Paqui Haunted Ghost Pepper vs. One Chip Challenge: Which Is Hotter?

Paqui makes two of the hottest chip experiences – the Haunted Ghost Pepper and the legendary One Chip Challenge. But which chip brings more heat and pain?

Based on Scoville units and real-world spicy impact, the One Chip Challenge easily wins as the hotter choice.

The One Chip contains Carolina Reaper pepper that scores over 1.5 million Scoville units. That’s up to 90% hotter than the ghost pepper in the Haunted chips.

Most people can handle a few ghost pepper chips. But the One Chip Challenge quickly leaves participants desperately gulping milk to relieve the intense burning.

So if you really want to test your limits, go with the Paqui One Chip Challenge. The Haunted Ghost Pepper still packs a punch, but the One Chip was made to crush even hardcore spice lovers.

The rest of this article compares these two ultra-hot Paqui chips in more detail. Keep reading to learn just how much heat is packed into each spicy snack!

An Introduction to Paqui Chips

Paqui is a Texas-based chip company focused on using bold, natural flavors and only high-quality ingredients.

Some background on Paqui’s super-hot chips:

• Founded in Austin, TX in 2009
• Known for chips packed with flavor and spice
• Use non-GMO corn, avocado oil, and organic spices
• No artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives

In 2016, Paqui introduced the One Chip Challenge featuring Carolina Reaper peppers. This instant viral internet hit put Paqui on the map.

Paqui also sells a line of tamer chips in stores, including the popular Haunted Ghost Pepper flavor.

So how do these two ultra-spicy chips compare when it comes to bringing the heat?

Haunted Ghost Pepper Chips

Let’s start with Paqui’s ghost pepper chip. Some key facts:

• Made with a blend of ghost peppers, cayenne, and chipotle
• Labeled as “Freakin’ Hot” on Paqui’s spice meter
• Has a reddish-orange color from the pepper coating
• Crunchy corn chips provide the base
• Available for purchase in stores year-round

The Haunted Ghost Pepper chips aim to provide a spicy but edible experience. They aren’t designed to be dangerously hot like the One Chip Challenge.

The ghost pepper is the star of the show here. So how hot is it?

Ghost Pepper Scoville Units

The ghost pepper registers an impressive 855,000 to 1,041,427 Scoville heat units (SHU).

To put that into perspective:

• A jalapeño ranges from 2,500 to 8,000 SHU
• Habanero chili comes in at 100,000 to 350,000 SHU

So the ghost pepper easily surpasses those more common hot peppers. It lived up to its “world’s hottest pepper” title for several years before getting dethroned by hotter contenders.

Today, it ranks around #7 on the list of the world’s hottest peppers. But don’t let that fool you – the ghost pepper still packs some serious heat!

One Chip Challenge

Now let’s examine Paqui’s infamous One Chip Challenge. Here are the key facts:

• Features the Carolina Reaper pepper
• Clocks in at 1.5 million Scoville units
• Sold as a single chip in a box
• Created as the ultimate spice challenge
• Limited releases sell out quickly

As you can see, the One Chip Challenge is in a whole different league than the Haunted Ghost Pepper chips. It was designed specifically to test the limits of even the most hardcore spice lovers.

So how does the Carolina Reaper compare to the ghost pepper?

Carolina Reaper Scoville Units

The current official record for the Carolina Reaper is 1,641,183 SHU – over 1.5 million!

Compare that to the ghost pepper’s max of around 1 million SHU.

This makes the Carolina Reaper 50-90% hotter than the ghost pepper, depending on the exact ghost pepper variety.

That explains why the One Chip Challenge pushes spice-seekers to their breaking point while the Haunted Ghost Pepper chips are still edible for seasoned heat lovers.

The reaper packs an unbelievable amount of heat into a single pepper. Paqui harnesses all that power into one tortilla chip.

Impact of Eating Each Chip

Let’s look beyond Scoville units at the real-life spicy impact of eating these ultra-hot chips:

Haunted Ghost Pepper Effects:

• Initial burning sensation
• Building heat that intensifies
• Tingling, numbness in mouth
• Redness in face and lips
• Sweating
• Runny nose
• Watery eyes
• Hiccups or coughing fits

Ghost peppers unleash some serious spice. But most fans can handle eating a few chips. The trick is pacing yourself – don’t devour the whole bag!

One Chip Challenge Effects:

• Instant mouth and throat fire
• Severe oral pain
• Tongue swelling
• Difficulty breathing
• Nausea and vomiting
• Dizziness
• Shaking and sweating
• Stomach cramps
• Up to 8+ hours of pain

The One Chip Challenge is a whole other beast! Most participants struggle to last more than 5 minutes before desperately chasing milk, ice cream, yogurt – anything to relieve the intense burning.

The Carolina Reaper pepper extract used on the chip is dangerously hot. Paqui includes a liability waiver with each box for a reason.

Which is Hotter: The Verdict

So which Paqui chip brings more heat in the battle of Haunted Ghost Pepper vs One Chip Challenge?

Based on Scoville units and real-world reactions, the clear winner is:

The One Chip Challenge

Thanks to using the world’s hottest pepper, the Carolina Reaper, the One Chip Challenge easily bests the Haunted Ghost Pepper chips for sheer spiciness.

The Haunted Ghost Pepper still provides an excellent spicy kick. But the One Chip Challenge was made to mercilessly crush hardcore spice-lovers into submission.

For most people, the Haunted Ghost Pepper delivers enough heat to push their limits. But for extreme chili-heads seeking the ultimate torture test, the Paqui One Chip Challenge can’t be beat!

Either way, Paqui delivers seriously hot chips made from organically grown peppers. Just choose your spice level wisely!