When I first tried this sauce, I didn’t know what to expect. The label advertises “Caution: Very Hot!” but also touts flavor before fire. Is this a burner, or exaggerated advertising? Only time will tell. The packaging is very similar to my review of the Warm Garlic and Shallot sauce I had reviewed previously; as before, I’m not a huge fan of the look. But, that aside, my previous experience with Sweet Sunshine was good enough that I was eagerly anticipating testing this one.

Ingredients: Sugar, Water, Vinegar, Ripe Red Savina Habanero Peppers, Mustard Seed, Ancho Peppers, Corn Syrup, Cayenne Peppers, Habanero Peppers, Molasses, Modified Food Starch, Salt, Worcestershire sauce, Natural Flavors, Onion, Spices, less than 1/10 of 1% sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate.

The smell is of red savinas, which is a fantastic welcome to any sauce. That’s mixed with a whiff of vinegar and a blast of sweetness. The scent doesn’t raise any heat alarm. But, taking a few drops, the first thing that’s obvious is this sauce packs a nice punch. One thing I like about Sweet Sunshine in general: truth in advertising! Their Warm sauce can best be described as warm, and their Atomic deserves a caution label, as it’s much hotter than most people like. It’s probably even be much for the medium-loving chilihead; though if you tend to bathe your food in Mega Death, the heat won’t bother you a bit.

Through the grapevine (and after I tasted it) I saw this sauce described to me as “~100,000 scoville.” Not to mince ratings; I understand that different heats come across differently. But I put this in a taste test next to Dave’s Original Insanity and Blair’s After Death. It didn’t match the heat of either of those offerings, and they’re tested at ~50,000 SHU. But, on the plus side, Sweet Sunshine gives a solid burn with absolutely no chemical, extract taste.

The flavor is a mixed blessing. The heat is nice, and as I mentioned before, it’s a natural, Red Savina heat rather than an extract fueled fire. The Red Savina taste is well pronounced, and the vinegar is well balanced. But there is a lot of sweetness; sugar is the first ingredient, and it’s the most prevalent flavor. To my taste, the flavor profile is a bit out of whack. I just don’t care for the blend of sweetness and heat - the excess of sugar detracts from the rest of the flavor medley. All in all, the flavor profile just isn’t what I’d hope it to be.

On Food
After searching for uses of a scorchingly hot sweet sauce, I turned to a plate of ham and eggs. I applied a decent amount, and set to work. I built up a nice little sweat, though nothing too uncomfortable. The meal confirmed the heat level for me: a good level for someone who likes things hot, and way to much for the chili-novice.

All in all, it made for a palatable, hot way to start the day. Sweet Sunshine’s Atomic sauce doesn’t make my list of favorite breakfast sauces, but it’s passable. It would probably also be good used as a barbecue sauce, and anything else where a lot of heat and sweetness is desired.

Packaging - Bright, Gaudy and Confusing. 5.0 out of 10.0
Aroma - Red Savina and sugar. 7.0 out of 10.0
Appearance - thick, dark and saucy. 8.5 out of 10.0
Taste - Overly sweet and unbalanced. 6.5 out of 10.0
Heat - Hot as a low-end extract sauce with none of the extract flavor. 8.5 out of 10.0

Overall Rating: 6.7 out of 10.0 - Plenty of heat, but too much sugar spoils the flavor profile.

Sweet Sunshine
615-469-6847

From MSNBC.com:

MEXICO CITY - For most people, even the smallest bite of a raw chili pepper means a flushed face and a rush for a gulp of water. But Manuel Quiroz can guzzle down dozens of Mexico’s spiciest chilies, rub them on his skin and even squeeze their juice into his eyes without so much as blinking.

The 54-year-old Mexico City taxi driver said Saturday that he has made thousands of dollars with his talent and wants to become the world champion chili eater. But first he needs to find an organization that can crown him with that title.

