Hot Sauce Depot Blog

Producer: Blair’s

Price: 5oz: ~$5.50

Ingredients: Red Habaneros, Vinegar, Cayenne Chilies, Chipotle, Fresh Garlic, Key Lime Juice, Cilantro, Fresh Herbs & Spices

Appearance: Reddish-brown, thick, slighly pulpy

Aroma: Garlic with vinegar

Taste: Garlic is the overwhelming character in this sauce, almost completely drowning out the character of the habaneros. Although Red Habanero and Vinegar are the first two ingredients, this sauce is not very hot, nor is it as vinegary as would be expected. This would make a good sauce for grilled chicken, but is not hearty enough for red meat.

Heat: This is a relatively mild sauce, in a 3/10 range. The bit of heat that this sauce produces drops back to under 1/10 very quickly.

Conclusion/General Comments: This is a good sauce for garlic lovers, but if you do not care for garlic then this sauce has little to offer you. For those who like garlic, this is a good mild sauce.

Overall Rating
Heat: 3 Flavor: 5

We have finally completed the setup for our discussion forum, where you can discuss everything spicy with other chiliheads and spice fanatics.  While you do not have to register to read the forum, it is necessary to register in order to post.  Please join in the fun, and start discussing your favorite sauces, share your recipes, and get reviews on the latest sauces.

Producer: Droolin’ Devil Fine Foods

Price: 5oz: ~$9.50

Ingredients: Habanero, Piquin, Cayenne, Ring of Fire, Peri Peri, Tepin, Jalapeno Peppers, Garlic, Ginger, Spices, Salt, Lemon, Lime and Orange Juices, Vinegar

Appearance: Reddish-brown, thin consistency

Aroma: Spicy, with citrus notes.

Taste: This is a very complex sauce, with a well-rounded habanero and spice combination that is held together by the citrus juices.  This sauce is all about flavor, and leaves the vinegar to the background- just enough to be familiar.  The heat hits quickly, but is not at the level that is suggested by the producer.  The burn quickly tapers down to a very mild level.

Heat: Rated as a 9/10 on the bottle, this sauce is truly under 8.  While hot, it is most definitely not over the top, and the burn quickly drops back. 

Conclusion/General Comments: A thicker consistency would be nice, and based on the ingredients I have to believe that water has been added.  Still, this is a very flavorful sauce that will go with almost anything.

Overall Rating
Heat: 7-8 Flavor: 9

Hot Sauce Depot continues to expand our product line, now with more than 40 brands to choose from. The latest additions are BourbonQ and Pappy’s BBQ sauces from Kentucky Bourbon Q, and Bone Suckin’ sauces. Both of these producers offer fantastic quality and flavor, yet remain very well priced.

You can find the Pappy’s and Bourbon Q products on our Kentucky Bourbon Q page (Kentucky Bourbon Q) and Bone Suckin’ at Bone Suckin’ Brand.

Producer: Marie Sharp’s Fine Foods

Price: 5oz: ~$2.95

Ingredients: Select Yellow Habanero Peppers, Grapefruit Pulp, Onions, Key Lime Juice, Vinegar, Garlic and Salt

Appearance: Soft yellow, pulpy

Aroma: A very pleasant citrus mix from the grapefruit and key lime juice.

Taste: Very strong on fruit, this sauce is quite different from anything else that I have tasted. There is very little habanero character due to the strong grapefruit flavor, which is backed by the lime juice. As the fruit flavor disappears you find the habanero lurking behind. This sauce tastes very much as it smells, and is extremely pleasant, while not being very hot. The heat that it has dissipates quickly, so if someone with a low heat tolerance decides to give it a try they will find the pain short lived.

Heat: On a 1-10 scale, Marie Sharp’s Grapefruit Habanero is only in the 5-6 range at best.

Conclusion/General Comments: While not running near the heat range of some habanero based sauces, the unique flavor of Marie Sharp’s Grapefruit Habenero Pepper Sauce make it a definite winner. This is not a sauce that will go with every food, but would be especially suited to fish or chicken, or even on your favorite veggies.

Overall Rating
Heat: 5-6 Flavor: 9

Producer: Figueroa Brothers

Price: 5oz: ~$8.00

Ingredients: Habanero peppers, water, african oleoresin, scotch bonnet peppers, salt, onion, vegetable oil, acetic acid, garlic & xanthan gum

Appearance: Red, smooth, medium thickness

Aroma: Leading the way is the tangy smell of fresh habanero peppers, quickly followed by a hint of vinegar. All in all this is a very clean and favorable smelling sauce.

