http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:13:24 +0000 43200 Manage articles http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews/_/hotsauce/tabasco-brand-buffalo-style-hot-sauce-r50
The taste is exactly what it says it will be, Buffalo sauce. Buffalo sauce is a vinegary cayenne sauce that is normally mixed with butter to make it creamy and give it that authentic Buffalo taste. It originated at Anchor Bar, Buffalo NY, when the owner of the bar needed to make a snack for her son and his friends. She threw some wings in some hot oil, and mixed up this type of sauce and Buffalo wings was born. This Tabasco Brand version really does taste like you would expect, but with the same aging process that McIlhenny has been using for 144 years it has depth. It is actually better than I expected. I thought it was just going to be a normal, thin Tabasco sauce that tastes like Buffalo sauce. This is actually thick enough to stick to wings. I am pretty impressed so far. Of course there is almost no heat, but that is to be expected from a sauce meant for the masses I guess. Let's see how it works on food.]]> Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:22:08 +0000 7ef605fc8dba5425d6965fbd4c8fbe1f http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews/_/hotsauce/the-tearjerker-original-ghost-pepper-sauce-r49 Sat, 31 Dec 2011 15:34:47 +0000 f2217062e9a397a1dca429e7d70bc6ca http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews/_/hotsauce/huy-fong-tuong-ot-sriracha-r48
The taste is sweet, savory, garlicky, slightly salty, and complex. I think there has been some fermentation done with this sauce. The texture is very smooth and thick. It is about the same consistency as ketchup. The heat is very minimal to say the least. I would compare it to a store bought cocktail sauce. Not that it has horseradish, but has about the same heat level.

Overall, I think the best thing about this sauce is its versatility. This is where the Huy Fong American version and the authentic Thai table sauce converge. You can literally use this sauce for anything. Ketchup was replaced by salsa as the number one condiment in the US for several reasons. One of which was that Americans like a little spice in their condiment. This sauce gives you that. It is spicier than ketchup and can be used in all the same ways. Let's look at some of the ways you can use this sauce.]]> Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:22:24 +0000 47d1e990583c9c67424d369f3414728e http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews/_/hotsauce/red-hawk-premium-peppers-strawberry-scorpion-sting-r47 Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:01:52 +0000 8d5e957f297893487bd98fa830fa6413 http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews/_/bbqsauce/cajun-island-blackened-bourbon-sauce-r46
To properly make this chicken, you need to use his Blackened Seasoning and a real healthy dose of it. It is this combination along with the Blackened Bourbon Sauce that really does it for me. The Blackened Seasoning is a bit salty and spicy whereas the Bourbon Sauce is sweet and tangy. More of that yin and yang thing I love.

When I taste this sauce I get little to no (okay no) heat, but Nick never claimed there was any. It is very sweet and rich almost like eating a cake with a very sweet icing and eating that last bit of the cake with the big thick icing bite. Honestly it is just a bit too sweet by itself. The texture is syrupy, but not as thick as a maple syrup, more like a glaze. There is also what I have learned from Nick is some of the rub in the sauce as well. I guess this is to tie it together, but when just tasting the sauce it makes it a little gritty. However, this is not noticeable when eating it with food. I am a lover of all food Cajun, so I am anxious to see how many ways I can use this.]]> Sun, 25 Dec 2011 21:05:26 +0000 a5e00132373a7031000fd987a3c9f87b http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews/_/wingsauce/defcon-sauces-defense-condition-1-r45 This is not one of those sauces. This is my favorite wing sauce. I have no problem telling you that up front.