“Chilies don’t sting me. They don’t affect me. It’s just like eating fruit,” Quiroz said at a market in the Mexican capital. Shoppers stared in amazement as he crunched on a habanero, the hottest chili pepper in a country that likes its food spicy.

Quiroz said he discovered his talent when he was 7 and grew up betting people that he could eat more chilies than they could. He never lost.

“I’m the best. No one can rival me,” he said.

His biggest windfall came when he entered a competition organized by a local television station and took home the $2,000 purse.

‘Eating chilies makes me feel great’
Quiroz said he plans to try to get his abilities recognized by Guinness World Records. To his knowledge, no one in the world can swallow more chilies.

“Chilies are the pride of Mexico,” Quiroz said. “The world chili-eating champion has got to be here.”

Quiroz said he has never been examined by a doctor to find out if there is a medical explanation for his extraordinary endurance to the spice.

“Why would I go and see a doctor?” he said. “There is nothing wrong with me. Eating chilies makes me feel great.”

After receipt of a large package of fresh sauces from the HSB stash, and excited by the prospect of taking snazzy pictures with my brand new Canon SD630 digital camera, I’ve been itching to get a review done. Today’s prospect is made by Sweet Sunshine, titled Warm Chili Sauce (I think), and adorned with so many other diverse tags that it took me several minutes to divine what the sauce was actually called. Flavor Before Heat, Warm, Roasted Shallot and Garlic are a few examples of the many slogans - I went with Warm since it gets repeated in the title in another spot on the back of the label.

I don’t really like confusing labels; I’m much more of the traditional and elegantly simple school of thought. But, knowing that you don’t have to eat the artwork, I wasn’t going to let outward appearance start the test on a down note.

Ingredients: Sugar, Water, Vinegar, Roasted Shallots, Mustard Seed, Tomato, Roasted Garlic, Ancho Peppers, Corn Syrup, Cayenne Peppers, Habanero Peppers, Molasses, Modified Food Starch, Salt, Worcestershire Sauce, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Onion, Spices, less than 1/10 of 1% Sodium Benzonate and Potassium Sorbate.

Whew! That’s a lot of ingredients!

On First Taste
The smell of the sauce is much like a barbecue sauce, with the shallots and garlic heavily pronounced, and a bit of molasses and onion in the background. The first taste confirms what the nose recognizes - that is, this is closer in flavor to a barbecue sauce than a typical hot sauce. Lots of sticky sweetness, and flavor aplenty. The texture follows the same lines - thick and slow to pour, with a consistency that’s begging to stick to a prime cut of meat.

The flavor has a lot of complexity to it. The shallots and garlic play off each other nicely, balanced well against the peppers and sweetness. There isn’t a lot of heat to speak of, which is fine with me since that’s how it’s labeled. But there is a little bit of a tingle, just about the right level so that I can have a bit of spice and my wife can eat it without getting her taste buds blown out.

On Food

I decided to embrace the barbecue-like character of the Warm Shallot and Garlic concoction by using it on a nice set of thick cut, boneless pork chops I picked up at the market.

The preparation is fairly simple: bake at 375 for 30 minutes in the convection oven, butterfly and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Add sauce, broil for 10 minutes to get the sauce warm and a bit caramelized, and serve piping hot.

The sauce was, in a word, phenomenal. Served warm, a finer and bolder character quickly emerges from Sweet Sunshine’s elixer. The garlic drops to the background, the sweetness gets more mellow and smooth, and the whole amalgamation melts into a sumptuous, perfectly coordinated harmony of gastronomical pleasure.

I had used a good part of the bottle brushed right on the chops, and I proceeded to polish off the rest dressing the rest of the meal. The low level of heat allows gobs to be used, which given the wonderful taste, is a good thing. Heat before flavor, indeed. This sauce is a gourmet masterpiece that can be enjoyed, nay, loved by chilihead and chilinovice alike.