Taste: This sauce is surprisingly stronger on pepper flavor than expected, given the fact that it is intended as a high-heat extract sauce. However, the flavor is quickly displaced by heat toward the back of the mouth and front of the throat, although not the overwhelming heat that I was prepared for. The heat only takes a second or two to start kicking in, and builds rapidly for the next 10 or so seconds, however, it stops at a very livable level and only maintains the heat level for a short time. After a couple of minutes you are left with just a well rounded after-burner effect that is quite pleasant.

Heat: On a 1-10 scale, Ass Reaper Hot Sauce is about an 8. I have tried hotter non-extract sauces, but at the same time this is not a sauce that you will use in great amounts.

Conclusion/General Comments: This was a surprisingly pleasant sauce given the extract level, and without the bitterness found in some extract sauces. Still, the heat level will keep it from being used in large amounts, but it would make an excellent sauce to add into chili and stews to add some kick without ruining the flavor.

Overall Rating
Heat: 8 Flavor: 7

Although we have been private labeling sauces for stores, we have finally made this available on small orders at exceptional pricing. With as few as 6 bottles of one product we will custom print your labels on high-gloss labels with our full-color digital label printer.

For more information about our private label sauces, go to www.hotsaucedepot.com/Private-Label-Hot-Sauce-C157.aspx

We are always working to add to and improve our blog. Please send us your feedback on how we can improve it, and what you would like to see added.

Producer:  Ashley Foods

Price: 5oz: ~$9.00

Ingredients: Vinegar, evaporated cane juice, Ghost Pepper, fresh Habanero peppers, garlic, onion, Peri Peri peppers, spices and xanthan gum

Appearance: Medium brown, smooth, peppery, medium thickness

Aroma: At the forefront is a combination vinegar and molasses, followed by black pepper and smoky notes that quickly build to a slight burnt smell, reminiscent of low-end Chipotle sauces.  Slight BBQ sauce smell due to the cane juice.

Taste: A combination of vinegar and molasses hits immediately, but is quickly overtaken by the slightly bitter flavor of burned peppers.  Between the black pepper and burnt character it is difficult to find the Jolokia, with the Habanero character standing out more than the Jolokia pepper in this sauce.   The heat hits to the back of the mouth and top of the throat, building quickly but not maintaining the long build associated with fresh Jolokia, and not building to the level experienced in some other Jolokia sauces.  This leaves us to wonder if Jolokia powder (famous for being burned during kiln drying) was used in this sauce as opposed to fresh Jolokia peppers.  Make no mistake, this sauce is hot, but the heat level falls slightly short of some other Jolokia sauces, and is certainly not excrutiating.   The heat stays around for several minutes, although at a quickly decreasing level.

Heat:  On a 1-10 scale, the Mad Dog Pure Ghost Hot Sauce is about an 8.5.  There are some slightly hotter sauces around without extract, and certainly several much hotter with extract.  However, on a non-extract sauce, this is nearing the potential upper limit.

Conclusion/General Comments: This was certainly not one of our favorite sauces, and falls on the lower half of our list of preferences.  While it is a meaty sauce, the burnt character detracts from an otherwise complex sauce.  Had this been made with fresh Jolokia it could have easily doubled its overall score, and become a real winner.  The Mad Dog Pure Ghost Hot Sauce is proof that an otherwise stellar sauce can be ruined by a single shortcut.

Given the specific character of this sauce, it would be best suited on steaks and red meats, and could not be used as an all-purpose sauce.

Overall Rating
Heat: 8.5          Flavor: 4

Hello all! We at Hot Sauce Depot are excited about our new blog, and sharing new products, reviews, and much more with you. As a start we will offer a review for all of our Extra Hot Weekly Specials as they are changed.

Of course, we will also take suggestions on what YOU wish to see here, and expand our reviews as you ask about some of the products that we offer.

For those of you that have stumbled upon us and are not familiar with Hot Sauce Depot, we are a manufacturer, importer, and distributor of one of the largest selections of hot sauces and fiery foods anywhere.  We supply stores as well as the retail public at exceptional prices- but not at the expense of service.  To us, taking care of you is not just a business function- we enjoy hearing from you and we listen to your suggestions.  Please check us out at www.hotsaucedepot.com.