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Please join me in welcoming Daniel to the HSB reviewer ranks. Daniel is a true chilehead and very eager to get into the wide world of hot sauces. Welcome Daniel!
Okay gang, this is my first official review for HSB, so go easy – and greetings from Jersey City, NJ. I’ve got a real winner on my hands and I’m excited to share the news. Valentina Salsa Picante is a Mexican style hot sauce available in Original and Extra Hot versions, either in a 12 oz. or a mammoth 34 oz. bottle, about the size of a small vase.
I scored the extra hot big mama on sale today for a whopping two bucks at a local Spanish supermarket, which is where you’ll most likely find it, if not in your Spanish foods aisle. Can you say recession-friendly pricing? Also, you can try your luck at a bodega, or as a last resort, mexgrocer.com. Anyway, it shouldn’t be that hard to find if you do a little digging.
First off, I love the large sized bottle; it makes a statement that you’ve arrived as a culinary heat-seeker, or you’re a chef. Sitting on the table, it just can’t be ignored, you’ll be tempted to drizzle some on your corn flakes. The label is nondescript but that’s fine - take a look at the beautiful rusty red liquid surrounding it. What you have here is an authentic Mexican hot sauce that obviously, at 34 oz., wants to be taken to the dance quite often.
A run-down of the ingredients: Water, chili peppers, vinegar, salt, spices and a dash of sodium benzoate for preservation.
If you enjoy the liberal use of a Louisiana style table sauce, you’ll definitely want to pucker up to this one. For comparison, this sauce is much smoother, a bit thicker and lacks the strong vinegar twang common to the aforementioned style. The color and consistency are reminiscent of some of the hot wing sauces, a burnt-orange to reddish hue, and it clings well to whatever you use it on – it’s not runny.
Now for the taste: I bought a bottle of this to keep at my parent’s house, and during a recent gathering, I noticed my father had poured some in a ramekin and was serving it alongside tortilla chips. He does weird things like that, but it didn’t stop me from digging in. Salsa would have been preferable but I guess they ran out. Shame! Anyway, it was the perfect snack to wash down with a frosty one – it was that good as a standalone.
What I noticed about this sauce is that the chili pepper mash is of excellent quality – that’s what lingers. This full-bodied sauce is rich, very well blended and it’s the peppers that hold the stage – not the salt or vinegar. As far as heat, it has a nice bite that hangs around for a while, like that which a proper chili would offer, but not as pronounced. (A really good, spiced chili has a demonic way of not letting you do anything else but eat more of it, as you cry and sniffle on a cloud of endorphins – nothing else like it).
To me, this is a true chilehead’s table sauce. Since I prefer my general sauce a bit hotter than this, I usually end up going through the bottle fairly quickly, then when I get about 1/3 of the way through it, I add a blend of other already-opened sauces and a few dashes of a superhot to create a custom blend, so Valentina also makes for a terrific base if you’re into this sort of thing. Then I’ll reuse my emptied 5 ounce bottles, fill it with this mix and give it to friends as gifts – they always like to keep up with your heat tolerance it seems.
For this review I bought some Spanish food at a local cucina (kitchen), which consisted of seasoned rice and beans (mixed together, called “morro”) and a few slices of beef, which they call “bistec” prepared in a light Creole sauce. I couldn’t resist getting an empanada, as these go particularly well with hot sauce. To round out my meal, once home, I added tortilla chips, a few slices of jack cheese, some salsa, a cherry pepper and a few olives. Then I poured the sauce over most of the platter and went to work, adding more sauce as needed.
Other pairings that I recommend with Valentina are chili, tamales, pasta, pizza, omelets and oh yes, the venerable Bloody Mary. Hummus too with olive-oil brushed, grilled pita chips, Mmm!
Hopefully this brand will increase its distribution in due time. For the regular price of about $3.50 for 32 ounces, the value is incontestable given the excellent quality product. While Tapatio tastes similar and is much easier to find, I still think the Extra Hot Valentina gives it a run for the money; it’s a bit deeper, spicier and more complex in flavor. With these two in the ring, you know which lady gets my vote.