Conclusion:
At the end of the meal, I was left knowing that Sweet Sunshine’s Warm Garlic and Shallot Sauce is one of the best cooking sauces I’ve had in a long time. It’s probably a little more limited in many traditional hot sauce applications; for instance, I’d never add it to a Bloody Mary. But, taken at it’s strength, it’s a really special sauce.

Packaging - Bright, Gaudy and Confusing. 5.0 out of 10.0
Aroma - Sweet Garlic and Shallots. 8.5 out of 10.0
Appearance - thick, lively and saucy. 8.9 out of 10.0
Taste - Complex, rich and slightly sweet - served warm, it’s special. 9.4 out of 10.0
Heat - Mild, but there’s heat if you look hard enough. 3.0 out of 10.0

Overall Rating: 9.2 out of 10.0 - Taste rules, after all. This sauce earns its keep where it counts - on the tongue.

Sweet Sunshine
615-469-6847

A green label with an orange, fire breathing lion hearkened the arrival of Conquering Lion: Mango sauce to my kitchen. It’s an attractive, eye catching label on a standard 5 oz bottle. The sauce is of the thin variety, with a plastic restrictor to keep it coming out in drops and not torrents. The smell of the sauce is an unrestrained stampede of smoke, smoke and more smoke. It almost smells as if you just stuck your head in a hickory fueled smoke house and took a big whiff. The smoke is so overpowering, I couldn’t find much else in there.

Ingredients: Smoked Tomatoes, Smoked Habanero Peppers, Smoked Cayenne Peppers, Mango, Water, Lime juice, Cane Vinegar, Spices, Sea Salt

One of my favorite uses for smokey sauces is on Macaroni and Cheese. So, I fired up a simple batch of Mac and Cheese, and shook on some Conquering Lion. As the smell foretold, there was smoke aplenty. It’s a good, flavorful and heavy smoke flavor. There’s some heat from the habaneros, but not overwhelming fire. A tiny ping of citrus pops through, as well. But, there’s virtually no mango to be found. Not much sweetness, and no fruit flavor that I could find. Now, maybe I should hold that against Conquering lion, since it’s supposed to be a mango sauce. But, since I love smokey flavor and only tolerate mango, I have no issues with it.

Conclusion: Conquering Lion Mango sauce is lacking in the mango department. However, it’s tasty, smokey character adds a welcome zip to food and is worth giving a spin. It’s great on Mac and Cheese, and would be a good addition to eggs or barbecue.

Packaging - Classy, timeless label. 8.9 out of 10.0
Aroma - Smoke, smoke and more smoke. 7.9 out of 10.0
Appearance - thin and red. 7.1 out of 10.0
Taste - Lots of smoke. Mango? We don’t need no stinkin’ mango! 7.8 out of 10.0
Heat - More than medium, but not a mind blower. 7.0 out of 10.0

Overall Rating: 7.6 out of 10.0

Christmas - it may be cold and snow outside (well, more like 45 degrees and raining in Michigan) but that’s no reason it can’t be hot inside. Particularly at Christmas dinner. So, making quick use of my sister’s most welcomed gift of an assortment of fine hot sauces from Sweat ‘N Spice, I broke out the Lava sauce from Loco Luna immediately.

The sauce is a medium-thin, dark reddish brown with lots of bits. It separates easily in the bottle, but comes into form quickly with a bit of shaking. Lots of peppers and garlic, with a hint of vinegar, on the first smell. But, there’s a lot of complexity hiding down in there.

Ingredients: Habanero and other chili peppers, garlic, worcestershire sauce, cane juice, lime juice, salt, vinegar, tomato sauce and other herbs & spices.

Dinner for the evening was Leg of Lamb, with a 3 potato Au Gratin, corn souffle, and green beans. The meal was even more stupendous since I didn’t have anything to do with it’s preparation - food always tastes better when someone else did all the work! I doused the lamb and corn with Lava Sauce, and dug in.

