The Csigi Trinity

A few days ago, our host Nick asked several of us to participate in a “group tasting” of 3 new hot sauces from “Csigi”. Instead of our regular review style, we were asked to simply rate the sauces on initial taste, heat, and flavor on food.

Csigi Jalapeno Sauce
Initial Taste – I chose the Jalapeno as the first sauce to try. Taken straight up from the bottle using a teaspoon, I found this sauce to be thin, salty, and “vinegary”. The experience was not unlike drinking dill pickle brine.
Heat – This is what I’d consider to be a mild sauce. A brief murmur of heat, then nothing. The heat was there and gone like a rumor.
Flavor on food – I tried each of the three sauces in this test on several meals; fish, a Philly cheesesteak sandwich, and homemade chicken burritos. The Csigi Jalapeno sauce disappeared into the flavors of whatever food I used it on. I found the flavor to be nondescript, and when I added more, the only note that came through was that of vinegar. This was my least favorite sauce of the three.

Csigi Capsaicin Carnivale
Initial Taste – Sweet, with a mild flavor of ground black pepper. Definitely some tomato vibes going on as well.
Heat – With a name like “Capsaicin Carnivale” I wasn’t surprised to find that this sauce was the hottest of the three. A nice medium burn, which came on slow and lingered.
Flavor on food – This sauce worked decently with the burritos and cheesesteak, but I didn’t really like it all that much with the fish. Probably a simple matter of the seasonings clashing between the two foods. The sauce is a bit sweeter and more tangy than I prefer, but not bad. I rank Capsaicin Carnivale above Csigi Jalapeno.

Csigi Salubrious Savina
Initial Taste – A nice big hit of Habanero flavor (and smell.) This one made my mouth water. Of the three, it’s the only one that I actually enjoyed eating straight from the bottle.
Heat – A notch below the Capsaicin Carnivale, this sauce is a mild-to-medium heat condiment.
Flavor on food – Overall, I feel that “Salubrious Savina” scored the best on the food test. The flavor of Habanero was prominant enough to stand up to whatever I threw at it, and the sauce offered up just enough heat to accent the meal. Not too much salt or vinegar, this is a sauce I would buy if I saw it on a shelf. For my money it’s clearly the best of the three Csigi sauces.