Posted November 27, 2005 by Nick Lindauer in Makers
 
 

Review: Blair’s Q Heat Chipotle Slam Hot Sauce


Blair's New Q Heat - Chipotle SlamAs reported previously, Blair has long been working on a complete re-vamp of his Q Heat line. Each hot sauce will be packaged in a larger (8.44 fl oz vs. 6.7 fl oz) rounded flask, featuring a swanky label design and a new recipe.

Chipotle Slam
has always been my favorite of the four so at the chance to taste the new recipe, I happily cracked open the new one.

When you first open the bottle your nose will be greeted with a full-bodied smokey smell, almost like a BBQ sauce. The new recipe is noticeably thicker in consistency then the original Chipotle Slam – which means it will stick better to your favorite foods.

Take Note: The new Blair Q heats will feature a best before date – from which you can figure out the born on date (subtract 2 years). This puppy was whelped just over a week ago – that’s some fresh sauce (hell, I had it since it was just 5 days old).

Born on date - Chipotle Slam

The taste of this ‘exotic’ hot sauce is hard to describe, not because it’s a bad tasting sauce but because it tastes so good. I could literally drink this straight out of the bottle if I wasn’t thinking about what food to put it on next.

To steal a line from a friend “I think my tongue just orgasmed!

Serisouly, this sauce is that good. The heat hits your tongue first (thanks to the habaneros) and then the chipotles follow and hit you with the full bodied smokey taste.

Chipotle Slams Compared

Compare the bottles side by side and it’s easy to see how many changes these sauces have undergone. Blair has gone from high-end hot sauce to high-end gourmet sauce. I would expect these new concoctions to be winning a few awards in the future.

Ingredient Comparison:
Previous Ingredient List:
Red and orange habaneros, vinegar, fresh cayenne, smashed garlic, chipotle, lime juice, cilantro, fresh herbs and spices

New Ingredient List: Habanero chiles, purified water, lime juice, carrots, white vinegar, red jalapeno chilies, chipotle chilies (smoked jalapenos), fresh garlic, salt, tomato paste, cilantro, cayenne chilies, cane sugar, paprika, onion powder, spices and vitamin c.

The ingredient lists are basically the same, but you can see that a lot more work has gone into the new recipe (and a lot more peppers).

Chipotle Slam Egg Sandwich

Chipotle Slam Egg Sandwich - Close Up

Try this sauce on anything you can find that’s not nailed down. I’ve gone through 1/2 the bottle by just tasting it straight and the other half is slowly deteriorating as each meal passes.

The new Chipotle Slam’s will be available on or before December 5th, so you have some time to think about your stocking stuffer list.


Nick Lindauer

 
The Original Hot Sauce Blog