User-Friendly Habanero Hot Sauce, by Slap You Silly

The subject of tonight’s review comes in a large 10 oz bottle, as opposed to the typical 5 oz products, so I’m anticipating one of two things will happen. The first possibility is that this will gradually get shoved to the back of my shelf after tonight, leaving a whole heck of a lot of sauce untouched. The other, hopefully more likely, possibility, is that I’ll enjoy this stuff enough that even the large bottle won’t be big enough. Certainly, the folks at Slap You Silly would have me believe it is the latter possibility, and they all but promise that User-Friendly Habanero will become my favorite hot sauce. I’m no stranger to such bold claims, so let’s see how this one fares.

Ingredients:

Onions, Carrots, Red Bell Peppers, Garlic, Habanero, Salt, Spices, Lime Juice, Vinegar, Water

Though it isn’t a complete match, this list reminds me of the list of a certain other product that quickly became one of my go-to sauces. It looks like the focus here is on building a balanced flavor, not necessarily on creating a stupidly hot sauce.

Appearance:

User-Friendly Habanero has a brownish color to it, making it a bit darker than the typical reddish sauce. It’s pretty thick, but isn’t actually as sticky as I would have suspected, since it slides down the bottle rather quickly, rather than clinging to the sides. It’s hard to tell just by looking into the bottle, but pouring the sauce out actually reveals that there are some pepper seeds in the mix, and that the product as a whole has a bit of a chunky consistency.

Smell and Taste:

Interestingly, the first smell I get out of this is the onions, which is actually unusual for a sauce. The herbal smell here easily wins out over the vinegar, leading to a sauce that actually smells like a vegetable garden. The chunky texture really works wonders for this sauce, but the flavor is what really seals the deal. The name “User-Friendly” would seem to imply a rather simple flavor profile, but that’s actually not the case. Instead, this is one of the more complex sauces I’ve had in recent memory, and the multiple layers of onion, sweet pepper, and habanero flavor are impressive. It actually reminds me of a tomato-free salsa.

Ratings:

FIRE	FLAVOR

Though this won’t burn anyone’s face off, it does have a surprising amount of heat. I’m going to give it a Mean, since anything lower may give the wrong impression. As for the flavor, nothing less than Notable will work here. This product provides an experience that works on so many levels.

Suggested Uses:

Although you could probably put this on pretty much anything, the flavor profile coming from the herbs and spices makes it lean toward breakfast and Mexican-style dishes. Still, it could also work as a steak or wing sauce.

Final Word:

The good folks at Slap You Silly won’t have to worry about this bottle going to waste. And now that I know I love this one so much, I’m really looking forward to the other variety I received. Stay tuned for that one!