If your a subscriber to Chile Pepper Magazine, then perhaps you’ve already ordered the ‘free’ bottle of Tabanero Hot Sauce that was displayed on page 25 of the December 2005 Holiday issue.

My first thought was that they are probably going to be hearing from Tabasco’s lawyers fairly soon.

But I went ahead and ordered a bottle – the ‘free’ part does not include shipping, so you’ll have to fork over $3.99 to get yours.

The bottle arrived yesterday with a familiar name on the return address. Ed Chilleen, AKA Crazy Ed from Crazy Ed’s Chili Beer is now also distributing the Tabanero Hot Sauce brand. Good for him, the man obviously knows his ‘hot’ products.

Now, what goes better on pizza then hot sauce? Nothing, that’s what. So when the wife brought home a huge pie for dinner, I eagerly cracked open the Tabanero (with a flip top lid) and dug in.

If I had a blindfold on I would have thought this was Marie Sharp’s Fiery Hot. In fact, I was so sure that these were one in the same I had to compare the ingredients to prove myself wrong.

Tabanero Ingredients: Fresh carrots, selected red peppers, fresh onions, key lime juice, garlic & salt.
Marie Sharp’s Fiery Hot: Selected red habanero peppers, fresh carrots, onions, key lime juice, vinegar, garlic and salt.

Okay, so they aren’t exactly the same, but close enough to be mistaken for one another. Tabanero however contains no vinegar.

Verdict: It’s good, really good for those like me who love habanero based hot sauces. Sontava lovers & Marie Sharp’s lovers now have another option.

Marketing 101: When selling to men, throw a sexy lady in to your ad. You won’t be able to keep enough product on the shelves if done right.