High River Sauces Rogue ,has a beautful color and texture to match it’s incredible flavor!

As is the norm for my reviews, let’s look at the label. Clean, bright, with a nice bold graphic of “Rogue” that sports a neat scorpion tail incorporated in the “G”, Rogue would be eye catching on a grocery store shelf, and isn’t that the point? The label coloring matches the sauce color, as I’ve found to be the case with all of High River’s sauces, Hellacious, Tears of the Sun, and Grapes of Wrath, and it makes a very eye appealing package. And unless customers have a chance to try a product at a show, or demo, etc., the only thing that sells it is packaging and accompanying marketing. I need to say that I think Steve Seabury has one of the brightest sales and marketing minds in the hot sauce biz! From great labels to catchy product names, to the way he markets and capitalizes on his heavy metal roots, is just genius! And not to mention, the man (and his lovely mixologist bride, who I’m sure adds to the creative gene pool here) has some serious flavor and heat profiling chops!

Speaking of heat and flavor, Rogue does not disappoint! I’m not a big fan of blood oranges, because I find the flavor normally heavier and bitter compared to a “normal” orange. But High River has done a masterful job capturing the full flavor of the blood orange without the bitterness by masterfully pairing apple cider vinegar with just enough apples and pears and brown sugar with the blood orange. It kinda reminds me of a good heavy metal concert – a hard, edgy look, and the promise of serious sweat-inducing head banging, but with a serious front end fake!! Rogue starts off softer than expected, like a nice acoustic ballad, and just as you wonder if it’s gonna get real, the Serrano peppers start a little lead heat rif, with a front end heat that serves to introduce the Marshall stack rattling full on heat of the Moruga Scorpion and Jolokia peppers. The background percussion rhythm section is rounded out with the ginger, lime juice, and garlic. But just like a good hard rock fan likes his music, there’s a great balance and flair to the flavor of this sauce. So many people criticize hard rock and metal for not having any sophistication or finesse, but just like High River’s Rogue Blood Orange Moruga Scorpion sauce, serious rock and roll comes with complexity, often times with very sophisticated classical and folk backgrounds, but using them to create a fullness of sound, or in this case, flavor and heat!
This sauce is worthy of an easy 4 Fiery Worlds! I would’ve scored it a little higher, but I felt it could’ve had the heat linger a bit longer than it does before having to get another dose! But don’t misunderstand, this is a great hot sauce, unique and flavorful, and definitely worth a trip to High River’s website! And while you’re there, check out their other great sauces, like Hellacious (reviewed previously by this blogger for Hot Sauce Daily), Tears of the Sun, and Grapes of Wrath. Tell them Chilehead Ken sent you, and remember ladies and gentlemen: It’s a Fiery World!

Jac’s Chipotle Mustard sauce in the 5 oz. bottle

I love mustard. There…I’ve said it! And I’m not sure why, but I’ve always loved mustard. Maybe it’s the color since, afterall, yellow is my favorite color. Maybe it’s the tang and tartness. Or maybe the low fat, low calorie nature of the beast. However, as human nature dictates, some things get routine…normal…mundane….ho hum….okay, I’ll say it – boring! And this includes my beloved mustard. And while a turkey sandwich isn’t the same without a little yellow goodness, it can get a bit ordinary after a while. Until now! Jac’s Tailgaters has revived one of their original offerings and after tasting it I saw stars! Fireworks! And I heard angelic voices! And Boston singing “Smokin’”! Wait! What? Boston? Smokin? What’s up with that!? I’ll tell you what’s up – Jac’s Tailgaters Bayou Gold Chipotle Mustard Sauce is a little touch of smoked mustardy sunshine in an otherwise mundane, boring, cloudy mustardy day! Okay, so I’m mixing up my song metaphors, but you get the point!

