Review: Torchbearer # 23: Fever Sauce

This review has been forthcoming for quite a long time now, due to the fact that I’ve been trying my best to find the good qualities in this sauce. Torchbearer Sauces #23 Fever Sauce is in the upper eschelon of the Torchbearer sauces in terms of heat. The taste, smell, and appearance is just the same as all the rest of them; the only difference being the amount of spice.

The smell hits the olfactory senses pretty hard when you waft it under your nose. It has a slight vinegar tang, and the habaneros vaporize and zing the old sinuses. The primary ingredient is carrots, which explains why the consistency of fever sauce is much like purreed carrots. Why hot sauces are using carrots, I’ll really never understand.

This sauce is called Fever for a reason. It’s stronger and the burn lasts twice as long as our Sultry sauce. The sauce is not for the weak of heart. Even though it is promised to burn, it has the same TorchBearer flavor that everyone will know and love. So love yourself today, and then pick up a jar.

I’ve had a few choice words in the past for these hotter than hell torchbearer sauces. Mainly, I just don’t like them because they’re way too hot. I think I can handle my heat pretty well; better than most, I’d say. But when a company makes a sauce that could burn the skin right out of my sphincter, then claim that it’s the same torchbearer flavor I know and love, I just can’t respect it. I’m sorry.

In fact, I’m not sure the company even believes in the hotter sauces themselves. If you look at the list of recipes here, you’ll notices that none of the recipes listed use anything hotter than the sultry sauce, which is only the 3rd in line for heat and it’s number is 7. Compared the the 23 for the fever sauce here, the sultry sauce is mild.

A little dab will do a whole lot with this one right here.

I’m really confused. If all I need is a little dab, the implication is that the only purpose for this sauce is to make things hot. If I just wanted to make things hot, I could sprinkle on some ground cayenne and save myself some money.

I did use this sauce to make some compound butters. This was one respect where I thought the Fever Sauce shined. The flavor came though pretty strong in the butter as well as the heat, and it tastes great melted over steak. You can see my recipe for the compound butters right here.

I wouldn’t mind trying the sultry sauce or the sugar fire sauce just to see if I’m being too hard on the Torchbearers.

Rating: 10 out of 10 chiles, but two thumbs way down.