Stripling's Fire Roasted Habanero Hot Sauce Review

Introducing Stripling's Fire Roasted Habanero Hot Sauce from Cordele, Georgia!

VISUALS

Bottle

Well. Here we have a simple white label with a piggie in the middle. Tagline - "You never sausage a place." Hilarious! Obviously this is the tagline for the store and not for the sauce. I assume the piggie doesn't actually mean it's just for pork. Ingredients...uh oh. Water is the first ingredient. Not good. The second ingredient is..."hot sauce"? What the hell?? Ah, finally I see habanero pepper and cayenne pepper down at the end. Ooh, and paprika. Interesting choice.

That's about it. Pretty straight-forward and home-printed.

Sauce

Thickness: Watery, Thin, Medium, Thick, Sludge

Real nice dark red color with flecks of black inside - gotta be ground pepper flakes. Sauce tends to stay where it is when poured though it does have some run when provoked. Some other flakes inside I see but can't place - they look white. Garlic powder? Salt? Rat poison? Guess I'll find out.

AROMA

Prominent habanero scent, which is good since it's in the name of the sauce. I also get vinegar which is weird since habanero usually overpowers everything for me. After a handful of sniffs those are the only two smells coming through for me. Kind of worries me I can smell the vinegar so strongly.

HAWTNESS

Scoville Rating: None official. Unofficial Fox Rating puts it around 50,000 to 70,000.

Heat: Weenie, Lukewarm, Hot, Blistering, Inferno, Fatal

Another non-scorcher! Starts out strong with some ok burn in the throat but with a name that includes the words "Fire" and "Habanero" - as well as "Hot" and "Sauce" - it should at least knock me around a little. That being said, the burn that lingers isn't too bad, and I imagine the sauce would have nice build-up after a few bites.

TASTE

Raw

Pepper! Not cayenne or habanero but black pepper. Well, actually I do taste the habanero but there's quite a bit of black pepper going on here. I have to start looking out for that kind of thing after this and that damn garlic sauce from last time.

Anyway, I must admit I'm not a huge fan of habanero in the taste arena. If you don't know habanero, it tastes rather coppery when mixed with vinegar for sauces. The pepper itself is actually rather fruity but as soon as it's mixed in it almost tastes like biting the inside of your mouth hard. I know that sounds strange but there you go.

Paired

I just mixed it with Harry's brand Tomato Basil soup (I can't get enough! Find it!) and it was a surprisingly delightful mix! Didn't overpower the great taste of the tomato and the basil. Possibly even enhanced it with the 20 pounds of pepper.

Just tried it in a roast stew - not a good interactive experience. Though the coppery habanero taste was nulled by the meat, it mainly just brought out the pepper in the sauce. The heat build-up I thought would exist isn't present either.

I think this might jus be a sauce for dishes that could possibly be improved by a lot of pepper. Of course, this depends on taste, but it sure is overwhelming.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Slightly disappointing. I knew water being the first ingredient would come back to bite me and it did, not only with heat but taste. To make up they seem to have added a ton of black pepper flakes to the extent that's basically all that comes out in dishes.

In some meals this could be a good thing, like the tomato basil soup. In a peppery meat dish like a roast stew, it becomes overwhelming. With the right combination this might be a solid sauce, and good for those looking to take a step up from weenie beginner sauces. Otherwise there isn't much use for it.

Rating: 3/5

Katrina Storm Sauce Review

Introducing Katrina Storm Sauce from New Orleans, Louisiana!

VISUALS

Bottle

My goodness, what a mess. Front and center we have an unfortunate (but very happy) gator getting blown away by, assumedly, Katrina, hanging on to a sign for Bourbon Street. He tells us "It will blow you away!!!" An orange sunspot to the left informs us it's "a killer hot sauce, category 5 flavor, category 3 heat." Seems a little contradictory but does say that it's more about taste than heat, which is a good thing to let me know ahead of time. To the right of the gator we have a hurricane cell with a sign that says "Certified Cajun."

Ingredients - this is why I bought it, honestly. Some strange stuff going on, we'll see how it pans out. Lots of peppers - cayenne, habanero, smoked jalapeno are all listed here. Mustard? Hmmm. Cane vinegar, cane syrup, sea salt? Also, minced garlic and minced onion and of course..."spices." Good lord. We'll see if any of this can be tasted at all.

