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It’s not unusual to find some good hot sauces in the clearance section of large stores - be they supermarkets or household stores like Ross or Marshalls. So when I found this tall bottle on the clearance shelf at the HEB Central Market in Houston, I didn’t think twice about picking it up. $2.99 for a hot sauce is hard to beat, especially in this large of a bottle (375ml). And the decidedly plain label made me chuckle. What kind of name is “Smokey Capsicum Sauce”? I mean, yes, to a chilehead it makes sense, but to the average grocery store shopper - I doubt they’d know what they were looking at. And the ingredients are no help either…
Smokey Capsicum Sauce
Ingredients: Capsicum (58%), vinegar, tomato paste, sugar, canola oil, natural smoke flavor (1%), salt, chili powder. No artificial flavors, additives or preservatives. Gluten Free.
Okay, so my first impression was not very good - but being that the sauce is from New Zealand, the name and ingredient list make a little more sense. But still - not that much, but with much hesitation, I proceeded on…
You can’t make this stuff up
So I took the sauce home and decided to give it a whirl the very next day. I opened the bottle and was greeted with one of the most off putting smells. I have never before in my life smelled a sauce this bad - not even when I tried to make my own homemade hot sauce that went rotten. And this sauce wasn’t rotten - it was made to smell that way. How did it smell mind you? Ever smell a house after it’s been burnt to the ground and then rained on for 40 days and nights? Smoke, smoke and more smoke - with a little bit of “wet” smell mixed in. I’m telling you, the smell was so bad that I put the lid back on but it was too late - the smell had permeated the air in the kitchen. There was no going back.
I think it was trying to warn me…
straight to the tongue, the sauce was not as bad as it smelled. Yes, I could really only taste the smoke (thank god it was only 1%) but there was also a sweet undertone to the sauce, which I presume was the capsicum and sugar. I couldn’t discern the type of pepper used, but given the sweetness and total lack of heat - it had to be a pepper similar to a bell pepper.
Here lies my slice of pizza - gone, but not forgotten
Okay - so it taste like smoke and smells worse - what was a chilehead to do with this sauce? I won’t fail a sauce until it goes through all of the normal procedures, so onto pizza it went. Pizza being the standard go-to food with just about any hot sauce - and mine was no exception. Ordered just the way I like it - Sausage, Jalapeños & Black Olives on a crispy thin crust. Not even close to New York pizza, but it’s still pizza.
However, even pizza couldn’t save this sauce. It killed the flavor of everything it touched with it’s over-powering smoke flavor and smell. With only 1% of “natural smoke flavor”, I’d hate to see what it would taste like with even a little bit more. On the label, the makers recommend trying this sauce on BBQ - but I’m not about to sacrifice any BBQ to this. After I made some funny faces, Laura decided to give the sauce a try and after a few gags declared that it tasted like “the dregs of the drippings of a BBQ”. Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
I don’t remember ever saying this before - but if you buy this sauce, keep it closed. Consider it a “shelf” only sauce and spare your tastebuds.
Wild Appetite Co.
40 Tarndale Grove
North Harbour
Auckland, New Zealand
Chilehead Comments:
Posted by: Nick Lindauer - Categories: Uncategorized
Permalink: Review: Smokey Capsicum Sauce
One year ago: Review: Revenge Pit Bull Hot Sauce
Two years ago: Review - Uncle Brutha's Fire Sauce No. 9
- Related Posts:
- Captain Capsicum
- Update on Capitol Punishment Sauces
- Review: Capitol Punishment Smokey Sear-Acha Hot Sauce
- Review: Uncle Brutha’s Fire Sauce No. 9
- eman
33 Comments »
Yeah, did you like it or not!
DEFCON Creator on 10/24/2007 at 7:04 am said:
Now tell us how you REALLY feel about this stuff. LOL!
hudd on 10/24/2007 at 8:00 am said:
Yeah, did you like it or not!
It was delicious…. 
At least the bottle is pretty to look at! 
Nick, you proved a point that discount shelves are dumping grounds for this kind of garbage. Once they know it’s a bad batch, they likely go looking to sell it off in lots. I like the burned house smell description. Nothing worse than being heavy-handed with the smoke flavor. The amateurish labeling was a warning sign too. Not to worry - I imagine most of that stuff is being scooped up now and will rear its ugly head at the holidays in gift baskets and Christmas stockings.
They do have a decent website at least with a lot of offerings in case you wanted to give it another go. 
It tastes really good on some koala meat. 
IF I CAN CATCH A ROO I’LL GIVE IT A TRY
Jodie on 10/24/2007 at 9:15 am said:
At least the bottle is pretty to look at!
Hey now…I discovered a great sauce at Big Lots. Bulliards Lousianna Garlic. 59 cents a bottle.
Neat review Nick, and get used to the pizza situation. I have not had a good Gyro since I left Detroit, Phoenix does not have a Greektown.
Wrong quote sorry, I meant the dumping ground / bad batch quote
Arizona Jack on 10/24/2007 at 1:14 pm said:
Hey now…I discovered a great sauce at Big Lots. Bulliards Lousianna Garlic. 59 cents a bottle.
Neat review Nick, and get used to the pizza situation. I have not had a good Gyro since I left Detroit, Phoenix does not have a Greektown.
