Scoville Unit

Bioactive

As soon as you bite into a chile pepper you begin to feel the burning sensation caused by the bioactive molecule Capsaicin. Chile peppers pungency is measured in Scoville units. The number of Scoville heat unit (SHU) indicates the amount of capsaicin present. In Scoville's method, an alcohol extract of the capsaicin oil from a measured amount of dried pepper is added incrementally to a solution of sugar in water until the "heat" is just detectable by a panel of (usually five) tasters; the degree of dilution gives its measure on the Scoville scale. Thus a sweet pepper or a bell pepper, containing no capsaicin at all, has a Scoville rating of zero, meaning no heat detectable. The hottest chilis, such as habaneros and nagas, have a rating of 200,000 or more, indicating that their extract must be diluted over 200,000 times before the capsaicin presence is undetectable. The greatest weakness of the Scoville Organoleptic Test is its imprecision, because it relies on human subjectivity. Tasters taste only one sample per session.

WARNING: DON"T TRY THIS AT HOME!!!!
(Capsaicin levels my vary)

Red Bell Pepper

Scoville unit: 0
Bell peppers are used mainly for texture, appearance and flavor. It doesn't pack a punch at all but it sure is sweet!

Jalapeño

Scoville Unit: 2,500-8,000
Jalapenos are tolerable for most people. I think they're weak when it comes to spicyness, but they taste great in a burger.

Serrano Peppers

Scoville Unit: 10,000-23,000
Now when it comes to spicyness, Serrano peppers do the job. I like to prepare them with my "FAMOUS" Green Enchiladas! Poor Jennifer here didn't seem to enjoy it as much as I would have. To her right are my famous Green Enchiladas! (They taste better than they appear, TRUST ME!)

Habanero