Sauce

Thickness: Watery, Thin, Medium, Thick, Sludge

Garlic, garlic and more garlic! Chunks of it all throughout the sauce. Dark orange/red color in the sauce itself. Very thick, hardly any flow to it at all, probably due to the cane sugar.

AROMA

VERY garlicy and very salty smell. The minced garlic definitely comes out in first whiff. Slight smoky scent comes from the smoked jalapenos. Can't detect any cayenne which is weird, considering how potent they are, and no overbearing habanero either. Luckily I love garlic both in taste and smell so this may prove to be another winner.

HAWTNESS

Scoville Rating: None official. Unofficial Fox Rating puts it around 3,000 to 4,000.

Heat: Weenie, Lukewarm, Hot, Blistering, Inferno, Fatal

Wow, way less than I thought. The light sharpness hits on the tongue and a little in the back of the throat. It's very light though, and I'm not entirely sure how in the world there are any habaneros in here at all. There stands a possibility the heat can build over time but I doubt it. Some light lingering but nothing to write home about.

TASTE

Raw

Garlic! It really overpowers everything here. Once again I love garlic, but this somewhat limits the possibilities for pairing. Not TOO much, as lots of food tastes good with garlic, but I won't be dumping this on just everything. The smoky scent doesn't carry too well over to the taste unfortunately. Can't detect any of the peppers over the garlic, nor do any of the other spices or mustard or 5,000 other ingredients really come through. Seems a little pointless to have all this interesting stuff going on and waste it.

Paired

Surprisingly, the garlic-ness was tempered a bit when I tried it with the meat product I was consuming (city chicken, if anyone out there knows what that is). No heat build-up, which I expected, but it did taste ok.

It definitely doesn't go with everything. Later I tried some on a burrito which was a complete disaster. This is definitely a specific sauce. One thing I imagine it would be great for is a marinade for hamburgers in place of garlic salt. It's nice and thick so you can mix it up in there or slather it on and will a add a tinge of kick.

None of the other flavors listed came out at all, which kind of makes me think it was a waste. Why put all that stuff in there but there's no hint of it? They should've rethought the formula.

FINAL THOUGHTS

A better slogan would've been Category 1 Heat, Category 5 Garlic. Disappointment on the heat and flavor scale is a real knock on its score, but I do give them credit for trying. With a reconfiguring of the recipe (namely, not cramming an entire field of garlic in) it might have been great, but who knows? Right now it's a very specific sauce that won't go with just everything.

I have heard garlic called the "perfect ingredient," and in moderation it can be. I happen to love garlic. After a while though I had to put it away as it just got ridiculous. Not good!

Considering how specific the sauce's use is and overall disappointment with both taste and heat, I'll have to rate it low. Almost rated it higher but after spending some time with the sauce, I just can't do it.

Rating: 2/5

Pics Coming

I'm going to add pics of my personal bottles as soon as I get my camera! Enjoy the reviews as I have them so far and don't hesitant to let me know what you think.

Cholula Review

Introducing Cholula from Mexico!

VISUALS

Bottle

A pleasant yellow label. In the middle we have a smiling woman picking various peppers and other veggies, quite possibly to chop up and put in the VERY BOTTLE I'M HOLDING! Also around the edge is a border with the red, green and white of Mexico.

These same veggies line the top wrapping. Instead of a typical plastic screw-on top, we get a plastic screw-on top that's covered with wood! The ingredients list Arbol and Piquin peppers, which reveals some heat and smoky flavor.

Sauce

Thickness: Watery, Thin, Medium, Thick, Sludge

Free-flowing but tends to stay where it's poured. Color is an admittedly odd orange color, almost like the sauce in Spaghetti-ohs! No pepper flakes to speak of sticking to the side of the bottle so it's sauce only here.

AROMA

Very distinct aroma here. Very tangy, slightly sweet - smells thick, heady. Pungent, but no overwhelming vinegar scent which is nice after my last sauce. Almost smells like peppercorns at time. Peppercorn? Is that plural or is it peppercorns? I guess I could look it up but that would take 4 or 5 seconds.

