KS Khangsta

KS Khangsta is a hybrid chilli created by breeder Khang Starr from a cross between MOA Scotch Bonnet Yellow and Brazilian Ghost Red. The hybrid began circulating in grower communities around 2015 and was described early on as producing multiple phenotypes. Two main colour forms appeared during early grow-outs, leading to the red type commonly called KS Khangsta and a yellow counterpart.

Pods are usually described as bonnet-like with a short pointed tail, reflecting traits inherited from both the Scotch Bonnet and ghost pepper lineage. A documented pod review of the KhangSta Red F4 generation recorded fruit measuring roughly 5.5 cm long by 3.0 cm wide and weighing about 15.7 g.

Heat reporting from grower reviews places it somewhere between habanero and ghost pepper heat levels, though closer to habanero intensity. Because no formal laboratory Scoville testing appears to exist for this cultivar, 300000 SHU is used here as a single-number estimate derived from those descriptions.

Flavour descriptions in community sources emphasise sweet and fruity notes typical of Capsicum chinense peppers. A pod review describes a milder sweet initial taste followed by a slightly floral or mildly bitter finish, with a creeping burn that develops toward the back of the mouth.

Grow behaviour is sometimes described as slow to germinate. One seller report noted germination beginning around 17 days after sowing. Multiple sources also highlight that plant phenotype can vary between seed lines, with differences in shape, colour, and pod expression appearing in early generations of the hybrid.