HSBers - please join me in welcoming Sporto to the ranks of HSB reviewer. Sporto has been a long time HSBer and having met him and witnessed his performance in a Defcon Death Match, I can attest to the fact that he can take the heat. Welcome to the HSB Sporto!

I recently took a trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake and stumbled upon a store that I never remembered on any of my previous visits to the old town. Called Kurtz Orchard, the store was filled with condiments, sauces, salsas, jams and jellies. Needless to say I did not walk out emptied handed, and that’s where this little gem came from. At first glance it appeared as a single bottle of oil but they are two separate bottles, one containing the Fiery Chilli Oil and the other has the Spicy Jalapeño Jelly, and it even came with a wooden knife for spreading.

First were going to look at the Fiery Chilli Oil:
Ingredients: Canola Oil, chilli, crushed chilli peppers, spice extract
There is no denying that the oil is not packed full of crushed peppers as most of the bottle is full of them, with a few whole peppers floating on top. It took a gentle shake to get them moving around which is a sight to see. The oil is magnificent to look at, but the real question is, how does it taste? This lead me to find the only problem with the bottle, the flakes are hard to get out!

I took a piece of French bread and gave it a try. You can definitely tell the taste of the canola oil, but that did not matter when the chilli flavour set in. The heat is there, but won’t be enough for the veteran chilihead. For this type of product though, I would leave the heat alone so it does not ruin the flavour. It would probably be a killer for grilling vegetables on the barbeque which will be my next use for it.

Appearance – 10/10 – The bottle is a winner
Consistency – 6/10 – Hard to get all those flakes out
Heat – 6.5/10
Taste – 8/10
Overall –8/10 – Very good oil, especially if used right

Now on to the Spicy Jalapeño Jelly:
Ingredients: Sugar, vinegar, water, jalapeno peppers, citric acid, pectin, salt
– Serve with crackers, over cream cheese or with roast meat and poultry dishes for extra zing.

An extra zing to my food, now that’s something I want to hear! Before I write the rest I just want to say I wish I picked up a few more jars of the Jelly. I was originally never a fan of pepper jelly until I tried a few good ones, which totally altered my view. The spicy Jalapeño Jelly spread onto the sweetbread effortlessly and as you can see was jam-packed with jalapeño’s. A slight back burn followed after it was gobbled up, but nothing harsh. The jam was not overly sweet, but sweet enough to have me asking for more. The rest of what was still left won’t last too much longer in my house. This is by far the best jelly I have ever tried and if you like Vicki’s pepper jam, then you will defiantly love this!

Appearance – 10/10 – Yet again, the bottle is a winner
Consistency – 10/10 – Better than the oil, tons of jalapeno’s
Heat – 5/10
Taste – 9/10 - Fantastic

Overall – 9.5/10 – Best Jelly I have ever tried

Au Printemps Gourmet
2875 Labelle Boulevard
Prévost, QC
J0R 1T0, Canada
http://www.apgfinefoods.com