When I was dieting last year, I was bummed out because I couldn’t enjoy Tracy and Kristi Carter’s Bayou Gold Mustard Sauce, because it had more than a gram of brown sugar in it and a couple of other ingredients that weren’t on my diet. And as I was chatting to Tracy about it at the Houston Hot Sauce Festival, he said he had a solution- his Chipotle Mustard Sauce which has almost no sugar at all – well within my self-imposed stringent dietary no sugar rule! So armed with a couple bottles, I proceeded to learn just how smokin’ hot (as in cool…nifty…swell…appealing…not flaming, scoville topping, scorching, etc.) this mustard sauce is on just about everything it touches.

Jac’s Chipotle Mustard Sauce is an excellent gourmet style mustard sauce

I’ve used this sauce on meat (especially pork, chicken, turkey, and ham), veggies (a little of this is crazy good on beans, cauliflower, and more), sandwiches, and still thinking of new uses. And my wife, who does not share my hot and spicy obsession (but is very supportive, I must say), has cautioned me on more than one occasion by stating “You’re not using all of that, are you? I like that one a lot!” That’s high praise, I have to tell you! And who could blame her? One bite and you discover the subtlety of flavors, the smoked pepper mellowing out most of the sharpness that is customary in mustard, but not totally taming the dynamic flavors set apart with hints of onion, garlic, a touch of lemon, and white pepper. Whether straight up on a sandwich, as a base for pork tenderloin, a sauce for veggies, or whatever your application, this mustard sauce is…simply put…..Smokin’!!!!

So what’s the verdict? This sauce, ladies and gentlemen, earns 4 1/2 Fiery Worlds from this reviewer! It’s as close to perfect as a mustard sauce can get, but alas, I marked it down 1/2 simply because it only comes in a 5 oz. bottle!!!! I can suck that down in one sitting! You can find this sauce, and many more excellent gourmet sauces, spice blends, rubs, marinades, dip mixes, chili and gumbo mixes on Jac’s Tailgaters website. I am a huge fan of their entire lineup and encourage you to indulge your palate and your imagination with a variety of his outstanding offerings. And remember, ladies and gentlemen…..It’s a Fiery World!

Just some of the many versatile sauces, rubs, marinades, dips, and seasonings offered by Tracy and Kristi Carter and Jac’s Tailgaters

The two sauces I received, Naga Jolokia Ghost Chile of India and Yellow Fatali African Habanero, just look classy. Their labeling is high end and has that artsy, artisan feel. If you can see by the picture, they are called “varietal chile extract” sauces, a fancy dancy way of saying, hey, the sauce is made from a single pepper variety. Add in David’s “gastronomic selection” seal and “2012 Harvest” moniker, and these sauces are destined for high end specialty food and kitchen stores.

Henry Farm Naga Jolokia Ghost Chile of India Sauce is a nicely textured, robust looking hot sauce

Henry Family Farm Yellow Fatali African Habanero sauce is a beautifully colored, fresh looking hot sauce

So we’ve determined that we have good marketing and a nice looking product, but hey, the money is in the flavor and in this case, the heat! These are both decent sauces when judging flavor. The ingredients are not complex, and include hot peppers, Acetic Acid (vinegar for you non-scientific types), salt, a thickener and preservative. But it did make me wonder if the sauce is made only from a single pepper variety. After all, these are “varietal” chile extracts! But, nonetheless, they taste the part, so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. Not a lot of “WOW” factor here, but they are both good, fresh, solid sauces. And hot!

The Naga Jolokia Ghost Chile sauce brings a good punch, but it doesn’t last long, which is nice. Added to soups, eggs, veggie dishes, sauces, etc. it works well. Not so much straight up on meat, but it worked well as a ketchup additive and so so as a BBQ sauce additive. Ghost peppers remind me of a bell pepper jacked up on steroids! I like their flavor. This particular sauce had a touch of a sharpness to it, but not enough to detract from the flavor. The bottle suggests pairing it with foods such as gazpacho, camponata, and chili con carne.

The Yellow Fatali African Habanero sauce is also appropriately hot, with a little more lingering heat, which is typical for the Fatali. I love the fruity flavor of the fatali more than that of a typical caribbean based habanero fruitiness, and the citrus note makes a great addition to salad dressings, sauces, soups, and also fish. I love fatali on fish! The bottle suggests pairing it with cream curry dishes.

