I beleive the Naga is smaller than the bhut. Both just as deadly . But do not quote me on that.

They ought to be very, very close.

There is a PC-1 labeled "Naga" (Capsicum annuum) that is much different: skinny, and not nearly as hot.

Josh

In the past, Naga Jolokia was a term that covered several different jolokias (peppers) from nagaland (NE India) including c.Chinenses, c.Frutescens, and c.Annuums. i.e. Naga Morich, Bhut Jolokia, and Dorset Naga.

"Naga Jolokia" these days is usually referring to the PC-1, which is not a Chinense.

Then, there's Frontal Agritech, one of the larger commercial growers in India. They consider the Bih and Naga Jolokia the same. Actually, they consider them all the same; Bhut, Bih, Naga etc. But, rest assured, they are not referring to the PC-1, lol.

I actually like the PC-1. I dry it and grind it into a powder. I use it on most things I eat. I think it's just a little hotter than a cayenne.

To me, the Bhuts, Bihs, Nagas, etc. are all the same. They all are so HOT, they blow my head off so fast I can't taste a difference!

Rick

Bhut Jolokia

Naga Jolokia PC-1

Here is a link that might be useful: Frontal Agritech website

Thanks Rick!

I grew 'Naga Jolokia' this year that I got from a pretty big nursery. I'm pretty sure they're not the PC-1. They are wrinkled and blistery and come to a bit of a point. They closely resemble the pic you posted as Bhut, but nothing like what you posted as PC-1.

I can also say that they are MUCH hotter than any cayenne I've ever tasted. I've eaten Caribbean Reds before and they hurt, but these are much much hotter. My brother in law and I each ate one at the same time. He threw up almost immediately. I kept it down, but it was definitely the hottest thing I've ever eaten.

Thanks again for the clarification!

Rick nailed it. I offer the following as backup support.

A previous post of mine ont the topic (search failed me but I saved it):

A couple of years ago there was rampant confusion out there regarding "the hottest pepper". Names such as Bhut Jolokia, Dorset Naga and Naga Jolokia seemed to be used interchangeably. Today, the Jolokias go by MANY different names including Nagahari, Bhut Jolokia, Bih Jolokia, Borbih, Raja Mircha, Raja Chilli, Mirch, Mircha, Naga Moresh, Naga Morich, Tezpur, and Dorset Naga.

It hasn�t helped that some vendors have applied their own name to the Jolokia varieties (i.e. Dorset Naga).

Another confusing issue was/is a number of either ignorant or in some cases, fraudulent vendors who sell/sold the less hot C. frutescens Naga Jolokia seed under the banner Worlds Hottest, thus propagating the general publics confusion.

The true (if you will) super hot Jolokias are of the species C. chinense. The C. frutescens (PC-1) variety is more akin to Thai, Tabasco, etc. peppers. I have heard there is also a C. annuum version but know nothing about it.

Regarding Rick's reference to Frontal Agritech, I also saved a post from another site (sorry, no reference) that addressed their position:

:"Bhut Jolokia, Bih Jolokia, Naga Jolokia, Naga Morich, Raja Mirchi ... what's the deal with all those different names you can read in print and on the Internet these days for supposedly the very same chile variety? We asked someone who should know best: Leena Saikia of Frontal Agritech, a pepper grower and processing company in Assam that also grows and cultivates Bih Jolokia. Here's what Leena told me:

"All these chillies are from North East India. They belong to Capsicum chinense. In fact, Naga jolokia, Nagahari, Bhut jolokia, Bih jolokia or Borbih jolokia are the same chilli but named differently at different places. For example, the Assamese community call it as Bih jolokia (poison chilli -- jolokia means chilli in Assamese), Bhut jolokia (probably due to its ghostly bite or introduction by the Bhutias from Bhutan poison chilli) or Naga jolokia (due to extreme hotness representing the aggressive temperament of the warriors of neighbouring Naga community). In Nagaland and Manipur states, it is known as Raja Mircha or Raja chilli (King of Chillies). In major Indian languages, chilli is known as Mirch or mircha (Bengali and Hindi)." Morich" may be a distorted version of 'mirch'.

Just a little more colour or color to the topic.

FWIW,

Bill

Andy/Rick From a trade of pepper seed labeled Bhut jolokia i have pepper that looks like thePC-1 in post above.the pepper grows pointed up & is not real hot.Does the PC-1 grow pointed up? If so maybe thats what i got. Would appreciate your thoughts. Frank

Rick: the peppers in your plant photos captioned 'Naga Jolokia' appear to be the common C. annum variety grown and eaten all over central and southern India (Maharashtra state, Andra Pradesh, Karnataka, etc). Esp. in central Maharashtra it shows up in green form as garnish/appetizer (!) with lunch and dinner, accompanied with slices of small purple onion and lime. It's hot but nowhere near the pungency of the benchmark naga jolokia described in the credible literature. I have fruit specimens alleged to be Dorset Naga - in a tasting at the office my co-workers were rendered damaged by ingesting very small pieces of it.

Pl confirm if this is Bhoot Jholakia plant. I purchased the Bhoot Jholakia seeds online. Tanuj Pant, Dehradun.

Hu, I can confirm that your pepper is absolutely NOT a Bhut Jolokia.

Josh