This sauce just screams chicken wings. It is just the right consistency with the cream in there. I know it doesn't have butter in it, but I swear I can taste some. The combination of the aged cayennes and the fresh cayennes is a good combination. The garlic is really not too prevalent. I know some may be turned off by this sauce simply because it has extract in it. I can tell you that THIS is nothing like any extract sauce you have had. It is made with a completely different process that contains no chemicals. Therefore, there is none of that nasty metallic aftertaste that you are used to. The heat is there from the start, but it's not intense. It builds as you eat. It is a warm all over your head heat. There will be sweating, but it is not so hot that you want to stop eating. For me, this is the perfect heat for a wing sauce. Of course, I have doctored this up with some DM MKII and some Cajun seasoning from time to time as that is my personal taste. This sauce is my everyday wing sauce, but every now and then I need to kick it up just a but more. If you are the same way, you can add some of his DM MKIV coming soon, or some Zero or Sludge. Either way, I suggest you get some of this sauce if you haven't had it. It will change the way you eat chicken wings forever.]]> Fri, 16 Dec 2011 01:30:12 +0000 2b24d495052a8ce66358eb576b8912c8 http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews/_/hotsauce/red-hawk-premium-peppers-bl-r44
As I said the consistency is thick, but pourable. Think of your favorite BBQ sauce. When I taste it, the first thing I taste is the combination of fruits. I think it is the strawberry first, then the blueberry and banana. A little punch from the bhut, then a little tang from the red wine vinegar. Not much, just a hint. Then the bhut taste. Next, I finally taste the grape juice. That and the bhut linger.

The heat is unexpectedly big. I usually expect a fruit sauce to have a touch of heat, but not the punch that this one has. It's almost as much heat as it is sweet. Like, a nearly perfect balance. The heat is pretty quickly on your tongue (mainly the tip) and then there's the familiar throat burn of the bhut. I think some may have a pretty good surprise at the heat level and especially how long it lasts. Now, how will I use this.]]> Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:02:09 +0000 0a09c8844ba8f0936c20bd791130d6b6 http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews/_/hotsauce/dragonfire-nagas-revenge-r43 Thu, 20 Oct 2011 02:05:26 +0000 903ce9225fca3e988c2af215d4e544d3 http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews/_/hotsauce/insain-hot-sauce-r41 Sun, 09 Oct 2011 17:11:35 +0000 0f28b5d49b3020afeecd95b4009adf4c http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews/_/hotsauce/ring-sting-habanero-sauce-r40 I always like trying sauces from new manufacturers, so when Ring Sting sent me this package I was very excited. As I said, the label is a great look and the aroma is pretty much what I expect from a hab sauce. Now as for the taste, I get a nice sensation of sweet from the pineapple right away. This is not what I would consider a dessert sauce though by any means. The acidity of the lemon juice and the aged habs and vinegar give it nice balance. The texture is both runny and chunky at the same time; the sauce pours thin, but there are many chunks/flecks of fruit and pepper in there to give it more body than I thought. Back to the taste, this sauce has a nice overall burn. Nothing too hot, more of a punch right away then slowly fading to a sweet all over the mouth warmth. I can see many uses right away for this sauce. Sun, 09 Oct 2011 14:53:34 +0000 1385974ed5904a438616ff7bdb3f7439 http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews/_/hotsauce/high-river-sauces-hellacious-hot-sauce-r39
I could smell a nice lightly aged vinegar scent with a sweet draw. White vinegar is actually made from fermented white wines and really helps balance sauces without overpowering them. I always have a bottle in my cupboard and prefer to use that whenever I marinade or make a sauce. A note to other saucemakers, if you've never tried an aged white vinegar do yourself the favor and get a bottle that has at least seven years of age. You will find yourself in for a nice treat.

I would categorize the sauce as a sweet and smoky sauce. As I poured a nice spoonful of sauce I was surprised to see it wasn't as thick as I first thought it would be. It poured great and smooth, but still had a nice sticky texture to it. Usually a sauce is either chunky or thin and this was right in the middle of both. The macro shot of the sauce really showed off the deep bold color and oil bits and pieces of goodness in the sauce. As I leaned the spoon slightly to one side I could really see the oils that remained on the spoon as the sauce slithered from one side to the other. The first dab screamed chipotle, but shortly after I got a nice sweet zesty pinch on my tongue from the habs. Then I picked up a quenching mouth watering sensation that followed from the vinegar. The heat wasn't too aggressive or overpowering, but was a nice cool burn. I took a quick follow-up taste now that my taste buds were alive and I really felt a bit more hit this time around. Again a nice medium-high burn that wasn't too mild or too aggressive.

