naga Snake Bite – Pure Venom

[klyth]

Manufacturer & Website: www.thechileman.org

Ingredients: Onions, carrots, tomatoes, vinegar, naga morich, red chillis, ginger, sugar, red bell peppers, garlic, olive oil, salt, 6.6Mshu chilli extract.

The consistency of Pure Venom is very nice – thick, but not chunky, and pours very easily without fear of spilling. It’s a nice rusty orange, and the lacing shows only very fine sediment, mostly tiny bits of seed and pepper (presumably).

Pure Venom smells wonderful, naga-sweet and tomato-salty. The red chilli and naga is the first thing I detect, vinegar coming close afterwards. When I got used to the smell, I could detect each ingredient (with some difficulty), though I found the onions to be less present than I expected. Tomatoes and carrots are there in force, but everything is so well blended and balanced that it’s honestly difficult to separate the scents. The same is true of the taste – but we’ll get to that…

After spoon-testing this sauce on an empty stomach and feeling like I took Tony Jaa’s knee to the abdomen, I decided the prudent thing to do would be to wait until after lunch to try again. Frankly, all I remember from the first spoonful was the naga sweetness, and then the burn started. My face got red, I got the hiccups and I felt lightheaded for a while. The taste I liked, but the physical reaction was too distracting to analyze the flavors. Today I’ll keep my head on straight and give this a fair shot.

Onions and tomatoes are certainly more present on the second spoon test, and the vinegar is a bit strong. The naga flavor, of course, is huge, and the burn is crazy. After about a minute my throat is just in flames, but strangely my mouth is ok. Exhaling hurts my throat, and I’ve got just a thin sheen of sweat on the sides of my nose by my eyes. This is the point where glasses get foggy. I feel flushed, and my eyes are watering just a tiny bit. Hooo Dee! This is some HOT stuff! After three or four minutes my throat feels better and now my mouth is burning. It probably had been the whole time, I just couldn’t tell.

I’ve been having this sauce with every meal I’ve eaten for the past four or five days (excepting drunken noodle – there was enough sauce on it already). My favorite so far has been Mediterranean food. It goes fine on hot dogs, but the saltiness of the dogs kind of kills the flavor of the sauce. I haven’t had it on a burger yet (gasp!), but I did manage to get it on a veggie burger and it was fantastic. The sweet naga flavor delivers, and I don’t taste the extract one bit. The heat is awesome – very few sauces make me sweat, and this is among the best tasting TRULY hot sauce I’ve ever had. I really can’t make heads or tails of the ingredients separately, they’re blended perfectly and the naga flavor is so strong that the other flavors survive for all of a passing moment on the first bite, which is sweet with tomatoes and peppers. Then the heat hits, and hits hard. Something happens when I eat this sauce; the heat builds on the tongue, and then slowly works its way into the throat, which feels almost swollen and sticky with fire, so that from the collar up you’re just done to death. It’s awesome.

Some people are opposed to extract sauces. I can see why – many of them have a strange, chemically, metallic flavor. But writing off all extract sauces as inedible is unfair, and you’re doing yourself a disservice, especially if you truly like your sauces as hot as possible. Raw peppers will take you far, with fantastic flavor, but there is the natural limit. Adding just the smallest amount of extract can really kick the heat up, and with virtually no change to the flavor, if applied with care. This is one of the best tasting extract sauces I’ve ever had. More, one of the best tasting sauces I’ve ever had, period. I only hope Mark does another run of these – they’re worth it!

Flavor: 8.5/10 – Traditionally peppery, with nice naga sweetness!

Heat: From Nada to Naga, 8.5/10

[darlochileman]

Hi Klyth,

Im so relieved it hit the spot and you like it - especially as I didnt what this sauce to be classed as just another stupidily hot extract sauce. .

PS If you get some on your hands, don't scratch you know where like I did

PPS If anyone is interested bottle number 2 is up for auction on ebay

[Chiliac]

I decided not to open mine until I "got rid" of some open bottles of other sauces in my fridge, but all these raving reviews make it really hard for me to stay away from it for much longer - damnit!!!

Seems you did a great job again, Mark!

[thehotpepper.com]

Sounds good!

[talas]

Another great sauce it seems Mark,Well done and make it cheaper next time please

[darlochileman]

I thought this might make you all laugh:

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/video/regional/

I definately need to go on a diet.

Mark

[rainbowberry]

I think that video definitely set the women apart from the men

[imaguitargod]

What a great video! How many non-chili-heads dd that interviewer give the stuff to? I have a feeling he wasn't being careful with that stuff.

And ya, you do seem to have gained a few extra pounds....eat more peppers.

[klyth]

I forgot to comment on this when I saw it yesterday! I thought it was fantastically funny

[darlochileman]

This was spotted by a friend in one of the newspapers. How cool is this!!!!!!!!!!!



Im so chuffed (or should that be cluffed)

[Chiliac]

That's great, man! Congrats! Not bad for a sauce that only 30 bottles were made of!

[klyth]

Hahahah Very cute cartoon!

[darlochileman]

Neil (of thehippyseed co fame) gets 'bitten'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSdp6iK8_xM

He he he he he he he he he...........

Mark

[Chiliac]

NIce vid. At first you get the impression that the sauce is not hot at all, just damn tasty, but then he starts to sweat....

[imaguitargod]

Great cartoon!

[staffing]

What a great review. Looks like I'm going to have to PM the ChileMan to see about procuring some of this product.

[Omri]

What a great review. Looks like I'm going to have to PM the ChileMan to see about procuring some of this product.

I personally liked the Private Reserve more. simply tasted better, but Pure Venom is a good solid sauce.

[rainbowberry]

I'd stick to the Snakebite PR myself. Pure Venom was good but didn't have the taste of the Snakebite PR and then there's that issue of the extract smell which I personally don't like.

[metaltony]

I need to try this...

[wurge]

Nice vid neil dont thinkive seen ya sweat that much!!

[metaltony]

Just watched the vid,you brave man..lol,you got to treat these sauces with respect,surely a little dangereous to try it straight from the bottle?

[imaguitargod]

you got to treat these sauces with respect,surely a little dangereous to try it straight from the bottle?

We reviewers are hardened creatures who are trained to fear no sauce.

[metaltony]

Just ordered a bottle of this..where its made isnt to far from me

[thehotpepper.com]

Just watched the vid,you brave man..lol,you got to treat these sauces with respect,surely a little dangereous to try it straight from the bottle?

Dangerous? lol. How? I mean it will burn, but that's part of the rush.

[klyth]

Where did you find a bottle of this, Tony?? I thought it wasn't being made anymore.

[rainbowberry]

Maybe it's not been made anymore but some English sites still stock it. I can get it from here.

[metaltony]

Thre is still some left on his ebay site http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_t...aga+snake+bite

[klyth]

Awesome. Thank you both.

[Wildfire Chilli Australia]

I know you guys are all overseas from me but just to let anyone in Aus know that I have the Pure Venom sauce in stock at the moment. Very nice sauce.

[Scorpion]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..............Pure venom! We shall talk miss wildfire.