Appearance: 7/10 Considering that this is an all-purpose sauce, it holds court compared to most of the vinegar-based commercial brands, bearing an interesting coloration of dark orange and brick red.
Aroma: 7/10 Spicy, slightly smoky with a hint of sweetness
Heat: 8/10 Compared to most other common table sauces found in supermarkets. Heat being subjective, for my war-weary taste buds this sauce is probably about a 5, but it’s the flavor that shines through here, not so much the heat, although it’s still generous.
Texture: 8/10 Very smooth, rich and well-blended. Not runny and clings well to food – I’m thinking buffalo wings.
Flavor: 8/10 Yum! Almost drinkable, boatloads of whatever kinds of chiles they use just swimming around in the mouth. Nice, long-lasting peppery finish. Heat doesn’t get in the way of those peppers, but escorts them down the aisle respectfully – you can taste this sauce. A nice departure from the ubiquitous vinegar-laden clan.
Overall: 8/10 This well-made sauce champions the chile, just the way it should be. Also, a hidden gem when it comes to value and a great base to make your own rocket fuel.
Chilehead Comments:
Posted by: Daniel - Categories: Hot Sauce Reviews, Reviews
Permalink: Review: Valentina Hot Sauce
One year ago: Review: Jumpin Johnny's Hot Sauce
Two years ago: Review: CaJohn's Select Habanero Puree
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40 Comments »
Plug for Jungles Jim’s 34oz bottle on sale for .99 WOW how do we do it. LOL
Welcome to the HSB. I am going to look for some of that sauce to buy this weekend. Great idea about mixing a little hotter sauce in a milder sauce. I use THE Z just for that reason to boost the heat up a little. Are you going to the Firey Foods Fest in ABQ?
Welcome Daniel and nice review! Valentina is good stuff. Out here in California it’s available everywhere and is always dirt cheap. It’s a good alternate to Crystal, Tapatia, Cholula and any other like sauces.
This sauce is everywhere in convenience stores here in North Carolina. The price is so cheap that I have had to pull my sauces out of many markets because I simply cannot compete. Free market enterprise is alive and well. Good sauce for the price !
Blue’s BBQ
Steve on 2/8/2008 at 10:18 am said:
This sauce is everywhere in convenience stores here in North Carolina. The price is so cheap that I have had to pull my sauces out of many markets because I simply cannot compete. Free market enterprise is alive and well. Good sauce for the price !
Blue’s BBQ
I agree! It’s the really cheap widely distributed stuff that takes a chunk out of our shelf space in many places of business.
How do you compete to the ‘average joe’ who wants hot sauce, and sees a 34 oz bottle for 2 bucks vs. a 5 oz bottle between $5-$7?!?
Sometimes you win, most times you lose this battle.
Good first review, Daniel, nice job. Welcome to the HSB.
Lars on 2/8/2008 at 10:44 am said:
I agree! It’s the really cheap widely distributed stuff that takes a chunk out of our shelf space in many places of business.
How do you compete to the ‘average joe’ who wants hot sauce, and sees a 34 oz bottle for 2 bucks vs. a 5 oz bottle between $5-$7?!?
Sometimes you win, most times you lose this battle.
Simple. In store tastings. It’s true that most people will make a purchase based on perceived value, but taste is a whole other story. Impulse purchases made upon tasting the product are key. Once you hook ‘em, they typically become repeat customers.
Good review, very detailed, but shouldn’t this be a “retro” review?
This sauce was on the market when the first George Bush was in office I’m almost certain. Hell, I’m sure even before then.
No offence to Salsa Tamazula, the maker of the product, but this is old news. What’s next a review on Tabasco? Franks Red Hot?? 
I gotta think there are about 50 other sauces that deserve a review moreso than Valentina.
Where’s Intensity Academy? Zack & Zanes? Sizzlin’ Sauce? Xerarchs Salsa? How about some reviews of last year’s Scovie and Golden Chile winners that we haven’t seen done yet?
These are products that need the help getting their names out, not Valentina. These people participate in the blogs and should be given some credit for their product.
