitable for sauces and for seasoning.
• Pimiento de Padron: This variety has elongated, differently shaped fruits and the spiciness also varies greatly among the chillies.
• Purple Marconi: This variety produces juicy, purple chillies in block form. The thick-fleshed fruits are characterized by their sweetness and low heat. They are therefore very popular in salads, salsas or stuffed.
• Purple Tiger: Not only the black-purple chilies, but also the three-colored leaves make this variety a real eye-catcher. A large area of violet coloring with white variegation is created on the dark green background.
• Royal Black: This extraordinary ornamental chilli bears elongated oval fruits and both the plant itself and the chillies are beautifully colored dark violet/black. Also easy to grow in pots.
• Santa Fe Grande: This variety carries manythick-fleshed fruits with a slight heat and a good aroma. When ripe, the greenish-yellow chillies turn bright red. They are mainly made into salsas or filled and served with salads.
• Sarit Gat: This high-yielding variety has lots of bright yellow chilies with a pleasant heat.

• Serrano: The long, bright red and juicy chillies are best eaten fresh thanks to their sweet aroma.
• Sweet Banana: The oblong, curved banana shape of the fruit gives it its name. The non-spicy chilies have a wonderfully sweet aroma and are popular in salads, salsas or for pickling.
• Sweet Chocolate: This variety bears elongated, sometimes pointed fruits. The thick-fleshed chillies are characterized by their sweetness and chocolate-brown color.
• Tepin: These small, pea-shaped chillies are extraordinarily hot. Almost all chili and paprika varieties that are common today are said to be Tepin breeds.
• Thai Orange: This extremely productive variety is also ideal as a decorative pot plant. The narrow, elongated fruits turn bright yellow when ripe and should not be missing in any yellow Thai curry. Above all, the flowery aroma and the intense, lasting heat of the chili make it a very popular variety.
• Turuncu Spiral: The long, spiral-shaped chillies stand out because of their bright orange colour. The sharpness is very pleasant.

Capsicum baccatum: species with a particularly fruity aroma

Capsicum baccatum is particularly popular in Central and South America. This species stands out for its particularly fruity aroma. Contrary to popular belief, not all fruits of C. baccatum are small and berry-shaped. If you want to grow varieties of this species in our country, you should start the seeds very early, as C. baccatum takes a long time to mature.

• Aji Pineapple: The name says it all! This chilli has an excellent pineapple flavor and is therefore very popular in fruity sauces or salsas. The small, pointed fruits are thin and can also be grown in pots without any problems.
• Bishops Crown: The red, thick-fleshed fruits are shaped like a bishop's hat and have an extremely aromatic taste, but with clear differences in heat between the fruits.
• Lemon Drop: The drop-shaped elongated chillies are lemon yellow in color and their aroma also tastes fabulous of lemon.
• Rainforest: The rather small,Teardrop-shaped fruits are slightly wrinkled at the top and turn from light green to red when ripe. The tangy citrus aroma harmonises perfectly with the spiciness and is particularly effective in salsas.

Capsicum chinense: chillies from fruity to hellishly hot

The variety does not come from China, as the name suggests. However, some of the hottest chili varieties (Carolina Reaper, Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, Bhut Jolokia) belong to this species. C. chinense is known for its fruity aroma. If you want to enjoy this, the chili peppers must be prepared gently. If the spiciness of Habanero and Co is too hot for you, you can also use the very mild variety Ají Dulce.

• 7 Pod SR Strain: One of the hottest chillies in the world, but still very aromatic. The pointed fruits have an inverted tip and a rough surface. The initially green chillies turn bright red as they ripen and are processed into sauces.
• Aji Dulce Amarillo: A juicy chili with an intense chinense aroma and little heat. The long, folded fruits are orange-yellow in color and are particularly popular for eating fresh or in salsas and salads.
• Aji Panca: These chillies are characterized by their smoky aroma and are therefore popular for moles. The fruits are thin-fleshed and also known as "Aji Brown" because of their brown color.
• Bhut Jolokia: This variety currently holds the hotness world record! With over 1 million Scoville, the wrinkled, pointed fruits with an irregular surface more than deserve the names Ghost Pepper / Bhut Jolokia=ghost chili, Bih Jolokia=poisonous chili, Raja chilli=king of the chilies.
• Bolivian Bumpy: This chili is a cross between "Bolivian Rainbow" x "Yellow Bumpy" and has a wonderfully fruity aroma. The fruits are relatively thin and hang down like lanterns. The yellow chillies get their violet-brownish shades from the sun's rays.
• Bahamian: This variety bears oblong, blunt-ended and thick-fleshed fruits. The yellowish-green to orange-red, upright growing chillies are juicy and aromatically hot.
• Dorset Naga: This variety is also one of the hottest chillies in the world. The red fruits are slightly wrinkled, tapering and are mostly used for sauces, salsas or for seasoning.
• Fatalii: The wrinkled and pointed fruits are among the very hot representatives of this genus. The fleshy, yellow onesFruits are often used in hot sauces.
• Goronong: This variety bears irregularly folded fruits that are heavily wavy and resemble a sack. The relatively thin-fleshed orange chillies have an extremely good aroma and are often used in sauces.
• Habanero Chocolate: The chocolate-brown colored chillies are relatively thin-fleshed and folded. This very hot habanero has a lot of flavor and is popular in sauces, salsas and for seasoning.
• Habanero Mustard: The mustard-colored fruits are thick and heavily folded. It is a very juicy and fruity variant of the Habanero.
• Habanero Orange: This variety is one of the hottest of all chillies and still has an extraordinarily fruity aroma! The fruits are folded like lanterns and are bright orange when ripe.

