Denzel is the hot sauce master of minimalism. Give him 5-6 or ingredients and he will give you back 5-6 unique sauces independent of one another. Not only does he make do with the ingredients he uses but he selects organic ingredients and utilizes small craft producers.
This is going to be a triple review just to give you the comparison. Three sauces, same ingredients, three totally unique sauces.
Denzel’s Fire Hazard (2005 Fiery Food Challenge Winner), Gourmet Habanero Hot Sauce, Dangerous Goods (2005 Scovie Award Winner)
Ingredients: Vinegar, onions, habanero peppers, garlic, salt, basil
Yup, that’s it, same order, same ingredients for all three sauces. Now I know some companies that take the same sauce a just slap different labels on them and market each sauce to a certain demographic. Denzel could have done the same thing with his award winning sauces but that’s not the type of guy he is.
So the basis for this is going to be quite simple”¦..right out of the bottle.
All three sauces have great colour, aroma, and viscosity. Dangerous Goods being the thickest of the three. There was a bit of separation on the Fire Hazard and Gourmet Habanero, but not enough to warrant anything negative. Plus I didn’t give the bottles a fair shake (pun intended).
Denzel’s Dangerous Goods
As I mentioned Dangerous Goods is much thicker than the other two and almost had a paste like quality. The taste was very deep and rich that gave a little fire after a few seconds. Just enough to let you get all the flavours acquainted and then held on for a few minutes. The heat level was a solid medium. There is no doubt as too why this is an award winner.
Denzel’s Fire Hazard
Fire Hazard hit hard and fast. The burn comes quickly but doesn’t stick around for too long. The vinegar and habs take hold right away but it doesn’t have the stamina to keep the burn going for very long. The flavour of this is very sharp on the nose and is reminiscent of any superb habanero hot sauce that you would always pick as your go to sauce in a pinch. Fast and stingy sauce here that is great for heating things up in a hurry.
Gourmet Habanero Hot Sauce
The Gourmet Habanero Hot Sauce is the mild mannered good natured one of the trio. It makes you feel comfortable right away with pronounced Habanero flavour and good dash of garlic. No surprises here in the heat department. The vinegar takes a back seat here to let the habs and garlic do the talking.
Denzels’ Gourmet Foods Ltd.
Box 398 Enderby B.C.
V0E 1V0
www.denzelshotsauce.com
Written by Anthony
Nick Lindauer founded Hot Sauce Blog in 2004, making it one of the internet's very first hot sauce review sites. After 20+ years of tasting, reviewing, and attending every major fiery foods event in the country, he's back behind the keyboard covering the hot sauce world he helped build.
7 responses to “Review: Denzel’s Triple Threat Hot Sauce Trio”
Great review. I like the format. Seeing all three at once is a nice touch.
Haven’t tried and of Denzel’s sauces, but the labels are great and I’ll be sure to pick some up the next time I see them. Jungle Jim’s maybe? It’s only a week away!
I put these guys on my short list for JJ’s. I liked the comparison Anthony with your review. Can you put them in order of preference?
[Comment ID #107242 Quote]
Hey Buddah!
I would say:
1) Dangerous Goods
2) Gourmet Habanero
3) Fire Hazard
But it is a revolving list! You really can’t go wrong!
Enjoy!
[Comment ID #107253 Quote]
Thanks. 🙂
Nice review Anthony! Nothin but good word for denzel’s eh, Gotta get me some then 😛
Hey Anthony, I like the idea of three sauces with the same ingredients being totally unique. I have one question, what’s the differences in flavor? You mainly describe a difference in heat, but very little info on the actual flavors. So are they like a mild, medium, and hot version of the same sauce? I assume not based on the nature of the review, but aside from the heat, what can I expect? I know changing the type of habs will change the flavor, is this where the difference lies?
Good job on the review, Thanks in advance.
Great! I am going to be getting in some in the next few days from Denzel. I had to make an order with Anthony’s review of the Smoky Stout bbq sauce. I have several others coming with it. Im pumped!