We’ve added another round of new sauces to the Sweat ‘N Spice product line – in plenty of time for you to stock up before the big upcoming superbowl game!

Until 2006 HSB Readers can use coupon code “hsbfree” when checking out and recieve free shipping on any order!

Merry Christmas Chileheads!

New Sauces
• 357 Mad Dog Extreme Wing Sauce
• Ashes
• Defcon Condition 1 Wing Sauce
• Defcon Condition 2 Wing Sauce
• Ignite Hot Sauce
• Kiss of Fire XXX Hot Sauce
• Krakatoa Red Savina Hot Sauce
• Liquid Stoopid Hot Sauce
• Walkerswood Jonkanoo Hot Sauce
• Wanza’s Wicked Temptation Hot Sauce

Mega Death, After Death, Original Death, for any chili-head these names are synonymous with quite possibly the greatest of Hot Sauces. Yes, Blair is responsible for all of these, but he is also responsible for another great sauce which for some reason has not garnered the recognition of its brethren. Perhaps it is its name. Perhaps it is because it doesn’t have the trademark graphics (although the yellow skull should be a dead giveaway). But make no mistake that this sauce ranks up there in heat and flavour as the rest of his line.

I am talking about Possible Side Effects. At 283,000 Scoville Units this fiery conction in my opinion is one of the most looked over of hot sauces. I remember when it was first released a few years ago, a time when extract sauces were just starting the Scoville war and when it WAS one of the hottest out there. I could only handle a micro drop at at time. I blame this sauce for making me go through Dave’s Insanity sauce like ketchup.

Now, a few years later and quite a few bottles later I still give it the respect it deserves. I find it to be quite possibly the tastiest sauce at that heat level and I think it is high time that chili-heads give it a try. If you are a collector and it is not on your shelf then shame on you.

The ingredients alone are quite inventive: Red Savina Habanero Chile, Cayenne Chile, Vinegar, Natural Pepper Flavoring, Orange Juice, Roasted Green Jalapeno Chile, Ground Pumpkin Seed, Salt, Potatoes, Spices.

Open this bottle, smell the greatness Blair has packaged in there. Pour some onto a plate and you can see all the ingredients. Put some on a cracker and taste all the subtle flavour packed in. This is truly a great sauce. If for some reason you have been holding back on this, I say make sure it is part of your next order.

Packaging – 8/10
Aroma - 9/10
Appearance – 10/10
Taste - 9/10
Heat - 9/10

Overall – 9.5/10

Palmetto Pepper Potions
Molten Golden
“South Carolina Hot Sauce!”

Website: http://www.pepperpotions.com

Ingredients: Mangoes yellow mustard (disilled vinegar, mustard seed, salt, tumeric, spices), red habanero peppers, distilled vinegar, brown sugar, seasonings, spices, citric acid, xanthan gum, kosher salt.

Packaging: Palmetto Pepper Potions’ Molten Golden comes in an attractive, colorful 5.7 oz flask with a white cap.

Back Label: “A Caribbean treasure bursting with fresh mangoes, cumin, and curry in a mustard brew. Great on chicken, beef, barbecue, ham, sausage, hot dogs, burgers, seafood, vegetables, macaroni and cheese, deviled eggs, pasta salad and sandwiches.”

The story: “Abundance was the mother of invention. Palmetto Pepper Potions hot sauces began the year we landscaped with chile pepper plants. A friend had planted too many hot peppers and offered to share. We eagerly planted them all over our yard, along the driveway and among the wildflowers. We experimented with peppers, herbs, seasonal fruits, and fresh vegetables to create a rainbow of vibrant, fresh-tasting sauces. Friends, family, our favorite bands, and a surprising number of strangers clamored for more.”

Color: Orange, with darker specks of seasoning.

Smell: Buttery, cumin scent, with a hint of citrus. Vinegar is non-descript.

Consistency: Medium consistency, pours readily.

Taste: Palmetto Pepper Potion’s “Molten Golden” is a sauce that defies easy description. Off of the spoon, you get sweetness balanced by the tartness of fruit. These sensations are followed immediately by a smooth – almost creamy – cumin wave. Molten Golden worked surprisingly well with every food I tried it with. Eggs, chicken, meatloaf, even french-fries. Normally when trying a new sauce, I’ll pour a portion on the side of my plate and dip things in as I go along. After a moment or two with Molten Golden, I was pouring it liberally over my food – it’s just that tasty.

Texture: Smooth, with the occasional bit of vegetable or pepper seed.

Heat: A good solid punch, the habaneros come through nicely. On a heat scale of 1 to 10, I rate Molten Golden a 5.

