Dave’s Insanity 2013 Private Reserve Review

Good Day To All You Chili Heads!

It’s a nice sunny day here in Northern California and I must say it’s nice to be writing about killer hot sauce again! With so many food shows, festivals, iconic foodies, and personal choices…how does one begin to sort through the haze of products and informative media to determine what is “truly” good and satisfying to our ever-changing pallets? In my humble opinion, you don’t. You just have to TRY THEM ALL!

Yesterday I was sharing a tasty Friday night celebration meal with my family at a local burger joint that has been declared our county’s “best” burger.” I am not sure who determined that, but because it was displayed on such a big fancy sign out front…it must be true! Right? Not sure… Fortunately, the food was great, so I picked up the menu and counted how many different burgers there were. The list totaled 9 mouthwatering sandwiches. Needless to say, I told my wife we needed to come back at least 9 more times to determine the truth of the sign declaring the grandeur of this burger joint… “It’s the ONLY way!” I told her with a smile. And if that wasn’t enough, they make homemade pie as well!

Hot sauce and spicy products I treat the same. It’s all about exploration. I call hot sauce the lazy man’s mountain.  Every man, when he see’s that unconquerable peak soaring into the sky, says to him self, “One day I must conquer those heights!” Why? Just because us guys always need a challenge. Well my days of climbing mountains are coming to an end and for me, looking inside a bottle that is filled with the hottest Pepper products in the world is where my one of my favorite hobbies today is found.

California has many different industries, business, and personalities.  One of them is Dave’s Gourmet–the producer of many fine local products, one of which being his very personal, Private Reserve Insanity Sauce. Ever since his first appearance years ago at the Fiery Foods Show in New Mexico, Dave has been producing products like spices, drink mixes, pasta sauces and my passion…hot sauce!

The new 20-year anniversary Insanity Reserve is truly a sauce that is living up to its name!  I was really excited when the new limited edition signed and numbered version was released just a couple weeks ago. I had to try it! Unwrapping it, I was surprised to see that this year’s edition has a new and improved label with a clever and artistic scorpion on the front. Such a cute little bug, but if you know anything about the Scorpion Pepper, you know that there is nothing cute about it! This pepper packs some serious heat! Over a million and a half scovilles! Imagine walking up to a local law enforcement officer with your freshly made taco stand treat and say, “Excuse me sir, May I have a shot of your pepper spray?” YES! This has the same heat as the pepper spray guns that police officer’s uses as well as hunters use for bear repellant!

This Gourmet Reserve comes shipped in a nice wooden coffin wrapped in bright yellow warning tape. Dave signs each bottle personally. Thehas a clear warning (That I did not read) that reads, “One drop at a time, and keep away from children. Not for people with heart or respiratory problems! Not for use of minors.” Believe it folks, he means it! I pulled the bottle out and inside the bottle is a swirling of red and black colors with bits of seed. It’s thick, dark and murky…the kind of stuff  that’s made in nightmares… maybe!

Inside the bottle you will find Scorpion, Naga Jolokia, and the Habanero peppers. It also has Chili pepper extract, salt, cane vinegar, passion fruit juice, garlic, onion, acetic acid, and xanthan gum.

I cracked open the bottle and took a strong smell. WHEW!!!! It burned my nostrils all the way back to my throat. It has a sweet smell to it and I can definitely smell the scorpion in it. My favorite pepper being the Jolokia, I could not detect that one in the complex aroma. Now just to qualify myself, I eat hot spicy pepper sauces all the time and this one did not scare me. I have tried the hottest of peppers and even extracts straight so I felt pretty comfortable.  I shook the bottle vigorously and tried to get it to mix. As I poured the bottle, I could see the oil run to the top and then the sauce started moving slowly like a volcanic lava flow heading for the ocean. I poured a liberal amount on the burrito as you see.  (About two tablespoons) and took a bite. Instantly there was a sweet pepper flavor that had a sharp tang to it. I took another bite and the heat appeared and started building. (I had no idea what I was in for!) I then ate the last two bites but before I could accomplish the final swallow the hiccups came FAST AND FURIOUS! Like seizures they racked my body. Sweat poured off my face and chin. I looked at my reflection in the window and I looked like someone who had spent the last 3 days passed out in a tanning bed-I was CRIMSON RED! The heat was swallowing me up. I felt me knees almost buckle, my hands were shaking and I thought, “Uh oh, I might be in trouble!” The heat built and built, the hiccups racked my body giving me repeated bouts of mild whiplash. I grabbed the milk and attempted to pour. As it splashed in the glass and on the counter, my tongue, mouth and throat felt like a thousand demons were scraping the inside lining with glass and salt. It was hot! Milk slowed the heat a tiny bit but there was no getting away from the Scorpions sting! I paced, I sweated, I prayed. It was a “super” chili experience! After about 10 minutes the heat resided a bit, enough for me to realize that I was going to indeed live to see another sunrise. Even though I ate before trying this EXPLOSIVE sauce, my stomach was cramping something fierce. It wasn’t until about three hours later after my stomach had relieved itself of its fiery contents that I felt back to normal.

So in conclusion I just want to say, heat level is a 10! Take the warnings serious. Flavor is an 8 or 9. Good taste and would be something to enjoy if it was possible to eat in normal applications. Label and packaging is always a 10. Great bottle, Dave signs them all. The coffin is a nice bonus and makes a great display piece. The color and view of the sauce from outside the bottle is almost magical and hypnotizing. Beautiful! Do not let children anywhere near this! But this sauce is definitely going to please the most daring chili head! This is one hot spicy “mountain” I may never attempt in such quantity  again.  You can find it at http://store.davesgourmet.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=DAIR and when you order tell Dave I said hi!

So for all you out there in the chili world, Keep it hot and keep it spicy.
Most of all,
ENJOY!

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