Trying the world’s hottest gummy bear, Lil’ Nitro

It’s a single, 3g gummy bear infused with chilli extract that makes it “900x hotter than a jalapeno pepper!” Surely the last thing you’d want to do is put it in your mouth...

Daft: the Lil’ Nitro

WHAT IS IT? A single gummy bear mounted in a presentation box, which seems a bit extravagant. But look closely and you’ll see it’s holding a stick of dynamite – a sign that this is no ordinary lolly.

GO ON... What we have here is “The world’s hottest gummy bear”, a 3g chew that’s infused with a chilli extract measuring 9 million on the Scoville scale.

THAT SOUNDS QUITE HOT. I’ll say. “900x hotter than a jalapeno pepper!” says Lil Nitro’s American manufacturer, the Flamethrower Candy Company.

Lil’ Nitro

WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO PUT IT IN YOUR MOUTH THEN? IT SOUNDS LIKE TORTURE. The Flamethrower people would prefer that you refer to it as the Lil’ Nitro Challenge. “Can you chew it for a minute without relief?” they ask – meaning, without reaching for iced water or milk.

VERDICT: I didn’t try it (no thanks: I’m old and have nothing to prove) but of course my teenage son couldn’t resist it. Watching sweat, snot and tears pour out of his face as he heaved over the sink, I felt so proud, y’know? #winner

$15, available online