"I don't remember the first time I got overheated, but I do remember the most recent," says Heatonist owner and Hot Ones collaborator Noah Chaimberg, like a soldier recalling his battle scars. The hot-sauce sommelier has tried over 5,000 hot sauces, but certain bottles will always remain traumatic.

"Someone had sent me a limited-edition ghost pepper sauce from Maui that was extremely hot. I poured it all over my already-hot Thai dinner that night. I remember getting up from the table several times during the meal to get air and blow my nose," he said. "Later that night I woke up with a terrible pain at the top of my stomach. I thought, 'Oh god, is this what people have been talking about this whole time? Have I lost my superpower? Was that sauce my Kryptonite?'" 

Climbing Scoville Mountain is always a dangerous task, even if it's required of your profession. And while the cult of chileheads continues to inspire hotter and hotter sauces, what is often left unsaid is how the body responds to different types of chile peppers. Sometimes, the pain is sharp off the bat, attacking the tip of the tongue, but quickly dissipating. Other times, the heat sneaks up on you, slowly building in the back of your throat before breaking down your facade of cockiness.

All of this depends on the combinations of capsaicinoids, "the family of compounds that makes chiles hot," explains Chaimberg. "These hit the TRPV1 nerve receptor that transmits the feeling of heat to the brain, and these receptors are located throughout the mouth, nose, eyes, and skin. Different combinations of capsaicinoids hit the receptors in different degrees at different areas, giving us the sensation of the chile heating us up in various places."

So if you're wondering why after eating your favorite hot sauce your shoulders start to ache, or only the sides of your tongue burn, now's the time to listen up. Here, Chaimberg lays out a spectrum of popular chiles, explaining how the heat affects different parts of your body, and offering some advice on hot sauces to pick up to experience the pain first hand. 

Flavor profile: The humble jalapeño is many people’s entree into the world of hot peppers, and rightly so. Lightly bitter and vegetal, the pepper pairs amazingly well with meats of all kinds.

Body's response to heat: The jalapeño’s modest heat makes it accessible to most people. Heat dances gently on the tip of the tongue, then bouncing briefly off the roof of the mouth, before fading into a quiet finish as it moves to the back of the throat, inviting you to take another bite.

Starter sauce: Sinai Gourmet-Jalapeno Maple. This sauce blends fresh jalapeños with a touch of pure Canadian maple syrup to moderate their bitterness. Loaded with cilantro and lime, it’s fantastic on fish and vegetables. 

Flavor profile: The serrano has a gentle earthiness reminiscent of the jalapeño, but with a bit less bitterness in the finish. Most often used fresh, serranos make a great addition to salsas, roasts, and curries.

Body's response to the heat: Clocking in about 3x the heat of the jalapeño, the serrano gets noticed. It starts with a bit of heat on center of the tongue, warming up the whole mouth. A few more bites and you’ll be feeling nice and toasty, but without getting sweaty from it.

Starter sauce: Marshall’s Haute Sauce-Serrano Ginger Lemongrass. Tomatillos provide some bright acidity to balance the serrano, while ginger and lemongrass lend a spicy sweetness and loads of complexity. Amazing on chicken, or as a dip.

Flavor profile: Juicy, fruity and sweet, scotch bonnet is a taste of the islands. Made to pair with the flavors of the Caribbean, this pepper makes a wonderful addition to a chutney and an excellent counterpoint to the cinnamon and allspice in a Jamaican Jerk sauce.

Body's response to the heat: Heat from a scotch bonnet sets in pretty quickly, starting from the tip of the tongue then spreading backwards, coming to a rest at the back of the throat like it does for its cousin the habanero. It’ll leave you with a body warmth.

Starter sauce: Queen Majesty - Scotch Bonnet Ginger. Fresh ginger and lime pair with the Scotch Bonnet to make this sauce the perfect topping for a nice Jamaican plate of stewed goat or jerk chicken.

Flavor profile: The fruity flavor and high, but tolerable, heat makes the venerable habanero a popular choice with home and professional chefs alike. Tropical, citrusy notes can have varied sweetness levels, with fruit ripening over the growing season from green to orange, yellow and red, and increasing its sugar content as it soaks up sunshine. This lends habaneros to pair especially well with tropical fruits, and we often see them in sauces with mango and pineapple.