I’m sorry, but I’d like to see the finger back on the pulse of the industry instead of recipes from the Food Network cook book and a sauce that is on the table in 90% of Mexican restaurants. If you need any help, let me know.
No offence to anyone, I’m just sayin… and now…let the flaming begin…
Welcome to the HSB Daniel! Great first review!
Uncle Big Doesn’t have any Canadian bodegas where he can pick some up, so he is a little on the grumpy side. Don’t worry, once the new USPS flat rate big box comes out next month I will ship you out a load of the stuff buddy. Int’l flat rate is well worth it for my bestest Canadian chilepal. (slips in some product placement in my comments just in case no one noticed).
Go Roughriders, CFL champions. That should cheer him up.
Uncle Big on 2/8/2008 at 1:08 pm said:
Good review, very detailed, but shouldn’t this be a “retro” review?
This sauce was on the market when the first George Bush was in office I’m almost certain. Hell, I’m sure even before then.
No offence to Salsa Tamazula, the maker of the product, but this is old news. What’s next a review on Tabasco? Franks Red Hot??
I gotta think there are about 50 other sauces that deserve a review moreso than Valentina.
Where’s Intensity Academy? Zack & Zanes? Sizzlin’ Sauce? Xerarchs Salsa? How about some reviews of last year’s Scovie and Golden Chile winners that we haven’t seen done yet?
These are products that need the help getting their names out, not Valentina. These people participate in the blogs and should be given some credit for their product.
I’m sorry, but I’d like to see the finger back on the pulse of the industry instead of recipes from the Food Network cook book and a sauce that is on the table in 90% of Mexican restaurants. If you need any help, let me know.
No offence to anyone, I’m just sayin… and now…let the flaming begin…
i see this stuff everywhere and never tried it for that reason, i put alot of money into hot sauces and im on a personal mission to try them all. i feel sorry for all the people who only eat sauces like this and never try any of the other great products out there that are less heard of because they cant compete with the price. that said i do enjoy this type of sauce on ocasion and this wonderfully writen review was enough to convince me that its worth trying. welcome to the hsb Daniel
Buddah on 2/8/2008 at 1:47 pm said:
Uncle Big Doesn’t have any Canadian bodegas where he can pick some up, so he is a little on the grumpy side. Don’t worry, once the new USPS flat rate big box comes out next month I will ship you out a load of the stuff buddy. Int’l flat rate is well worth it for my bestest Canadian chilepal. (slips in some product placement in my comments just in case no one noticed).
Go Roughriders, CFL champions. That should cheer him up.
I have 36 bottles in stock for resale, and 2 in the fridge for burritos, you dink.
I’ve been eating this stuff since I was a kid.
But thanks for thinking of me.
Gildo on 2/8/2008 at 12:28 pm said:
Simple. In store tastings. It’s true that most people will make a purchase based on perceived value, but taste is a whole other story. Impulse purchases made upon tasting the product are key. Once you hook ‘em, they typically become repeat customers.
Gildo how many main line stores are going to sample hot sauce. Sorry dude it not going to happen so price and funny labels are going to win out every time. On a Saturday that I sample Hot sauce. I will put out about 10 to 15 different sauces I will go thru about 30 to 50 bottles. Ask UB how often he would like to throw away 50 bottles of lost profits. You are right. when people try better sauces they buy them.
Welcome to the HSB Daniel! Nice review, keep up the good work, stay true to your tastebuds and don’t lend too much weight to any comments. This blog has a huge readership and everyone has their own opinion, you know how the rest of the saying goes…
Bret on 2/8/2008 at 2:53 pm said:
Gildo how many main line stores are going to sample hot sauce. Sorry dude it not going to happen so price and funny labels are going to win out every time. On a Saturday that I sample Hot sauce. I will put out about 10 to 15 different sauces I will go thru about 30 to 50 bottles. Ask UB how often he would like to throw away 50 bottles of lost profits. You are right. when people try better sauces they buy them.
When you’re right you’re right. Price point is a big seller to half of our customers, but most of them are recovering Frank’s Red Hot users, they learn in time you get what you pay for.
