Thanks Tom - you're the voice of experience.
Pre-soak, uninfected seeds, barely cover, light, sterile medium and uniform moisture.
I mentioned that the ATP Plant database entry for Bhut Jolokia (Capsicum chinense) said that germination requried darkness. I browsed through several other Capsicum chinense entries. One other ( 'Habanero') said "Provide Darkeness", and the rest that I browsed had no germination details. Some online searching did not produce suggestions about light or darkness for germination.
I would totally defer to your experience!
