Packin Heat
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Capsicum chinense

Chocolate Hand Grenade

Hybrid United States
Scoville Heat Units 300,000
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About this pepper

Chocolate Hand Grenade is a modern United States Capsicum chinense hybrid created by AjiJoe in Pennsylvania. Public grow logs show it already circulating as Habanero Chocolate Hand Grenade F-1 in 2012, and by 2013 it was being listed by AjiJoe among his named oddities. Later discussion on The Hot Pepper identified it as an AjiJoe creation, while current seed listings describe it as a cross between Chocolate Habanero Long and Black Congo.

The variety is known for vigorous growth and heavy pod production. Growers and sellers describe the pods as large, thick-walled, and unusually shaped, with a squat, lobed, grenade-like form that inspired the name. The fruit ripens brown and is repeatedly described as having a rich chocolate-type flavour with smoky, earthy, or raisin-like notes. Heat is generally placed around habanero level, with sellers giving an estimate of about 300,000 SHU. Across grower reports and listings, Chocolate Hand Grenade is presented as a productive brown-fruited chinense grown for its distinctive pod shape, strong flavour, and solid medium-superhot punch.