Overall Impressions: I initially had my doubts about this one. I wondered if the initial citrus tang would overwhelm the experience and reduce this sauce to a niche player…something that only really worked well with particular kinds of food. Those concerns were soon dispelled, as Molten Golden’s flavor proved to be a wonderful compliment to anything and everything I threw at it. The heat delivered by this sauce is moderate, and entirely complementary. I’m still trying to figure out just what it is that gives this sauce it’s creamy, buttery flavor, it’s sublime and addictive!

I’ll definitely be buying this sauce again, and in the end that’s the highest bit of praise I can think of. Good stuff.

Palmetto Pepper Potions, LLC
P.O. Box 6126
Forest Acres, South Carolina 29260

phone/fax: (803) 782-8020

Previous Reviews:
- Molten Golden
- Daily Red Hot Sauce
- Larynx Lava
- Larynx Lava II

Capsicum annuum var. glabrisculum, also known as Chiletepin, Tepin peppers or “bird’s eye” peppers are supposedly one of the hottest peppers in the world. Some chile enthusiasts argue that the Tepin is hotter than the habanero or Red Savina. These tiny peppers are about 3/8″ round to slightly oval, and are found in the deserts of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Northern Mexico. The word “Tepin” comes from the Nahuatl Mexican word meaning “flea”. In 1995, Texans named the Jalapeno pepper the official pepper of Texas, but two years later, the Tepin was named the official native pepper of Texas.

Tepins are extremely hot, measuring between 50,000 and 100,000 Scoville Units. In Mexico, the heat of the Chiltepin is called arrebatado (“rapid” or “violent”), which implies that although the heat is great, it diminishes quickly.

You probably have never heard of the Tepin pepper, and probably would disagree that these tiny peppers could rival the heat of the Habanero or Scotch Bonnet. You may be asking why I’m bringing all this up. This is why:

A few months ago, my mother-in-law brought me a bag of tiny green pellets and said, “This guy at the office grows these and says they are hotter than habaneros. When he makes a batch of chili, he only puts on pepper in, and that’s all he needs.”

I couldn’t believe it. One tiny pepper? Hotter than a Habanero? How come I had never heard of this micro-monstrosity? Who’s been keeping this information from me? Is it terrorism? What’s our terror alert level!? Just look at the size of this thing:

Not one to be intimidated by such a small terror, I had to see for myself if the violent arrabatado was, in truth, a hotter burn than the infamous Habanero. I made plans for how I would test the peppers. To the Men in Aprons Laboratory! I devised three tests: 1.) the tongue touch, 2.) the beef taco test, and 3.) the eat whole thing and pray to Itzpzpaltol that I would live, or at least not crumple over in pain.

First up was the tongue touch. I cut one pepper in half and touched a half to the tip of my tongue. It was instantly lit afire. But, as suspected, the fire was abated in under a minute with no external milk interference. Judging by this lack of hellfire and brimstone, I decided to put four of the Tepin peppers (show above) in withe my taco meat. I made some quick smoky chili con carne tacos with 4 of the peppers chopped and thrown into the mix. The result: Nothing. Not a hint of heat whatsoever. In fact, I had to break out more Chipotle Tabasco just to bump it up a bit.

Finally, I did the eat-the-whole-pepper thing. Saying a quick Hail Mary, I popped the pepper in and chewed my way to glory. The heat was briefly intense, much like a serrano pepper. But there was a curious phenomenon. I only felt the heat on the places in my mouth where the pepper had physically touched. It was not like a Habanero, where your saliva helps the fire spread all over the inside of your mouth and throat. I figured that maybe since I had them in the freezer, the heat must have subsided somehow.

My other thought is this: since the Tepin peppers are so tiny, they actually have less capsaicin. A smaller size means smaller membranes which means smaller amounts of capsaicin.

In conclusion, I think the idea that the Tepin is hotter than a Habanero may be true in terms of pure Scoville Units. But in overall heat, mouth and butt-burning capability, and the amount of time the heat lasts, I still give Habaneros the award.

Sources: SGH Resources, Cornell Plantations: A Plethora of Peppers, Ecoseeds

You may have already read on Blair’s website or within the comments section of the uber popular Blair’s 2005 Holiday Reserve post that the Blair’s 2005 Reserves have been shipped. They are arriving today to eager collectors hands.

The red, black & white wax matches the super-sized 2004 Blair’s Holiday Reserve. Those that will be recieving a B-99 can expect those collectible bottles to begin shipping on or around 1/2/2006.

The HSB has been recieving reports throughout the day from those that have recieved their Holiday Reserves today. So far we’ve heard from:
#3 – Eric
#4 – Randy aka MSK
#7 – For sale on eBay
#8 – Mike
#9 – Mad_Reilly
#12 – Paul
#13 – Joe & Linda
#16 – thakswet
#19 – NoSauce2Hot
#24 – For sale on eBay
#33 – C Gurholt
#37 – MikeG
#38 – The Creator
#42 – DK
#44 – For Sale on eBay
# 46 – For sale on eBay
#48 – Adam
#51 – For sale on eBay
# 66 – Chris K
#86 – Cheffy

If you’re not already a subscriber to Chile Pepper magazine, I suggest you sign up in time to get yourself a copy of the upcoming hot sauce issue (March/April ’06). They are really doing a lot of research for this issue, interviewing several manufacturers and even several collectors. Can’t wait to read it!