HAWTNESS

Scoville Rating: 3,600

Heat: Weenie, Lukewarm, Hot, Blistering, Inferno, Fatal

A very pleasant and easy warmth spreads quickly around the mouth. No real burn to speak of, so the rather hot peppers that are used in the sauce (both Arbol and Piquin are around 30,000 to 50,000) have been watered down quite a bit. No lingering effects. Luckily the bottle doesn't display any signs that this sauce was supposed to knock my brain out of my butt or it would hurt the rating. The more it's used, there is a slight build-up but nothing to shake a stick at.

TASTE

Raw

There are quite a few spices going on here, which all seem to interact together. Just by itself, Cholula has a slight vinegar twinge near the beginning but rapidly disappears into all the tasty spices. There is a very smoky back note to the whole experience which I think is the great lingering appeal to the sauce. Spices up front, smokiness in the back, something for everybody.

Paired

I'll be honest - I've tried this on everything. Just today I had it on chicken and rice, and it worked with both the meat and the grain. Once again the spices up front accentuate everything, and the smokiness helps whatever you're eating travel up to your nose and linger on.

Pizza, burritos, sandwiches, roast beef, tomatoes, plain cheese - I pour Cholula on almost everything that I consume. The only food I can't say it really goes with too well is jambalaya - I find it a bit too thick and seems to contrast with the spices already present in the jambalaya. I use it only when cayenne sauces run out.

There's no real vinegar taste when paired as there is sometimes when eaten raw, just pure taste.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Yeah, yeah, I know - everybody in the world has either used Cholula or at least seen it at IHOP or your favorite local Mexican restaurant food outlet. To rate all the sauces out there means I must do the mass produced stuff as well - and it doesn't change the fact that this stuff is liquid gold. I quite literally go through a bottle of this stuff at least every week. I would dump this on my breakfast cereal if I ate breakfast. The lack of any real heat would be a huge problem (especially considering the peppers used) if they didn't seem to go out of their way to let you know that this isn't a sauce about heat, it's about taste. It's right there all over the bottle.

If your store has it, I would recommend buying the 12 oz bottle. You'll end up using it in no time. I would bathe in this stuff if I could. There really should be a festival dedicated to it. I would go every year and dress up as an arbol pepper - and I bet the woman from the front of the bottle would be there to greet us all with that same warm smile on her face autographing vegetables for everyone to take home and frame!

Rating: 5/5

Turkey Creek Review

Introducing Turkey Creek from Thomaston, Georgia!

VISUALS

Bottle

Real bright and yellow! In the center we have a picture of some turkeys by, well, a creek. Hanging from the picture are two chilis, look like cayenne peppers. The word "Hot" in "hot sauce" is literally on fire, which, if this is a cayenne sauce, is complete false advertisement! Ingredients list a "pepper mash" which doesn't help.

Sauce

Thickness: Watery, Thin, Medium, Thick, Sludge

Swishes around easily but has a few legs. Sauce is on the orange-ish side. Some of the "mash" sticks to the glass which is a glimmer of hope.

AROMA

Super sweet with a strong note of vinegar. Gross.

HAWTNESS

Scoville Rating: None official. Unofficial Fox Rating puts it around 500 to 1,000.

Heat: Weenie, Lukewarm, Hot, Blistering, Inferno, Fatal 

In and out in a flash. None in the throat, all in the mouth. Only real lingering is an ever slight numbness on the tongue; no heat, but just a tingly reminder that something was there at one point, which is more than likely from the vinegar.

TASTE

Raw

Almost all vinegar. None of the "mash" that is listed and seen on the sides of the bottle can really be tasted. If I wanted a bottle of vinegar I'd mash up some Salt & Vinegar chips. There is a slight uplift of the "pepper mash" near the end but quickly goes away. Only drink if you really like vinegar and not much else.

Paired

I decided to give this sauce a shot with some fried chicken I picked up. Unfortunately quickly I had to switch back to other standards. The overtly vinegar flavor interfered with the chicken and none of the pepper flavor was brought out either.

Poured on some cheese, you get basically the same effect. The salt from the cheese doesn't really help bring out anything that would be considered taste.

Since the heat is so low I would go as far to say this sauce is basically pointless!