This sauce may have been custom made for lamb. The flavor was simply perfect. The pepper taste is always in the background, melting sumptuously in with strong notes of garlic, Worcestershire, spice, and a small hint of sweetness. It has a roundness and complexity that is rare, and the balance of an Olympic gymnast. Each taste brings a new cascade of subtlety, with nooks and crannies to be discovered. The sauce accented the flavor of the meat every step, working in perfect harmony to bring out all the savory, spicy notes of the lamb. The heat is medium to medium-mild, right about a 5 on the HSB heat rating scale. But, that just means that more and more can be applied! This is unquestionably a sauce that should be bought in bulk, since the 5 oz. size disappears way to quickly. Before I knew it, the bottle was 3/4 gone in only one meal.

I can’t think of a meal this sauce wouldn’t be great with. I can’t wait to try it on eggs, steak, chicken, and pork. I also think it’ll be a standout on sausage; fresh kielbasa and Lava sauce comes to mind as a can’t miss winner.

Conclusion: Loco Luna’s Lava sauce is a must try. The flavor is out of this world. It’s not a big burner, but that just means you can share the joy with novice chiliheads. The only complaint I have is that the bottle isn’t nearly big enough!

Packaging - Nice and clean, Very attractive. 8.8 out of 10.0
Aroma - Pepper and garlic, simply lovely. 9.5 out of 10.0
Appearance - reddish brown, a little thin but not bad. 7.6 out of 10.0
Taste - Simple put: amazing. 9.5 out of 10.0
Heat - Medium. 5.0 out of 10.0

Overall Rating: 9.4 out of 10.0 - Ding Ding Ding! My top five hot sauce list has a new member!

As Autumn comes up on us, it brings with it the changing of leaves, an early dusk, and the sweet smell of grass and leather paired with the bright red, white and blue playoff bunting of Major League baseball. And in this changing of season, I’m always drawn to seize every opportunity possible to barbecue while the weather is still fair.

For this day, I selected Habanero Rub From Hell. It comes in an attention grabbing, red and pink package with a cartoon devil and the moniker “Beyond Hot.” It also advertises no salt content. I tried a little on my finger, and it starts off with a mellow, spiced taste followed closely by a wave of garlic, some habanero flavor and a touch of heat. Definitely not Beyond Hot, but it is a comfortable medium.

Ingredients: Chili Peppers, Onion, Garlic, Spices, Habanero Peppers, Curry and Mustard.

On Food
I gave Rub from Hell a go on some barbecued pork shoulder that I had tenderized and salted. The consistency is much too powdery for my liking as a rub - it clumps and sticks, and is very difficult to get an even coating. But with a fair bit of work I got a decent coating applied and threw the pork on the grill over low heat for an hour. I served it with a side of corn.

The pork came out pretty well; the rub held in the juices nicely, and got a nice texture from the flame. The flavor was decent but not spectacular; a little it of pepper, a touch of garlic and onion, and a little bit of heat. It was undeniably edible, but by no means spectacular.

In Conclusion:
If you like barbecuing, and have some patience in preparing your meat, this is a passable rub. The flavor is workable, but could use some accenting. On the plus side, there’s no salt, so it’s a very good option for those with special dietary needs.

Packaging - Bright, appealing and attention getting. 8.1 out of 10.0
Aroma - Spice with a bit of pepper. 8.2 out of 10.0
Appearance - Powdery and dark red. 7.2 out of 10.0
Taste - Decent flavor. 7.1 out of 10.0
Heat - Evident, a solid medium. 6.0 out of 10.0

Overall Rating: 7.3 out of 10.0

“More than just a hot pepper relish…When opened properly, there’s a party in every jar…Good fer what ails ya.”

There are plenty of good sayings on the jar of Dr. Gonzo’s Peppermash. The stuff inside looks like a fine relish, a chunky mixture of peppers and onions with plenty of seeds floating around. It is very sweet and aromatic on the nose, with a pleasant peppery backdrop and a good dose of vinegar. The smell, texture and look is most certainly more relish-like than mash-like.