• Habanero Peach: The peach-colored chilies are thin-fleshed and slightly wrinkled. The spicy fruits are popular in sauces and salsas.
• Habanero Red: This variety is one of the hottest of all chillies and still has a wonderful fruity aroma! The fruits are folded like a lantern and bright red when ripe.
• Habanero Red Savina: This variety has long held the title of the hottest chili in the world. The lantern-like red fruits are mainly used in hot sauces.
• Limon: This strain delivers an extremely high yield of small, teardrop-shaped chilies that glow lemon yellow. The aromatically hot fruits are popular in sauces and salsas.
• Naga Morich: This slightly wrinkled, pointed chili is extremely hot and closely related to the Bhut Jolokia variety. The fruits are good in sauces and salsas.
• NuMex Suave Orange: This Habanero variety is characterized by its great fruity aroma, but without the biting heat. The mild orange fruits are therefore very popular in salads, salsas, with fish or for pickling.
• Peru Scarlet Lantern: As the name suggests, the small chilies are lantern-shaped and brightly colored. At the same time, they are extraordinarily hot and popular in hot sauces and salsas.
• Peruvian Long Brown: This variety has long, pointed chilies that are slightly folded and slightly curved. The very hot, brown fruits are usually used in sauces.
• Pimenta da Neyde: This variety is one of the rarities of its genus. Because even when ripe, the oblong-oval to lantern-shaped chillies with a blunt tip are beautifully purplecolored. The spiciness is also not to be scoffed at and gives sauces the right kick.
• Scotch Bonnet Orange: This variety is known for its fruity apricot aroma. It got its name from its wrinkled tam shape. However, the heat of the juicy chilies should not be underestimated!
• Trinidad Douglah: This variety stands out due to its furrowed, wrinkled fruits with an irregular surface and brown colour. But the spiciness of the chilies can easily keep up with that of 7 Pod and Bhut Jolokia.
• Sweet Habanero: This variant of the Habanero is characterized by its fruity aroma without any spiciness. The chillies have the typical folded habanero shape and are attractively bright red.

Capsicum frutescens: Popular chilies in Southeast Asian dishes

Varieties of Capsicum frutescens mostly find their way into Southeast Asian dishes or spice blends. The most famous variety of this type is definitely Tabasco.

• Rawit: This high-yielding variety bears small, elongated, pointed fruits. Due to their pleasant spiciness, the red chilies are particularly popular in Asian cuisine.
• Tabasco: This chili is grown in Louisiana only to make the well-known Tabasco sauce. The conically upright fruits are aromatic and fiery hot.

Capsicum pubescens: The “hairy” kind

The Latin name "pubescens" refers to the hairiness of this species. Comparing plants of this chilli species with others shows that Capsicum pubescens differs significantly. This is not only reflected in the hairy leaves, but also in the growth (quickly woody, tree-like) the differences quickly become clear. Chili plants of this species are mostly found along the west coast of Central and South America.

• Rocoto Aji Largo: The variety bears lantern-shaped, pointed chilies and the thick, juicy flesh convinces with a good aroma. At the same time, the plant impresses with its intense fragrance.
• Rocoto Manzano: Apple-shaped "Rocoto" variety with red or orange, rounded fruits.

Tip: For particularly aromatic chillies, we recommend using a primarily organic organic fertilizer. Our Plantura organic tomato fertilizer is perfectly tailored to the needs of the fiery chilies and releases its nutrients slowly and gently.

Have you found the right type of chili? Then take a look at our cultivation articlepast. There you will learn how to plant chillies yourself.