50% of what we sell are in the top 10% of our price range, meaning people are willing to pay top dollar for higher end sauces as well.
We sample every single day and I highlight different manufacturers ie Fat Kid, THT, Scorpion Bay, Cajohn and I always have any review literature that we have on those sauces in a binder so people can read what others think of the product. We use the reviews from HSB, TTF, TheHotZone and others as guidelines.
This is all in hopes that it helps open people’s eyes to what else is out there other than what they find on grocery chain shelves.
The reason I said what I did was simple. Valentina isn’t one of those hidden jem sauces, it’s everywhere. If I can find it at a grocery store in Saskatchewan you gotta figure it’s readily accessible most every else.
I’m not knocking Valentina, it’s a great vinegar, salt and chile pepper sauce. It’s not Fat Kid, or Cry Baby, or Cajohn and to me, that’s what I love about HSB.
I have found more favorites through this site than anywhere else. Sauces I had never heard of, now adorn my store shelves.
The online blogs should be cutting edge and have a their ear to the ground for what’s new and happening in the sauce world. That’s all I was saying.
I’m not knocking the review nor am I dissing Valentia.
There’s a lot of sauce makers out there that rely on the online blogs as a foot in the door so to speak. HSB helped Droolin’ Devil and the UBK line greatly, I just feel there are so many others out there like me that need that little boost in visibility.
Uncle Big on 2/8/2008 at 3:28 pm said:
When you’re right you’re right. Price point is a big seller to half of our customers, but most of them are recovering Frank’s Red Hot users, they learn in time you get what you pay for.
50% of what we sell are in the top 10% of our price range, meaning people are willing to pay top dollar for higher end sauces as well.
We sample every single day and I highlight different manufacturers ie Fat Kid, THT, Scorpion Bay, Cajohn and I always have any review literature that we have on those sauces in a binder so people can read what others think of the product. We use the reviews from HSB, TTF, TheHotZone and others as guidelines.
This is all in hopes that it helps open people’s eyes to what else is out there other than what they find on grocery chain shelves.
The reason I said what I did was simple. Valentina isn’t one of those hidden jem sauces, it’s everywhere. If I can find it at a grocery store in Saskatchewan you gotta figure it’s readily accessible most every else.
I’m not knocking Valentina, it’s a great vinegar, salt and chile pepper sauce. It’s not Fat Kid, or Cry Baby, or Cajohn and to me, that’s what I love about HSB.
I have found more favorites through this site than anywhere else. Sauces I had never heard of, now adorn my store shelves.
The online blogs should be cutting edge and have a their ear to the ground for what’s new and happening in the sauce world. That’s all I was saying.
I’m not knocking the review nor am I dissing Valentia.
There’s a lot of sauce makers out there that rely on the online blogs as a foot in the door so to speak. HSB helped Droolin’ Devil and the UBK line greatly, I just feel there are so many others out there like me that need that little boost in visibility.
Clap Clap Clap….
Can i get an AMEN…..
Uncle Big on 2/8/2008 at 3:28 pm said:
When you’re right you’re right. Price point is a big seller to half of our customers, but most of them are recovering Frank’s Red Hot users, they learn in time you get what you pay for.
50% of what we sell are in the top 10% of our price range, meaning people are willing to pay top dollar for higher end sauces as well.
We sample every single day and I highlight different manufacturers ie Fat Kid, THT, Scorpion Bay, Cajohn and I always have any review literature that we have on those sauces in a binder so people can read what others think of the product. We use the reviews from HSB, TTF, TheHotZone and others as guidelines.
This is all in hopes that it helps open people’s eyes to what else is out there other than what they find on grocery chain shelves.
The reason I said what I did was simple. Valentina isn’t one of those hidden jem sauces, it’s everywhere. If I can find it at a grocery store in Saskatchewan you gotta figure it’s readily accessible most every else.
I’m not knocking Valentina, it’s a great vinegar, salt and chile pepper sauce. It’s not Fat Kid, or Cry Baby, or Cajohn and to me, that’s what I love about HSB.