Ingredients: Jalapeno & Cherry Peppers, Onions, Garlic, Sugar, Vinegar, Lime Juice, Salt

On First Taste:
Upon tasting Dr. Gonzo’s, the first thing I noticed was the sweetness. The sugar content really comes to the front, and stands out prominently. There’s a good, round pepper flavor, and a tweener-type heat: newbies would call it spicy, chiliheads would call it mild. So, I will go with a compromise and call it a layman’s medium. Definitely a relish, and a very good one at that.

On Food:
I tried to give Dr. Gonzo’s a try on a fried egg, bacon and cheese sandwich. While the eggs were on the skillet, I grabbed some chips and started chowing on Dr. Gonzo’s as a salsa. My gosh, was it good. I put down a good part of the jar, savoring every bite, until I smelled something burning. Dr. Gonzo’s was so good, it caused my to charbroil the last 2 eggs I had in the house. So, my sandwich morphed into bacon and cheese topped with Dr. Gonzo’s Peppermash.

The sandwich turned out very well, the sweetness and mild heat complementing the cheese and bacon nicely (though it would have been even better with eggs.) It would also be a great topping on fish or chicken. But to my taste, where Dr. Gonzo’s really shines is straight out of the jar. Used as a salsa, it has few rivals.

In Conclusion:
If you love sweet and a little bit of heat, Dr. Gonzo’s World Famous Peppermash is for you. It is particularly good straight out of the jar, and would also be a very nice breakfast and dessert sauce.

Packaging - Nice looking, easy access jar. 8.1 out of 10.0
Aroma - Sweet and Pepperish. 8.2 out of 10.0
Appearance - Chunky, lots of seeds. 8.0 out of 10.0
Taste - Sweet and tasty. 8.4 out of 10.0
Heat - A medium kick. 4.0 out of 10.0

Overall Rating: 8.3 out of 10

Dr. Gonzo’s Uncommon Condiments Inc.
Or call the Good Doctor
1-866-DRGONZO
PO Box 2201 Worcester, MA 01613

I received a sample of Tia Rita’s Chipotle Salt Blend and Green Salt Blend, and immediately got to thinking about how to use them. I’ve never used many flavored salts in cooking, so I had a bit of imagining to do. I decided to use both of them in the same cooking adventure, and thus I’m combining the review.

Green Chile Salt Blend Ingredients: Salt, Green Chile, Garlic, Onion, Green Bell Pepper, Silicon Dioxide (anti-caking agent), Oregano, Cilantro, Cayenne Pepper
Chipotle Salt Blend Ingredients: Salt, Chipotle (red jalapeno), garlic, onion, green bell pepper, lemon powder, oregano, and cumin

On First Taste:
I gave both salt blends a smell and a taste right out of the bottle. The Green Chile blend had a salty aroma tempered with noticeable garlic and herbs. The taste followed suit - a mellow kick of salt with lots of flavor, and a very mild tingle that can’t be called heat. I liked the bouquet, and immediately started thinking of possibilities.

The Chipotle blend had a strong, smokey - salty scent that made my nose tingle; not with heat, per se, but more like when hay fever hits. Kind of strange, but the scent was decent. I took a taste, and immediately after putting it in my mouth, I started coughing heavily. I thought perhaps it was an anomaly, but sure enough, it happened every time I tried to taste it. Maybe someone substituted coughing/sneezing powder as a trick?

On Food
The salt seemed like the perfect seasoning for a batch of homemade potato chips. So, I broke out a couple of spuds and my favorite kitchen utensil, my Mandolin, and went to town making a pile of perfect, thin oval slices.

I use vegetable oil for my potato chips, and a large sauce pan. I put about 1/8 inch of oil into the pan, and bring it to an even medium high heat. Since I cook on an electric stove (I know, I know, but gas wasn’t available in the architecture of my condo - serious chefs please have mercy) I let the temperature stabilize for a long while before starting the frying.

