Komodo Dragon

Komodo Dragon was bred in the United Kingdom by Salvatore Genovese on his farm in Blunham, Bedfordshire, officially released in 2015 and sold through Tesco supermarkets; its undisclosed parentage suggests 7 Pot and Naga influence. The heat is slow-building and delayed, with a fruity sweetness on the initial bite followed by a creeping burn that blooms deep and persistent across tongue, throat and sinuses.

History & lineage

Introduced in 2015 and sold through Tesco as the hottest chilli on a British supermarket shelf. The Komodo Dragon is grown by Salvatore Genovese, whose farm at Blunham in Bedfordshire is the UK's largest pepper producer.

Its reputation rests on a deceptive delay: the first impression is fruity and rich, and the heat arrives roughly ten seconds later at 1,400,000 to 2,200,000 Scoville Heat Units. That gap between taste and burn is what makes it a supermarket talking point rather than simply a hot pepper.

Culinary uses

Extreme hot sauces, spicy salsas, infused oils, dry rubs and powders, fermented chili pastes; pairs with fruit-based chutneys and vinegar-forward marinades.