Yeah BIG LOT’s is the spot. I have 30 bottles of Louisiana Supreme Habanero Pepper Sauce. 6 oz bottles, 50 cents a piece, it’s like habanero flavored Frank’s Redhot.
Re: Ever smell a house after it’s been burnt to the ground and then rained on for 40 days and nights? Smoke, smoke and more smoke
Now that description makes me want to go out & get it!! I *love* smoke 
Jim- StepUpForCharity.org on 10/24/2007 at 2:18 pm said:
Re: Ever smell a house after it’s been burnt to the ground and then rained on for 40 days and nights? Smoke, smoke and more smoke
Now that description makes me want to go out & get it!! I *love* smoke
Hey, watch it now. We’re kind of sensitve to fires and smoke out here in SoCal right now. But 40 days and nights of rain would be great.
Is that the European Spelling of smoky, or is that the Trademarked version? Hehe!
Arizona Jack on 10/24/2007 at 1:14 pm said:
Hey now…I discovered a great sauce at Big Lots. Bulliards Lousianna Garlic. 59 cents a bottle.
Neat review Nick, and get used to the pizza situation. I have not had a good Gyro since I left Detroit, Phoenix does not have a Greektown.
AJ
my big fat greek restaurant in the arizona center. by hooters
wear something business casual.
Jim- StepUpForCharity.org on 10/24/2007 at 2:18 pm said:
Re: Ever smell a house after it’s been burnt to the ground and then rained on for 40 days and nights? Smoke, smoke and more smoke
Now that description makes me want to go out & get it!! I *love* smoke
Ya gotta love the flip side of the coin…..
BuckyG on 10/24/2007 at 6:00 pm said:
Is that the European Spelling of smoky, or is that the Trademarked version? Hehe!
No, it’s the “Smokey The Bear” and “Smokey Robinson” spelling.
Hey Nick, I told you where to get a good pizza in Tx. Its fishin season here too. Invitation is open bro.
Hey Tony! You’re the one with the Cat-5 right? Great stuff!!!! Still using the bottle. Wakes ya right up in the morning when used on eggs. We’re actually planning on having a little breakfast for dinner tonight so it will go to good use!
Oh, if you’re not the Cat-5 guy, sorry….but try the Cat-5 then!
i like the bottle.
Hey Kristi, Yea I am still the cat-5 guy and thank you!
Hey Nick- if you haven’t thrown this bottle out, I’d love to try it
The bottle looks like it would make a good bong.
Rob on 10/25/2007 at 7:03 pm said:
The bottle looks like it would make a good bong.
LOL! Get a diamond tipped drill bit and give ‘er a go!
Nick, that was a funny review btw! I’m still giggling… -Lars-
They should spell it ” Smoqui ” then it would be sophisticated and worth more $$$ If you don’t like it, your not sophisticated enough ( arrogant Bas tard Ale ).
Jim- StepUpForCharity.org on 10/25/2007 at 5:13 pm said:
Hey Nick- if you haven’t thrown this bottle out, I’d love to try it
It’s coming your way Jim!
Nick Lindauer on 10/26/2007 at 10:53 am said:
It’s coming your way Jim!
Got it Nick- Thanks! Immediately tried it out on some french fries and then a bacon double cheeseburger. I liked it! I thought the smokey really complemented the earthy-ness of the chiles well. Tomato lent a nice note also- a bit too much though for BBQ as the label states it’s “indispensible” use is for.
All in all, this is one I wouldn’t toss out though I probably wouldn’t go out my way to find it either. Not a bad sauce at all!
Jim- StepUpForCharity.org on 11/3/2007 at 8:20 am said:
Got it Nick- Thanks! Immediately tried it out on some french fries and then a bacon double cheeseburger. I liked it!
All in all, this is one I wouldn’t toss out though I probably wouldn’t go out my way to find it either. Not a bad sauce at all!
Careful Jim - that’s almost a review
Glad you liked it - I figured you would, being the smoke lover that you are.
A bacon double cheeseburger! How many miles walking does it take to work that off? 
MSK on 11/3/2007 at 8:34 am said:
A bacon double cheeseburger! How many miles walking does it take to work that off?
Ummm… 13 miles. With backpack, boots and jogging on mountain bike trails. At least that’s what I did to “earn” it
‘Course, now I’m too sore to move Good thing I’m at the firehouse today
Hey Nick, thanks (??!!) for the review - my Mum and Dad are the creators of that sauce and we were disappointed to read your thoughts….they take this kind of feedback very personally as they develop all our products themselves.
Smokey Capsicum Sauce is one of our biggest sellers in NZ - maybe its a cultural taste thing? Capiscum is the common name for bell pepper down in this part of the world, and a buyer down here would understand that it wasn’t a ‘hot’ sauce, but I guess we need to think about renaming products if we bring them into other countries so that people don’t get mislead.
Hopefully you can try some of our other sauces and find something more to your liking…..
Kate
PS Jim - glad you liked it, phew!
PPS BTW koalas and roos are from Australia, we don’t have them in NZ 
If it makes them feel any better, Kate, in my opinion this is one great sauce and I always have to wait til I get to the States to buy it because they don’t sell it in Canada. This may sound odd, but I mix this sauce half and half with Encore Original Buffalo Wing sauce and it makes the best wings ever.
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Now tell us how you REALLY feel about this stuff. LOL!