I must say, some of the design changes that have been made to this latest issue (the 20th Anniversary Issue) are quite spectacular. They are really putting a lot of work into ‘heating’ up the magazine.

And don’t forget to sign up for their hot gift basket giveaway.

Baumer Foods, maker of Crystal Hot Sauce, won’t return to Orleans

The Associated Press – The Baumer Foods bottling plant, where Crystal Hot Sauce and dozens of other condiments were made, won’t reopen in New Orleans after suffering significant damage from Hurricane Katrina.

President and owner Alvin Baumer Jr. said he does not have a new site selected for the 250-employee plant. Another casualty of the storm: Baumer’s iconic Interstate sign.

The left side of the art deco and neon sign, which features a smiling cook stirring a huge pot of strawberry jam, was ripped away. With the company’s 60-year-old bottling plant inundated with as much as 5 feet of water, Baumer had to turn to private-label bottlers for help.

Four different companies are bottling the hot sauce along with Baumer’s relatively new product, Hickory Liquid Smoke, and two steak sauces.

Even before Katrina, Baumer had been seeking a new location for the plant. He said Tuesday that he would not reopen the site and will continue using private bottlers until he can build a new plant or buy and retrofit an existing building.

Though he wouldn’t discuss locations, Baumer said the site would not be in New Orleans, where the company has operated for 81 years.

For now, most of Baumer’s 250 employees are scattered to the winds. He has been trying to contact them and thinks that if he can get a plant up and running and the employees can find a place to live, most would return to the area.

Are you a collector looking for a certain bottle? Do you have a collectible bottle you’re looking to sell? Have anything else that may be of interest to hot sauce collectors in general? If so, drop the HSB a note here and we’ll post it in the Hot Sauce Collector’s Corner. If you have a bottle to sell or trade, send us a note as well and we’ll see what we can find for you.

Looking for…

Blair’s 24k Skull?
Looking for a Blair’s signature death sauce skull dipped in 24 kt gold with display case. Seen some 6 AM’s that come with them, I wasn’t so lucky. Leave a post here if you can help me out. Willing to give up my first born stepson…j/k ~ Ryan

Blair’s Caldera
I am seeking a Blair’s Caldera, with the number not really mattering whether is 49 or 499. I have a limited amt. of cash, but will consider trading my Dave’s Private Reserve for 1995 and/or 1996 for it as part of the deal. ~ Joe

Blair’s Beyond Death – 1993
If you have a bottle of Blair’s Beyond Death (circa 1993 – seen here) that your willing to part with, we’ve got a collector that’s looking to add this prized bottle to his collection. Leave a comment and we’ll put you in touch.

Selling & Available…

OK, here we go. I dont want to sell these but I have to. I dont want to put these on ebay. I would rater have someone that will keep these in there collection rather than sell them for profit. You guys are my first choice to sell these sauces. 1st sauce I need to sell is my Blair’s #67 of 73 Limited Mega Death sauce. #2 sauce im selling is my #642 4am sauce. I might be possibly selling more but just these two for now. I guess I could part with the 4am for 375 bucks and 575 bucks for the Mega Death. OBO on both. If any one is interested let me know ~ Scott

**Remeber the 4AM #642 is one of the documented duplicates from Blair, seen here.

CaJohn’s Collectibles
Frostbite 4′s – #73 & #74
Hardcore Hot Sauce Set – Made for the 2005 Fiery Foods Show

General…

Original Tabanero Label
Not yet a true collector’s item, but the Tabanero hot sauces are no longer being printed with labels that reference the “Tabasco” name. If you have a unopened original labled bottle, keep it that way. Details here.

Reminder – please send your requests for collector’s items and/or for sale notices using the contact form. Leave a comment if you have a bottle that some is looking for (or you could use the form as well) and we’ll put you in touch.

As predicted earlier, there has already been a label change for the Tabanero hot sauce line. You see, when I first saw the original label (ad here) my gut reaction was that Crazy Ed’s would soon be hearing from Tabasco’s lawyers.

But I liked the sauce anyways, so I ordered a second bottle shortly after the original review (done on 11/05/05). The second bottle just arrived (over 30 days late) and as Biggles noted, there was a distinct label change.

The first bottle I recieved is pictured on the left and the latest bottle is on the right. Notice the change?

Good thing is: the recipe is still the same – so either way you’ll get a tasty sauce. In fact, you can still get one FREE (+ the cost of shipping) here.

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