Benefit of the doubt, sure, we’ll give it. But every now and again, something comes across our desk that just seems... suspect. In the most intriguing of these situations, an investigation is warranted, albeit a particularly skeptical one. We call it: “Skeptical Investigations” (copyright pending).THE CLAIM
That The Emperor’s Egg Roll at China Blossom in North Andover is the hottest egg roll ever.
THE INVESTIGATION
We entered the establishment, took a seat and ordered it. Then, we signed a legal waiver. (Yes, really.) Then, we ordered a glass of milk.
The egg roll arrived. It looked harmless enough. But in addition to being stuffed with the typical egg roll ingredients and spicy peppers, it was packed with the Naga Viper pepper—aka the hottest chili pepper in the world. For good measure, it was topped with a secret spicy sauce and 23-karat gold flakes.
All in all, the egg roll is said to contain over 7.1 million Scoville units of heat. For reference: a ripe habanero pepper maxes out at 350,000 units. This is why if you finish it, you get a T-shirt and your picture on the wall.
We cut off a small piece and placed it on our tongue. Within seconds, a vicious, insidious heat set in and crippled our mouth. There was also sweating, nose running, tongue/throat stinging and a strange throbbing on our top lip, as if we’d caught a fresh elbow in the face.
VERDICT
It’s the real deal. As deadly as advertised. Seriously. Engage at your own risk.