I decided to go with some marinated grilled pork chops for with this sauce. I basically marinate the chops in a mesquite citrus over-the-counter marinade, but I add some 7Up and vanilla rum to the mix just to spice it up a bit. The chops came out great and most of the marinade caramelizes from the sugars in the sauce to give them a nice dark rich taste. Although the chops are pretty good on their own a second bite with Hellacious Hot Sauce really wakes up the flavors quit a bit. The profile changed from slightly sweet grilled chop to a rich, robust smoky, zesty chop. The vinegar twang really wasn't as obvious when the sauce was presented with food, but you can still get a great follow-up zesty twang on your palate. It's amazing how a sauce can change the flavor of foods and how foods can change the flavor of a sauce. This pairing was right on as the tangy, zesty flavor of the sauce really complemented the mesquite flavor of the chops. The hab burn again was not too harsh, but not too mild. You can easily enjoy a dab of sauce on every bite without reaching for a tall glass of milk every other minute and this sauce would probably complement just about any meat and most hardy fishes as well.

Well the question has been answered and this is a great sauce and not just a great name and logo. Looking forward to enjoying the rest of my bottle as I've planned to see how it will taste with some pulled pork tacos I have planned for this weekend.]]> Thu, 22 Sep 2011 21:35:30 +0000 e00da03b685a0dd18fb6a08af0923de0 http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews/_/extreme/danny-cash-1er-r38 Sun, 10 Jul 2011 13:27:34 +0000 013d407166ec4fa56eb1e1f8cbe183b9 http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews/_/hotsauce/kneppers-peppers-habermelon-r37 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:39:52 +0000 3988c7f88ebcb58c6ce932b957b6f332 http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews/_/hotsauce/kneppers-peppers-appletalli-r36
The sauce has a medium-thick texture with a dark roasted apple color. The first smell of the sauce gives you a great concentrated fresh sweet apple aroma followed by faint scents of cinnamon and peppers. It has great texture and pours like thin apple sauce.

The first dab on my finger had a mellow smooth burn and a dominant apple flavor. I was hoping for a bit more pepper flavor, as fatalii is one of my favorite peppers and can really pack a punch, but it was expected. Brian's site did mention that he made it "Public Friendly" as it was initially made for friends and family. So I pour a teaspoon and enjoy. A bit more immediate burn this time around, but it was a quick pinch on your tongue that quickly subsided leaving you with some great apply flavor lingering.

On to the pork. The pork loin was injected with a combination of Yoshida's and apple cider, then a generous rub of various herbs and spices were applied, and it was slow roasted for about 3 hours and then given a half hour to rest. I cut 3-4 slices and poured a good amount of AppleTalli on top. The first bite was great, as the aggressive sweet apple flavor really complemented the pork perfectly, and the dash of cinnamon worked well with the herbs and spices already on the pork. I did, however, find myself looking and hoping for more heat as the burn was a bit over powered by the pork and spices. Although it's a public friendly sauce I think the sauce could have been a lot better with a bit more heat. I did get the opinion of my better half who enjoyed the sauce, but also thought a bit more heat ould have really enhanced the sauce. She added that she thought the heat was a bit too quick and was easily overpowered even for a non-chilihead. The flavor was great and for a hot sauce the apple was spot on.

Looking forward to putting some on a scoop of vanilla ice cream since it has a nice mild burn with a good apple flavor.]]> Wed, 01 Jun 2011 02:18:03 +0000 42a0e188f5033bc65bf8d78622277c4e http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews/_/hotsauce/matanzima-r35
I was a bit intrigued about the dark color and odd texture. I thought to myself, this sauce must be pretty good. A couple of weeks later I received a bottle in the mail and the first thing I noticed was the chunky dark red almost Texas chili type of sauce in the generous sized 12 ounce bottle. The label was a bit basic, but the red and green colors along with the Zulu logo fit the theme perfectly. I was still a bit puzzled about the texture and the small amount of oil that settled on top of the bottle. Wayne did mention that the sauce might have settled and would have some oil on top, but a quick shake is all it needed to redistribute the oils throughout the sauce. So I turned the bottle over and allowed the oils to blend back into the sauce. As I screwed off the top the smell was amazing. Dark, rich, full flavored, with a hint of sweet smokiness. Albeit not a typical hot sauce, it had the smell of an award-winning slow cooked chili. I could pick up hints of paprika, cumin, roasted tomatoes, and dark smoked peppers.