Body's response to the heat: The heat of a habanero is straightforward and to the point, beginning almost immediately, moving along the sides of the tongue to the back of the mouth, lingering there for a moment or two, then going on its way. The lack of a long-lingering burn makes habaneros a great pepper to play with if you’re just getting started with very hot cooking.

Starter sauce: Dirty Dick’s Hot Sauce. This sauce takes advantage of the hab’s friendliness with fruit, pairing it with pineapple, mango and banana. This is a “use it on anything” sauce for it’s legions of devoted fans.

Flavor profile: Lots of citrus without too much sweetness, the fatalii is a versatile pepper to have on hand. With bright and light flavors, you can easily pair this pepper with fruits (think peaches or mango) or with more savory dishes like paella or winter soups.

Body's response to the heat: Heat sets in after a moment, starting in the back of the throat before moving to the  roof of the mouth, up the nose and down the sides of the tongue last. Heat only lingers for a minute or two before dissipating.

Starter sauce: Sweet Heat Gourmet- Sinclair’s Fitalii. Tomatoes and vinegar keep the fatali in check, driving it to the more savory side of its nature. A great addition to tacos or pizza.

Flavor profile: The ghost pepper has become the most popular of the super hot chiles since launching onto the international scene in the mid 2000s. It’s notable for a smoky smoothness that lulls you into a warm serenity before overwhelming you with its power. This gives you a chance to appreciate the unique flavor of the Ghost—dusky undertones that lend themselves excellently to being smoked or paired with spices like cumin and coriander. 

Body's response to the heat: It starts off slow, with a gently rising, even heat. You feel a warmth grow in your chest, spreading out from there. It reaches the front of your face, and creeps up to the top of your head. And keeps going. The heat wave of a ghost pepper can continue to build for 30 minutes. Once that crescendo hits and you start the slow come down, you’ll feel the full impact of the Ghost’s magical journey.

Starter sauce: Dawson’s Hot Sauce-Heatonist #1. With 18 ghost peppers per bottle, this sauce is no joke. The dark notes of the ghost are paired with floral Sichuan peppercorns and lemon and ginger, making for a unique culinary journey.

Flavor profile: Right off the bat you get a fruity, sometimes floral flavor, and the scorpion gives you a few moments to appreciate this. The high heat lends it to pair well with the hearty fare of its native Trinidad—think rich stews and fried doughy treats.

Body's response to the heat: Though at first it’s all taste and no heat, the scorpion has bite. Fifteen to 30 seconds in, the top of your tongue catches fire, spreading down the back of your throat, lingering there for an eternity. For the first five minutes after eating a fresh one you get pinpoint heat reminding you exactly where on your tongue the pepper made first contact, and that throat burn goes on and on. The heat should begin to subside after 15 to 20 minutes, but the endorphin rush will leave your head in the clouds for hours.

Starter sauce: Bee Local Hot Honey. Moruga scorpions make this the hottest of the honeys out there, and Oregon High Desert honey makes it a treat you’ll go back to again and again. Try it on everything from pizza to fried chicken, to yogurt and even cocktails.

Flavor profile: Fruity, sweet, and murderously hot, the carolina reaper is not for the faint of heart or chile noobs. It is the current world record holder for heat, but that doesn’t mean its fantastic taste should go unappreciated. Sweet but versatile, the reaper can go in lots of directions—and it can pull you along with it.

Body's response to the heat: The first taste bathes your tongue in heat, reaching up to the roof of your mouth. From there it migrates back to the ears, before creeping down the next and into the big muscles of the back. You’ll feel like you’ve just gotten massaged by a Thai kick boxer. Then it moves to the top of the skull and literally into your brain, causing your head to swim and a mild euphoria to set in. Your eyes lose focus as you realize you’ve been crying this whole time.

Starter sauce: Sinai Gourmet-Reaper. As meaty as a steak, this sauce is made with 25 prime carolina reaper peppers and just enough olive oil, herbs and spices to hold them all together.