I have found more favorites through this site than anywhere else. Sauces I had never heard of, now adorn my store shelves.
The online blogs should be cutting edge and have a their ear to the ground for what’s new and happening in the sauce world. That’s all I was saying.
I’m not knocking the review nor am I dissing Valentia.
There’s a lot of sauce makers out there that rely on the online blogs as a foot in the door so to speak. HSB helped Droolin’ Devil and the UBK line greatly, I just feel there are so many others out there like me that need that little boost in visibility.
I’ll give that an AMEN as well!!!
Bret on 2/8/2008 at 2:53 pm said:
Gildo how many main line stores are going to sample hot sauce. Sorry dude it not going to happen so price and funny labels are going to win out every time. On a Saturday that I sample Hot sauce. I will put out about 10 to 15 different sauces I will go thru about 30 to 50 bottles. Ask UB how often he would like to throw away 50 bottles of lost profits. You are right. when people try better sauces they buy them.
Bret, I’m not saying that the store itself does the sampling, they typically don’t know sh!t about the products we produce. I’m saying the sauce company does the sampling in the store themselves. That way they can explain the sauces and answer questions.
Thanks everyone for the warm welcome; certainly I have my eye on reviewing the sea of hopefuls that come out year after year in this ever-expanding category. One thing that I found very interesting and unexpected in the comments are the many different opinions that can surround a sauce - from taking up shelf space and competing with other brands to pricing and trendiness. It tells me we have a lively forum of thought surrounding these products we love and I’m glad to be a part of it. Re: Valentina, I wanted to review a sauce which I felt had some merit (even though I have to doctor it up), that doesn’t cost $5 and up, nor have to be ordered from a website or purchased in a gourmet or specialty store. You have to cross a certain threshhold to want to start searching for good sauces out there and sometimes, despite experience, you want a simple solution. I wanted to let fellow friends know that sometimes it’s right under your nose, even though it might be a little different from what you prefer. As Uncle Big said, that’s one of the beauties of a sauce blog - discovering. To Monica: Bananas, hmm, let me know how that pairs up. To Scotti: Doesn’t look like I can make the FF Show this year; hopefully next. Keep it sassy, y’all.
justin on 2/8/2008 at 1:53 pm said:
i see this stuff everywhere and never tried it for that reason, i put alot of money into hot sauces and im on a personal mission to try them all. i feel sorry for all the people who only eat sauces like this and never try any of the other great products out there that are less heard of because they cant compete with the price. that said i do enjoy this type of sauce on ocasion and this wonderfully writen review was enough to convince me that its worth trying. welcome to the hsb Daniel
First off - Daniel, great job on the review with the good humor and all. Giving a good cheeky review seems to encompass what I love best about HSB. The good natured ribbing that goes on is pretty fun as well. Secondly, I totally agree with Justin’s comment about cheap hot sauces. My family and I spent an enorous amount of time, effort and resources to bring our creative sauces to the market only to have Corporate Juggernauts try and squeeze us out of this industry. So I can totally see where Big and Justin are coming from and I am sure that they enjoyed your review as well as I did but just didn’t care for the subject matter all that much. Anyways, good job Daniel and I hope to see more reviews from you in the future. Hey, how do I get into the review gig?
So many excellent points one and all. I will just add this. You are someone who wants to put their own product out there. The steps it takes to get to the level of Valentina or Blair or CaJohn for that matter takes a lot of work. It doesn’t make it “gourmet” though because you made it yourself. When I think of gourmet, I think of fancy schmancy high dollar food, not a bottle of hot sauce. No offense Sam, I do love your awesome products.
So when Uncle Big or Justin talk about wanting to hear about the little known products, they are looking to expand on what they do not know and excited at the possibilities at the discovery of a great product. If that was your product trying to bust into this business you would understand how very important this type of exposure brings to your company.
You did a fine job Daniel, and for your first review you went with what you know. The next test is to try something you don’t know and let us go on the journey with you.
Great Review! I love the way it is written, nice Job!
I have had bottles of this pass threw my hands, but somehow never had any interest in trying it, now that I have read the review, next time I see it I think I will give it a try!