I poured a spoon, and although the sauce was thick, it poured easily because of the oils in the sauce. It was similar to the texture of an oily sriracha. I really enjoyed the aroma and the first spoonful I tried caught me by surprise as it was fairly sweet. It had a nice pop of spices with a medium heat that followed on the back of your throat. The thickness of the sauce seemed to come from tiny chunks of tomatoes and tiny bits of something finely diced, either onion, ginger, or garlic. I'm not sure exactly what type of pepper was used, but it wasn't an overly powerful or aggressive pepper by any means. I would probably give the heat a rating of 5.5 on a heat scale of 10. Although the heat wasn't aggressive it was definitely in the sauce and had a tendency to sneak up on the back of your mouth and throat and just linger ever so slightly reminding you that you are in fact eating a hot sauce. The mix of sweet, smoky, spicy, and oily was definitely different, but they worked great together.

So I started to think about what would complement the sauce, and couldn't help but think mole! Mole (pronounced MO LEE) is a wonderful traditional Mexican sauce which can contain (but not limited to) peppers, cocoa, sugar, spices, various seeds, and raisins, all roasted and blended to a nice deep dark sauce. The sauce reminded me a bit of a mole, but with a more flavor rich profile. So I decided to go with it. I pan seared a few chicken thighs to give them a nice crispy skin. Then I created a broth of carrots, onion, garlic, and chicken bullion, and let the chicken stew in a crock pot for a few hours until the chicken almost fell off the bone. I poured a good amount of the Matanzima sauce on the finished chicken and it looked great. The chicken was a great pairing with the sauce, you can really taste the sweet smoky flavor, and the spices worked great with it. It was a lot thicker than a smooth mole sauce, but the sweetness in the Matanzima and the bold smoky spices really reminded me how much I didn’t care for typically bland mole. This was a big difference and the spices were a lot more pronounced. I couldn’t taste as much heat, but it still had a nice draw on the back of your throat. It would be nice to have a little more heat since the sauce has tons of flavor, and the extra heat wouldn’t be too overpowering at all, however my girlfriend really liked it just the way it is. She said she wouldn’t change a thing and she and I agree that it’s far beyond what a typical mole sauce brings to the table. One of the main reasons we both enjoyed the sauce is the addition of oils and how it sends you in a different direction most sauces don’t. It’s difficult to explain, but it seems the oils keep the zip on your tongue and throat while adding a different flavor profile. Since it’s not too hot, it’s not too aggressive and would probably work on a lot of various foods. I really enjoy how the sauce comes in a large 12 ounce bottle, because between me and my girlfriend, we probably went through a quarter of the bottle in one sitting.

This is a must-have sauce if you're looking for something different in your pantry. I can spend a day at Tom’s Farm going through their wall of hot sauces and not find anything like this. Now I can say I have tried a truly great authentic African hot sauce. All I need to do is find an authentic African restaurant to really appreciate the sauce on some authentic African food.]]> Tue, 24 May 2011 21:40:27 +0000 7f1de29e6da19d22b51c68001e7e0e54 http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews/_/hotsauce/davez-foodz-sweet-spicy-girl-r34 Sun, 24 Apr 2011 15:03:04 +0000 02522a2b2726fb0a03bb19f2d8d9524d http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews/_/hotsauce/heartbreaking-dawns-1841-ghost-pepper-sauce-r33 Sat, 16 Apr 2011 13:55:54 +0000 9fc3d7152ba9336a670e36d0ed79bc43 http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews/_/misc/crazy-steves-cajun-cukes-r32 Sun, 10 Apr 2011 10:31:10 +0000 65ded5353c5ee48d0b7d48c591b8f430 http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews/_/extreme/alabamajacks-exotic-superhots-naga-morich-puree-r31 Sat, 09 Apr 2011 14:35:59 +0000 1afa34a7f984eeabdbb0a7d494132ee5 http://www.thehotpepper.com/page/reviews/_/bbqsauce/texas-creek-bbq-sauce-hot-r30 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 19:51:56 +0000 9b8619251a19057cff70779273e95aa6