The first ‘blind’ review to be published here on the HSB – though we did start the sauces at #101. These reviews take a bit more time to get together as multiple reviewers have to give their opinions, hence the out of order posting. Now on to the reviews:
Ingredients: Aged Cayenne Pepper, Black Pepper, Red Pepper, Garlic, Vinegar, Salt, Potassium Sorbate as a preservative
Reviewer #1: This sauce is deep red to almost brownish. There is a lot going on with this appearance. Lots of big pieces of cracked black pepper with tiny pieces of red pepper flesh. I can see a few seeds in the bottle but the “shaker” type top prevented them from pouring out onto my plate. 9 out of 10
Reviewer #2: Beautiful! This sauce has a nice deep red-orange color with little flecks of seeds, blackened skin, black pepper, and chile pepper pieces mixed all around. It comes in a standard 5oz. woozie bottle with a black plastic cap and a nice gold shrink band. I would like to know what the label looks like to see if it compliments and finishes the bottle well. All in all it’s a really nice looking sauce.
Reviewer #3: I was immediately drawn to the appearance of this sauce. The deep red color makes me anxious to taste it. The sauce is somewhat thick and glossy with lots of little bits suspended in it. There are little black bits that are either charred pieces, black pepper or both. I see a few chili seeds and a variety of other tiny particles that have been process into an unidentifiable condition.
8/10 ““ Deep Red
Reviewer #1: Thin like a pepper sauce but not overly processed like most “tobasco” type sauces. Lots of pepper skins and black pepper. Pouring this sauce out on a plate lets it spread out just like water would. This appears to be the intent of the manufacturer. 8 out of 10
Reviewer #2: The top of the bottle is plugged with an orifice reducer and I’m not sure why. Considering that the sauce has lots of seeds, blackened pieces of skin and bits of pepper mixed through, one would think that a reducer isn’t necessary. Yes, it is a thin sauce, but not that thin. Maybe the manufacturer likes to spend money on not essentials? I had to pull the reducer out in order to get a good pour. Once I did it spilled from the bottle nicely, but did not stick well to anything I put it on.
Reviewer #3: 7/10 ““ Restrictor Blocks Flow
Reviewer #1: Pungent from white vinegar, smokey and a slight sweet smell from what I believe is butter. I detect another smell that I do not like. It is a spice with an allspice smell or similiar to the smell of cloves and black licorice. I can’t get past this smell. 3 out of 10
Reviewer #2: Vinegar and smoke are the first two things to hit my nose. The smoke aroma is one that I’m not very fond of and I unfortunately find sauces from time to time. It seems to distract from everything else that’s in the bottle. I think it’s from aged peppers, in this case I’m guessing Cayenne? Aside from those three things, I really don’t detect much more than a bit of garlic, and that’s all. From the smell alone, ‘m thinking that this stuff would probably be pretty good in a Bloody Mary.
Reviewer #3: This sauce has a very familiar aroma. It reminds me of the smell of straight red jalapeño mash. There is a slightly fermented scent and the tanginess of vinegar comes through at the end. The aroma seems balanced and no one element overpowers the nose.
8/10 ““ Balanced
Reviewer #1: Identical in heat to Texas Pete or Frank’s red hot 5 out of 10
Reviewer #2: This sauce is not that hot, probably about a three on the HSB scale. I’d equate it to the heat level of Tabascoâ„¢ or Crystalâ„¢ hot sauce. It doesn’t slap you around or even cause a slight sweat, but it does leave a nice long mild burn in your mouth and throat.
Reviewer #3: 2/10 ““ Very Mild.
Reviewer #1: Here is where I have a problem. This sauce has a complexity to it but I can’t get past the clove/licorice/allspice smell. It tastes like it smells. I’m sure this is very appealing to most people, but I just can’t eat it. It appeared to have wing sauce all over it so I put it on a dozen naked wings and could only eat 2 of them. See picture. I just couldn’t stomach any more of the sauce to be objectionable with my review.
2 out of 10
Reviewer #2: Holy crap this stuff is salty! Salt is the first thing that hits you and the last thing left on your tongue, even after the so-so heat. The salt is followed-up by the vinegar, and then the peppers. That’s too bad. If this stuff had it’s flavors in reverse order and less salt, it may actually be good. Based on the flavor, I’m still guessing that the peppers are aged cayenne. It definitely tastes better than it smells, but unfortunately the overpowering salt just wrecks this stuff.
Reviewer #3: Welcome to vinegar world! The first flavor to hammer your tongue is the vinegar. It seems to calm down after the initial mouth slam and some of the other flavors kick in. Garlic and or onion seem to be the next flavor to hit the pallet. The garlic lingers on your tongue after the other flavors have subsided. There is a restrictor orifice on the neck of the bottle that seems to keep the particles from flowing out. This may be restricting some of the flavor as well. Off it comes.
6/10 ““ Tangy
Reviewer #1: I really liked the appearance and color and consistency. If it wasn’t for that smell/taste I would’ve given this sauce at least an 8 out 0f 10. I guess some people like brussel sprouts, liver and broccoli and some don’t. 3 out of 10
Reviewer #2: You won’t see me doing cartwheels over this stuff, and once I find out what it is, I certainly won’t be buying it. There are a ton of other sauces on the market that are very similar to it and much better. So without any unique characteristics to set it apart from the rest of the pack, it just falls into that less than memorable category and will be forgotten about before I can open another bottle. They say looks can be deceiving, and in the case of this sauce, that couldn’t be more true.
Reviewer #3: Salsa marinated rotisserie chicken was a great medium for this sauce. The tangy tartness cut through the richness of the rotisserie chicken. The sauce itself is quite mild so I ended up using about a quarter of the bottle. I suppose I would have used more if it were not for the tart flavor and I did not want to completely bury the mild flavor of the chicken. Overall sauce #104 MILD is a nice addition to your pantry. The tangy flavor makes it a good sauce for richer foods that need acid. While it is not a particular exciting sauce, I am looking forward to trying it on some eggs or an omelet. 6.2/10 ““ Average
So what did you think of this review style? Curious to know what sauce it is? Information on the sauce is available below the fold
HSB Blind Review #104: The Original Arkansas Cayenne Red Diamond Hot Sauce
Previous Review: Done on 7/15/07 by Anthony – Arkansas Cayenne Red Diamond Hot Sauce
Bottled by:
River City Spice Company
Blytheville, AR
870-763-6392