Bret on 2/8/2008 at 2:53 pm said:
Gildo how many main line stores are going to sample hot sauce. Sorry dude it not going to happen so price and funny labels are going to win out every time. On a Saturday that I sample Hot sauce. I will put out about 10 to 15 different sauces I will go thru about 30 to 50 bottles. Ask UB how often he would like to throw away 50 bottles of lost profits. You are right. when people try better sauces they buy them.
Supposing you avoid “dirty” ingredients, Whole Foods Market is one example of a big store that is willing to sample hot sauces. I know that my store in West Vancouver has done sample sessions with Ebesse Zozo and, hopefully come spring, will have a couple bottles of Denzel’s open to be paired with meat samples.
AC on 2/8/2008 at 7:25 pm said:
Supposing you avoid “dirty” ingredients, Whole Foods Market is one example of a big store that is willing to sample hot sauces. I know that my store in West Vancouver has done sample sessions with Ebesse Zozo and, hopefully come spring, will have a couple bottles of Denzel’s open to be paired with meat samples.
Whole Foods in Toronto does the same as well as Pusateri’s.
Ebesse Zozo is an incredible sauce!
Anthony on 2/8/2008 at 7:43 pm said:
Whole Foods in Toronto does the same as well as Pusateri’s.
Ebesse Zozo is an incredible sauce!
I haven’t seen my Whole Foods sample any hot sauces yet. Just their own food, but my Whole Foods is a state of the art first of its kind place. Sushi bar, bbq bar, seafood bar, pizza, gourmet selections, gelato & gourmet chocolate shoppe.
I do have some Ebesse Zozo I got from Uncle Big. I will have to crack that one open soon. I loved the review HSB did a little while back.
Buddah on 2/8/2008 at 7:54 pm said:
I haven’t seen my Whole Foods sample any hot sauces yet. Just their own food, but my Whole Foods is a state of the art first of its kind place. Sushi bar, bbq bar, seafood bar, pizza, gourmet selections, gelato & gourmet chocolate shoppe.
I do have some Ebesse Zozo I got from Uncle Big. I will have to crack that one open soon. I loved the review HSB did a little while back.
Buddah, you won’t be disappointed with it! A very original sauce that packs a decent amount of heat!
AC on 2/8/2008 at 7:25 pm said:
Supposing you avoid “dirty” ingredients, Whole Foods Market is one example of a big store that is willing to sample hot sauces. I know that my store in West Vancouver has done sample sessions with Ebesse Zozo and, hopefully come spring, will have a couple bottles of Denzel’s open to be paired with meat samples.
AC, what’s the name of your shop? Heading out your way this spring, I’ll have to pop by.
Shoot me an email.
Great Review !!!!
This sauce IS Mexico, it is everywhere here, 1.99 for a HUGE bottle every store in town, and ALWAYS in my fridge, a great sauce. Oh the days of drunken tacos after band practice….Valentina was the sheeeiot !!
Buddah, I ‘m not sure if all of the stores work the same, but when we sample at WholeFoods we set it up ourselves and let them know when we plan on having a demo. That is the way all of the sampling works at our WholeFoods locally.
Sam on 2/9/2008 at 2:51 am said:
Buddah, I ‘m not sure if all of the stores work the same, but when we sample at WholeFoods we set it up ourselves and let them know when we plan on having a demo. That is the way all of the sampling works at our WholeFoods locally.
So when are you coming out to Virginia?
Gildo on 2/8/2008 at 4:35 pm said:
Bret, I’m not saying that the store itself does the sampling, they typically don’t know sh!t about the products we produce. I’m saying the sauce company does the sampling in the store themselves. That way they can explain the sauces and answer questions.
That would be cool. I have 52 weekends open for any Manf. It’s lots of fun ask Cajohn And plus you sell a ton of sauce.LOL
Buddah on 2/8/2008 at 7:54 pm said:
I haven’t seen my Whole Foods sample any hot sauces yet. Just their own food, but my Whole Foods is a state of the art first of its kind place. Sushi bar, bbq bar, seafood bar, pizza, gourmet selections, gelato & gourmet chocolate shoppe.
