I gave Marie Sharp’s Mild Habanero Sauce a try today. The small sample I have has the old label, a classic and attractive presentation. As I’ve never tried one of Marie Sharp’s Hot Sauce offerings before, I didn’t know what to expect from the mild.

Ingredients: Select red habanero peppers, fresh carrots, onions, key lime juice, vinegar, garlic and salt.

On First Taste
I first tried Marie Sharp’s mild on a cracker. The carrot flavor came through the strongest, and lent a terrific sweetness to a light flavor of habanero. The hot sauce has a thin but smooth texture – easy to pour, but stays nicely where you put it.

The labeling of this sauce as mild is honest and appropriate, a fresh breath in a world of hot sauces that all too often oversell their heat. It has comparable heat to that found in most vinegar sauces that tout themselves as much hotter than they are.

On Food
I thought the sweetness of Marie Sharp’s Mild would be a perfect compliment to one of my staples, spring rolls.

And success! The taste was the perfect accent to the vegetable spring rolls. The more I eat this sauce, the more I appreciate the carrot flavor.

I think this sauce would be great on most Chinese food, any sort of eggs, and as previously mentioned here at HSB, as salad dressing. It’s probably too thin to use effectively on ice cream, but the taste would be good.

As for the heat level, it’s probably not hot enough for many hardcore chiliheads – but that’s why the label says mild, after all! (Those is search of a bigger burn can check out the Belizean Heat.)

Marie Sharp’s Mild Habanero Pepper Sauce is a perfect condiment for those who love great flavor with a touch of heat.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10