The key to perfect homemade chips is to take your time and not hurry. Keep the pan relatively empty, so the chips can circulate without getting in each other’s way -clumps will destroy the chips quickly, and fewer chips means you’ll be able to pluck them out rapidly as they finish. It only takes a few seconds for a chip to go from perfect to burnt. I tend them with a thin spatula and some small metal tongs. Let the chips fry on one side until the fainest tinge of brown appears, flip, and a few seconds later it’s done. The longer you leave them on the second side, the crispier they will be.

Deposit the chips on a paper towel, soak excess oil off with an additional towel lightly pressed on the top, and set aside to cool. After about 10 minutes, I shake on the seasoning, toss the chips lightly and put into a container.

Another hint is that good chips require liberal seasoning. So, I made two batches. The first got a heavy dose of the Green Chile Salt blend, which gave the chips an attractive, seasoned, green speckled look. The taste was terrific - a well balanced, round flavor which required no additional work. This is a definite winner, and would be a great addition anywhere salt is used - from cooking to topping some corn on the cob.

The Chipotle salt blend continues to give me respiratory problems. Every time I shook it out, whatever particles got into the air gave me a coughing fit. I struggled through it, and after a few minutes and a few big drinks of water, I gave the chips a try. Good, smokey flavor. Much less evidence of salt, and a low level heat that comes on late. It’s not anywhere near a burner, but it has enough zip for a novice chilihead to notice, but not be hurt by. Evidently, my coughing is a function of the spice getting kicked up in the air, since once it was stuck to the chips it didn’t give me any problems.

In Conclusion:
Tia Rita’s Chile Salt Blends are a good addition to anyone’s kitchen, chilihead or otherwise. They provide a good flavor base with minimum effort. I significantly prefer the Green Chile Salt Blend to the Chipotle Salt Blend, both on flavor and the fact that it doesn’t make me hack up a lung.

Packaging - Nice, simple, and descriptive. 8.6 out of 10.0
Aroma - Salt with spices, well balance. 8.4 out of 10.0
Appearance - Looks like a seasoning should. 8.0 out of 10.0
Taste - Well conceived flavor, very useful seasoning. 8.8 out of 10.0
Heat - Green Chili is very mild. 1.5 out of 10.0
- Chipotle has a small kick. 3.0 out of 10.0

Overall Rating: 8.6 out of 10.0

Tia Rita’s and The Truck Farm
P. O. Box 1018
Fairacres NM 88033
Phone: 1 800 A1 HONEY (214 6639)
Fax: 505 523-1447
Email: tiarita@zianet.com

Tags: Chipotle, Salt, Green Chile

Upon first inspection, I wasn’t quite sure what Bob and Neal’s was, exactly. It comes in a 16 oz. mason jar, has a medium-thin consistency with tons of chunk of all sorts of stuff floating in it. The label is classic - understated, well designed and attractive. It looks just like a gourmet product should. The label advertises it for use in BBQ-Bake-Broil-Dip. Since I didn’t know what else to do to start, I gave it a try on a cracker.

Ingredients: Honey, Pineapple, Prepared Mustard (mustard seed, vinegar, salt, turmeric) Mandarin Orange, Cider Vinegar, Water, Sugar, Brown Sugar, Red Pepper, Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Mustard Powder, Xantham Gum.

On First Taste:
The flavor is strongly of a honey mustard salad dressing with a little bit of kick and a nice, well balanced fruit underpinning. Since I love honey mustard, this was an immediate hit with me. There is heat, but it’s rather mild and should be tolerable for anyone who can stand Frank’s. There’s not much in the way of pepper flavor, either, but there’s so much other tasty goodness that it really doesn’t matter.

On Food:
I thought the perfect use for this sauce would be to dip chicken fingers in. I found the perfect opportunity at a party thrown for the opening Football Saturday of my Michigan Wolverine’s at a friend’s place. I made a pile of chicken fingers, cut them up into finger-food sized strips, and served them with a bowl of Bob and Neal’s for dipping.