FINAL THOUGHTS

Cayenne based sauces are a dime a dozen; every time I run out to grab a new bottle there are at least 10,000 new bottles of somebody throwing some vinegar and pepper skins together. It's not that I don't like cayenne - I eat tons and tons of jambalaya and it goes perfect with it - but if you're not going to even try and do it right then why bother? I fully intend to take this bottle and drive up to Thomaston and yell at them.

Rating: 1/5

Jamaica Hell Fire 4 in 1 Review

Introducing Jamaica Hell Fire 4 in 1 from Tampa, Florida!

VISUALS

Bottle

The little animated devil coming from the bottom is what draws my eye first. Slightly cutesy with a dislocated head a la the Canadians in South Park which reveals the more taste and fun oriented type sauce that is to come. The background is filled with orange and red shades which remind one of, well, fire! The lettering is a little crazy, with "4 in 1" and "Triple Red Hot" all askew in the middle of the bottle. Ingredients list "tropical hot peppers" and pimentos.

Sauce

Thickness: Watery, Thin, Medium, Thick, Sludge

Swishing it around, you can actually see the different peppers, seeds and spices sticking to the bottle itself, which made me think I had accidentally bought a salsa mix. Despite this the thickness is still in the medium range and pours quite well. Color is a nice dark red with a slight orange tinge. Pepper skins are orange which reveals the tropical hot peppers as habaneros. 

AROMA

Powerful allspice smell! It overpowers anything else that might be in there, including any peppers, which is surprising - for me, anything with habaneros as an ingredient and that's all I can smell. Fruity notes, salty, and very pungent. Definitely belies any heat.

HAWTNESS

Scoville Rating: None official. Unofficial Fox Rating puts it around 30,000 to 50,000.

Heat: Weenie, Lukewarm, Hot, Blistering, Inferno, Fatal

Sharp in the beginning, quickly hits the throat, and just as quickly fades away. A little lingering heat at the top back of the mouth and the tongue. Low hotness is a disappointment after the build-up from the pepper flakes and seeds and color. After a minute I've forgotten I ever had anything in my mouth. For those used to heat, this sauce won't be any sort of challenge.

TASTE

Raw

Aw, here we go. This is why I bought this. The smell wasn't lying - so many flavors going on here. Even saltier than I thought it was, which leads and intensifies the multitude of spices from the allspice. I'm not too familiar with allspice, but count me as a fan from now on. The fruity and sweet notes from the habanero and pimento peppers are present and accountable but take a backseat to everything else that slams into your tongue.

Paired

Since I bought the bottle three or four days ago, I have poured this stuff on everything I've gotten my hands on. The first thing I tried it on was pepperoni pizza. The salt from the cheese and the pepperoni brought out the allspice flavor even more. I fully expected the hotness to build from the generous slathering on my plate, but again I was let down. This is definitely not a burner.

Next great pairing was a burrito with meat filling and melted cheese on top. This was almost perfect. Since the sauce is "chunkier" than most due to the hefty bits of pepper bits, it does a great job staying on top of the food and allows for more sauce to end up in your mouth-hole instead of all over the plate. The only bad thing about this is how fast it goes - after a few days I've almost used half the damn bottle!

Goes great with meat, cheese, tortillas, and alone. Beautiful.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Don't believe the label - no triple hotness here. Don't let the presence of the habanero flakes fool you either, as the hotness of those peppers has been dulled significantly. For experiencd chiliheads, this is a taste only sauce. Luckily, the taste is worth it in every sense of the word. If you hunt it down buy two bottles - one for drinking alone and the other to pour on every breakfast, lunch, and dinner you run across.

Rating: 4/5

A Burning Start

Welcome to the Blistered Fox. Eventually this blog will contain reviews for every single hot sauce in the world, as well as detailing my ridiculous attempts at creating my own. I'm still knocking out the specifics of what will go into each review, but will try and throw up a few in the next week or so.

I do know that each sauce will be assigned on a "Raw" rating, where the sauce is consumed by itself and judged on taste, hotness, consistency, etc, as well as a "Paired" rating, where the sauce will be tested with food and how it interacts.

Check back periodically for updates. For a teaser, my first reviews will be Jamaica Hell Fire 4 in 1, Stripling's General Store Fire Roasted Habanero, Turkey Creek, and the extremely popular Cholula Original!