Review: DENZEL’S Dangerous Goods Hot Sauce

Mornin’ HSB’rs, Welcome to another frigid 36 degree Northern California Morning. I know its warmer here than at Uncle Big’s place, but dammit I moved to California to get away from this shit! Well, I’m gonna need something spicy to get things started; so this morning I’ll be tasting Denzel’s Dangerous Goods. I hope it’s the antifreeze I’m looking for!

Initial Impression: When I picked up this bottle I was not to sure what I was in for. The mostly black and brown label is somewhat elementary. The label resembles a packing crate and it says Dangerous Goods on the label, but it’s not really scary. As a matter of fact I think I didn’t believe that the contents were dangerous at all. I was however, pleased to see the gold foil Scovie sticker in the label, but I had to move it to access the ingredient list. I noticed that the English ingredients were covered. Hey Denzel, you’re not gonna move to Quebec and try to become your own country are you?

Ingredients: Vinegar, onions, habanero peppers, garlic, salt, basil.

Short and sweet with no complicated words that I can’t pronounce, that’s the way an ingredient list should read! Well, I take that back; the ingredients are written in French directly under the English list, and I can’t pronounce most of those words! I like to see an all natural product with no colors or preservatives added.

Appearance: Denzel’s Dangerous Goods comes in the standard 5oz woozy bottle that you see most hot sauces packed in. The brown label almost matches the color of the thick and chunky potion inside the bottle. There are visible pieces of vegetable and herb matter suspended in this sauce. In fact it’s so thick and chunky it sticks to the sides of the jar; you could almost make a small mound on your plate.

The chile perfume hit my esophagus like a box of tacksAroma: When I uncapped this sauce I expected to get hit with the vinegar tang, after all it was the first ingredient listed. This was not the case. Habanero is the dominant scent that hits your nose, and hits it hard. I took in a large whiff after shaking and uncapping the bottle and found myself coughing as the chile perfume hit my esophagus like a box of tacks. Totally unexpected! I backed off on the enthusiasm and a more reserved smell confirmed the initial finding; this is definitely a habanero sauce. With the overwhelming [tag]habanero[/tag] scent it was hard to pick out any other aromas.

Taste: Out of the jar you taste peppers and garlic. It is an extremely clean flavor; uncomplicated by a lot of herbs and spices. The fundamental design of this sauce makes it taste like it is home made. This is an unadulterated pepper and garlic sauce.

The Food Test: This morning I was pleasantly offered a nice California breakfast; No, not granola and redwood bark, an egg scramble with turkey, tomato, broccoli, and cheese. A few pieces of sausage to go with the eggs and a little cottage cheese with fresh berries. So my typical modus operandi is to slather my eggs with [tag]hot sauce[/tag]. Having just tasted this sauce I probably should have known better. The delicate flavors of the egg scramble didn’t stand a chance! The heat of this sauce completely trounced my breakfast like a squirrel on the interstate. Fortunately; Dangerous Goods taste great, because I have no idea what the scramble tastes like. I would rate the heat at about 8 out of 10, and the garlicky flavor comes through more when paired with food. Next time I will be sure to pick a dish that can withstand the bold heat and flavor of this sauce.

Conclusion: Denzel’s Dangerous Goods definitely warmed my chilly bones this morning. It also made my brow sweat and my nose run. This is a great sauce that features the clean flavors of fresh roasted habanero and garlic and that’s it. It is brilliantly designed in its uncomplicated nature and provides plenty of heat and lots of pepper flavor. If you are looking for a simple sauce that puts peppers up front and will make you sweat this is the sauce for you!

Packaging 7/10 ““ Label is a Bit Dark
Aroma 9/10 ““ Habanero Kick
Appearance 9/10 ““ Thick, Chunky
Taste 9/10 ““ Pure & Clean
Heat 8/10 ““ Habanero Heat

Overall 8/10

Denzel’s Gourmet Foods Ltd.
Box 398
Enderby, BC
V0E 1V0
Meet Your Maker: Denzel

Written by Ron Levi

Nick Lindauer founded Hot Sauce Blog in 2004, making it one of the internet's very first hot sauce review sites. After 20+ years of tasting, reviewing, and attending every major fiery foods event in the country, he's back behind the keyboard covering the hot sauce world he helped build.

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