After the previous reviews on Blair’s updated Q Heat line, I couldn’t wait to dig into the [tag]Chipotle[/tag] Slam. I love the smooth, smokey taste of chipotles, especially canned in adobo sauce. There are a lot of good chipotle sauces out there, but I couldn’t wait to see what Blair was bringing to the arena.

Ingredients: Habanero Chilies, purified water, lime juice, carrots, white vinegar, red jalapeno chilies, chipotle chilies (smoked jalapenos), fresh garlic, salt, tomato paste, cilantro, cayenne chilies, cane sugar, paprika, onion powder, spices, Vitamin C

That’s one heck of a long ingredient list! And a lot of different pepper flavors to give complexity to the sauce.

On First Taste
The striking thing about the aroma of Blair’s Chipotle Slam is how strong the citrus comes on. Citrus and chipotle isn’t a combination I’m used to, but it offered a fresh breath of promise. The sauce poured beautifully, smooth and velvety.The smoke comes through strongly on the nose, as well as a hint of cayennes. I couldn’t pick up much of the habaneros on the smell.

The first taste was simply fantastic. It’s chipotle with a strong citrus backdrop, and layer after layer of undertone. The habaneros come through in the bite, but not the flavor. The cayenne flavor sits there in the background, waiting to be discovered. And the tomato base brings the whole package together perfectly. I couldn’t wait to try it out on a meal.

On Food
I gave Blair’s Q Heat Chipotle Slam the full test drive on a breakfast burrito. Nothing complicated, just eggs and cheese rolled in a tortilla. I put a healthy dose of sauce on to start with, but it wasn’t nearly enough. This sauce begs to be used in quantity! The flavor and heat keep on building, bite after bite. When it was gone, I broke out an extra tortilla just to make myself a Chipotle Slam roll up. I couldn’t get enough of the stuff.

In Conclusion
Blair’s got himself a real gourmet winner with Chipotle Slam. Enough heat for even the novice to brave, but enough of a builder to give the seasoned chilihead a decent burn. Flavor like you wouldn’t believe, in a complex blend that’s nothing like any other [tag]chipotle sauce[/tag] I’ve tried.

Overall Rating: 9.2 out of 10