Dorset Naga

Dorset Naga is a named Capsicum chinense cultivar developed in Dorset, England by Michael and Joy Michaud of Sea Spring Seeds (“Peppers by Post”). The line was selected from a Bangladeshi chilli commonly referred to as naga morich. According to the breeders’ account, the original seed material was sourced from an Asian shop in Bournemouth, followed by approximately a decade of selection to stabilise and adapt the variety to British growing conditions.

The cultivar was submitted in 2006 to the Community Plant Variety Office (CVPO) and underwent multi-year independent trials, indicating it was being treated as a distinct and formalised cultivar by that time.

Heat claims vary substantially depending on source. Some seed listings place Dorset Naga around 876 000 SHU, while others commonly quote figures between 1 000 000 and 1 500 000 SHU. There are occasional reports of individual fruit tests approaching approximately 1.6 million SHU. The value of 1 221 000 SHU is used here as a central estimate consistent with commonly cited approximate figures, but it should be understood as an estimate rather than a guaranteed laboratory value for every pod.

Dorset Naga is widely regarded within chilli communities as one of the early UK-stabilised super-hot cultivars derived from naga-type chillies.