I do have some Ebesse Zozo I got from Uncle Big. I will have to crack that one open soon. I loved the review HSB did a little while back.
Your behind times 2 in ohio have had that for awhile. Wow midwest ahead of east coast.
Sam on 2/9/2008 at 2:51 am said:
Buddah, I ‘m not sure if all of the stores work the same, but when we sample at WholeFoods we set it up ourselves and let them know when we plan on having a demo. That is the way all of the sampling works at our WholeFoods locally.
That’s pretty much how it works at the Whole Foods in West Vancouver. Usually good to talk to the distributor of your product as well.
Buddah on 2/8/2008 at 7:54 pm said:
I haven’t seen my Whole Foods sample any hot sauces yet. Just their own food, but my Whole Foods is a state of the art first of its kind place. Sushi bar, bbq bar, seafood bar, pizza, gourmet selections, gelato & gourmet chocolate shoppe.
I do have some Ebesse Zozo I got from Uncle Big. I will have to crack that one open soon. I loved the review HSB did a little while back.
I don’t know where you’re at, but a lot of sampling depends on the vendors & manufacturers. Or, in other words, the store will sample its own product primarily, but will also sample a lot of what is presented to them by their distributors and such. We sample a lot of stuff distributed by a couple of our vendors because they’re willing to come in and do it.
AC on 2/9/2008 at 9:37 pm said:
That’s pretty much how it works at the Whole Foods in West Vancouver. Usually good to talk to the distributor of your product as well.
I don’t know where you’re at, but a lot of sampling depends on the vendors & manufacturers. Or, in other words, the store will sample its own product primarily, but will also sample a lot of what is presented to them by their distributors and such. We sample a lot of stuff distributed by a couple of our vendors because they’re willing to come in and do it.
We have all kinds of sampling, I just have not seen any hot sauce sampling yet. Does that mean it hasn’t happened yet? I don’t live there so maybe it has.
Bret on 2/9/2008 at 7:00 am said:
Your behind times 2 in ohio have had that for awhile. Wow midwest ahead of east coast.
We are still waiting for Virginia’s first Jungle Jim’s Internationals Market.
>at a local cucina (kitchen)
It’s a cocina………
Hey Daniel, welcome to the ranks, great review! I’m another reviewer from the new york metro area, and I suppose no longer officially the rookie! i know some amazingly hot restaurants in nyc if you ever want suggestions.
I am trying to tweak a mango habanero sauce that i have been working on. I use fresh habaneros, but have heard that a mash is the way to go. Is making your own mash feasible? And, where can I find direction to do so? Also, how about purchasing a mash. Are they any good? and, who do you suggest i purchase from? Or, should I just forget the mash altogether?
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
I’m not sure if this is where I should have posted this, but I have been trying to get registered for the forums the past two weeks and cannot for some reason.
Clappy on 3/10/2008 at 9:24 pm said:
I am trying to tweak a mango habanero sauce that i have been working on. I use fresh habaneros, but have heard that a mash is the way to go. Is making your own mash feasible? And, where can I find direction to do so? Also, how about purchasing a mash. Are they any good? and, who do you suggest i purchase from? Or, should I just forget the mash altogether?
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
I’m not sure if this is where I should have posted this, but I have been trying to get registered for the forums the past two weeks and cannot for some reason.
The ONLY place to purchase mash is from Jim Campbell (click on the Mild to Wild” firemans patch on the right of the screen upthere ^^^^^^^^
Fat Kid Sauces on 3/11/2008 at 8:30 am said:
The ONLY place to purchase mash is from Jim Campbell (click on the Mild to Wild” firemans patch on the right of the screen upthere ^^^^^^^^
thanks, i’ll check it out.
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Smilies - HSB Rules & Regs - Spamtastic?
Alright Dan! Thanks for the intense, well written and thorough description of a great staple sauce. Makes me want to go to mom and dad’s right now for some chippies and hot sauce! Do you recommend putting this sauce on bananners?