I knew it would happen sooner or later, the more reviews I choose to do, the odds would raise and I would come to my first hurdle. Now before you jump to a conclusion, hear me out. I had the opportunity to try Peppa Royale Gourmet Pepper Sauce form Dave’s Pepper Palace. It came in a large sized 12oz. bottle (does this bottle make me look fat) and the label just screams out at you with a neat little cartoon royal pepper and a lot of color. My hurdle came pretty quickly, I always look at the actual product and read the label fully before I break the seal and dig in. Don’t get me wrong it’s nothing Dave’s Pepper Palace has done, but as I read the ingredient list, the first item listed is Raisins! Here in lies my problem, simply put - Yuck! I don’t like raisins. I do not care for their texture, their flavor, or for how they look. HURDLE: How do I give this sauce a fair shake, how do I not let my personal tastes interfere in someone elses hard work, and why do I have to eat raisins!

Ingrdients: Raisins, Worcestershire, Brown Sugar, Tomato Paste, Vinegar, Mango, Habanero Peppers, Garlic, Onion, Salt, and spices

“Winner of multiple awards, including the coveted Golden Chili and Fiery Foods Show Awards, Peppa Royale is a savory and flavorful Carribean style sauce with just a hint of heat. You’ll feel like your in a sunny island paradise basking in the cool breezes!”

It should be easy to deduct from the ingredient list, this sauce is sweet through and through. From the first smell upon opening the bottle it’s the quick burst of the Worcestershire, it is the primary ingrdient and it makes itself known. That is quickly followed by sweet, it’s what you smell the most- the mixture of the Brown Sugar and the Raisins- very BBQ sauce-ish smelling. The Peppa Royale pours very thick, again very much like a BBQ sauce. The color is a deep mahogany with visible specks of pepper and spices, you can feel and taste the garlic and onion pieces almost giving the sauce a chunky texture.

We used the Peppa Royale Gourmet Pepper Sauce with brunch - makes us sound sophisticated, but actually we slept so late that day we just couldn’t call it breakfast. We made Bagel Sandwiches with Canadian Bacon, Eggs, and Cheese with Hashbrowns and Grits. The meal was good and the sauce went well with everything, especially the Hash browns. The Brown Sugar is very evident making this sweet smelling sauce taste just as sweet. Peppa Royale does not bring a lot of heat “with just a hint of heat” is almost an understatement. It brings flavor instead- but Vic, “what about the Raisins?” you ask? Yeah they’re in there, they add to the flavor and sweetness, and I still don’t like them! But I like this sauce.

“Hot Sauce, Salsa, BBQ Sauce - If its hot and spicy we’ve got it!!”

Conclusion: Dave’s Pepper Palace has been “Burning Mouths Since 1996″, and because I don’t like one ingredient, it shouldn’t sway you from this award winning sauce. In my opinion Peppa Royale Gourmet Pepper Sauce is a multi use sauce; it would make an outstanding baste or marinade, for any application/recipe calling for a BBQ sauce, and would perfectly stand alone as a dipping sauce. A very tasty, very mild, and all around useful sauce and I am glad I tried it, Raisins or not.

Packaging/Label: 7 out of 10
Aroma: 8 out of 10
Taste: 7 out of 10
Heat: 2 out of 10
Overall: 7 out of 10

Dave’s Pepper Palace
26506 Keith Street
Old Town Spring, TX 77373
281.288.5959 phone
281.288.2559 fax