If speed of consumption is any indication, Bob & Neal’s original recipe is definitely a hit. The chicken strips vanished quickly, and fistfights nearly broke out for the last of the sauce. It was definitely a hit, and something that can be enjoyed by just about anyone, chilihead or not.

Bob & Neal’s would be a very good marinade or topping, but only a serviceable BBQ sauce due to it’s thinner nature. In any case, this is a product worth trying!

Packaging - Clean and Classic. 9.0 out of 10.0
Aroma - Honey and pineapple with citrus notes. 8.5 out of 10.0
Appearance - Thinner than I’d like, lots of chunks. 7.0 out of 10.0
Taste - Fantastic take on Honey Mustard flavor. 8.6 out of 10.0
Heat - Mild, but detectable. 3.0 out of 10.0

Overall Rating: 8.4 out of 10.0

Bob & Neal’s Fine Foods
1162 Peaceable Street · Ballston Spa, NY 12020
518-882-1363 / 518-882-5269 (fax)

Tags: Honey Mustard

Fire Power, an offering from Infusion Hot Sauce Company, comes in a big 10 oz. bottle with a colorful yellow label that screams, well, vinegar. The label reads “Infusion hot sauce is made with the finest vinegar and spices. Only fresh chilis and whole garlic are used, never reconstituted dried ingredients out of storage.” Elsewhere on the label it reads “Infusion Hot Sauce Company ** Custom Chili Infused Vinegars.” That is certainly something new - a sauce that hypes up it’s vinegar content. It was an unusual enough tack to peak my curiosity.

On First Taste
I gave Fire Power a test on a tortilla chip, expecting an onslaught of vinegar. Instead, I was greeted by a pleasant, medium-hot burn right off the bat, with a luscious blend of pepper flavor, well balanced garlic, and a perfectly rounded vinegar background. Make no mistake, this IS a vinegar sauce…but it has as well balanced a flavor profile as I’ve ever found in the style. It’s a very, very nicely put together recipe that tastes simply fantastic.

On Food
With my expectations drastically raised, I decided to put the screws to Fire Power and give it a try in Tomato Soup with a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich for dipping. There’s nothing I love more than spicy tomato soup, even the cheating kind I made (right out of the Campbell’s can.) But, the dish is particularly harsh to most vinegar sauces. The tomato and warmth just don’t usually complement overpowering vinegar. But with Fire Power’s exceptional balance, I thought it stood a fighting chance.

I used a pretty large quantity of Fire Power in the soup, and dug in wholeheartedly. The burn was very nice - even and building, with medium heat that rolled into a nice, whole mouth burn. It’s certainly not a scorcher, but it can get the job done. Again, the sauce performed admirably. The sauce gave a great flavor to the soup, with a hint of vinegar perfectly offset by wonderful pepper flavor and just the right amount of garlic and spices.

In Conclusion:
I have a new favorite red vinegar sauce, and Fire Power is it’s name. I can’t think of many situations where it wouldn’t work nicely, even in something where you normally wouldn’t think vinegar - like pasta, or in soups. Fire power is so versatile for a vinegar sauce, I’d even use it in a Bloody Mary. For me, that’s a first!

Packaging - Eye catching, but not spectacular. 6.2 out of 10.0
Aroma - Lots of vinegar on the nose. 7.2 out of 10.0
Appearance - Thin, like a typical vinegar sauce. 7.5 out of 10.0
Taste - An emperor in peasant’s clothing! Truly superb flavor. 9.1 out of 10.0
Heat - Medium-hot. 5.0 out of 10.0

Overall Rating: 9.0 out of 10.0 - Flavor rules, after all.

Infusion Hot Sauce
615 Blossom Drive
Rockville , Md. 20950
(240) 401-0973

Tags: hot sauce, vinegar