Posted February 17, 2007 by John in Reviews

Review: Sweet Sunshine Atomic Sauce

When I first tried this sauce, I didn’t know what to expect. The label advertises “Caution: Very Hot!” but also touts flavor before fire. Is this a burner, or exaggerated advertising? Only time will tell. The packaging is very similar to my review of the Warm Garlic and Shallot sauce I had reviewed previously; as before, I’m not a huge fan of the look. But, that aside, my previous experience with Sweet Sunshine was good enough that I was eagerly anticipating testing this one.

Ingredients: Sugar, Water, Vinegar, Ripe Red Savina Habanero Peppers, Mustard Seed, Ancho Peppers, Corn Syrup, Cayenne Peppers, Habanero Peppers, Molasses, Modified Food Starch, Salt, Worcestershire sauce, Natural Flavors, Onion, Spices, less than 1/10 of 1% sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate.

The smell is of red savinas, which is a fantastic welcome to any sauce. That’s mixed with a whiff of vinegar and a blast of sweetness. The scent doesn’t raise any heat alarm. But, taking a few drops, the first thing that’s obvious is this sauce packs a nice punch. One thing I like about Sweet Sunshine in general: truth in advertising! Their Warm sauce can best be described as warm, and their Atomic deserves a caution label, as it’s much hotter than most people like. It’s probably even be much for the medium-loving chilihead; though if you tend to bathe your food in Mega Death, the heat won’t bother you a bit.

Through the grapevine (and after I tasted it) I saw this sauce described to me as “~100,000 scoville.” Not to mince ratings; I understand that different heats come across differently. But I put this in a taste test next to Dave’s Original Insanity and Blair’s After Death. It didn’t match the heat of either of those offerings, and they’re tested at ~50,000 SHU. But, on the plus side, Sweet Sunshine gives a solid burn with absolutely no chemical, extract taste.

The flavor is a mixed blessing. The heat is nice, and as I mentioned before, it’s a natural, Red Savina heat rather than an extract fueled fire. The Red Savina taste is well pronounced, and the vinegar is well balanced. But there is a lot of sweetness; sugar is the first ingredient, and it’s the most prevalent flavor. To my taste, the flavor profile is a bit out of whack. I just don’t care for the blend of sweetness and heat – the excess of sugar detracts from the rest of the flavor medley. All in all, the flavor profile just isn’t what I’d hope it to be.

On Food
After searching for uses of a scorchingly hot sweet sauce, I turned to a plate of ham and eggs. I applied a decent amount, and set to work. I built up a nice little sweat, though nothing too uncomfortable. The meal confirmed the heat level for me: a good level for someone who likes things hot, and way to much for the chili-novice.

All in all, it made for a palatable, hot way to start the day. Sweet Sunshine’s Atomic sauce doesn’t make my list of favorite breakfast sauces, but it’s passable. It would probably also be good used as a barbecue sauce, and anything else where a lot of heat and sweetness is desired.

Packaging – Bright, Gaudy and Confusing. 5.0 out of 10.0
Aroma – Red Savina and sugar. 7.0 out of 10.0
Appearance – thick, dark and saucy. 8.5 out of 10.0
Taste – Overly sweet and unbalanced. 6.5 out of 10.0
Heat – Hot as a low-end extract sauce with none of the extract flavor. 8.5 out of 10.0

Overall Rating: 6.7 out of 10.0 – Plenty of heat, but too much sugar spoils the flavor profile.