So overall, I give both sauces three Fiery Worlds. I liked both sauces, but at the price point of $24.95 a bottle as listed in the marketing material sent to me, I wouldn’t see myself buying them. After all, they are priced over twice, and even three times what most, if not all, small batch, artisan style sauces cost. If someone can market their sauce in a way to command that price, well, more power to them, but to me they are basically well packaged, basic sauces, and nothing really special to warrant that kind of premium. I’m sure there are those un-informed foodies that will pay for them based on David Rosengarten’s name and reputation, but I wouldn’t expect many, if any, repeat purchases.

I’m appreciative to ycmedia for the opportunity to review these products, and if you see them out and about, check it out! But definitely go to David’s Rosengarten’s website, www.drosengarten.com, and peruse his recipes, store, and stories. But always remember the basic truth, ladies and gentlemen, that It’s a Fiery World!

An “Evil” meal of pork tenderloin and green beans with Big Evil BBQ and Asylum Hot Sauce for the beans!

I met Patrick McGill at Peppers on the Beach this past May, and while waiting at Starbucks for coffee he shared that he just started his sauce company a couple of months prior and that his background was in the cellphone business.  Well, he’s phoning in some great marketing and an entry lineup of sauces that rival some industry veterans.  He sent me his Asylum Crazy Hot Sauce and his Big Evil BBQ sauce to try, and If the inmates are running this Asylum, you may just need a ticket! We’re taking off the straight jacket, coming out of the Twilight Zone, staring Nurse Cratchet in the eye, and taking a look at Evil Seed Sauce Company’s Asylum Crazy Hot Sauce! We’ll talk about Big Evil BBQ Sauce soon. Bwahahahahaha!!!!!

With a sophisticated label and timed fairly close to the start of the Asylum TV series, Evil Seed scores with their Aslyum hot Sauce. Great marketing, for sure.  I don’t know if Patrick does his own graphic design, but he’s managed to combine some novelty with a clean, stylish look to his sauce label, with smart graphics and a picture of the saucemaker that would make Alfred Hitchcock proud. I also like the tagline that appears on all their products – “Live Good-Eat Evil”. Short and catchy, with a emoticon based devil holding a pitchfork that is appealing and memorable. I give the label high marks! I’m not sure if the Crazy Hot Sauce that’s on the label is part of the official name or not, but no matter – nothing really “Crazy” about this sauce but a nice blend of flavor and heat.

Oh yea, flavor and heat comes from what’s inside, so I don’t want to forget to tell you what’s in nurse Cratchet’s medicine:  Water, Apple Cider Vinegar, Onions, Sugar, Red Habanero Peppers, Red Chile Peppers, Red Serrano Peppers, Scorpion Peppers, Garlic, Lime Juice, Butter, Soybean Oil, Dijon Mustard, Pickled Ginger, Lemon Pepper, Molasses, Cayenne Pepper, Black Pepper

Speaking of flavor and heat, this is a sauce that feels more like a condiment than a hotsauce additive.  It has a medium consistency and just enough “chunkiness” to shout through the Asylum bars, “Hey, nurse Cratchet! I’m a natural sauce with lots of ingredients and goodies!!!” I can taste the onions and a hint of the pickled ginger, but the five pepper blend is smooth enough where I couldn’t detect pieces of any one type of pepper.  Asylum does a good job with it’s heat profile, making me wonder if electroshock therapy feels similar – A little front-end wake up call created by layering the red habaneros with the serrano, cayenne, and other reds, while allowing the scorpion peppers to hang back a tad and then “ZAP!! I GOT YOUR HEAT RIGHT HERE, CRAZY PERSON!!!” But like all good electroshock therapy, the ZAP only lasts a little while, getting you ready for another dose of craziness!!!  I pick up the mustard note, the sweet of the molasses and apple cider vinegar (yes, I think apple cider vinegar is sweet!), and the other ingredients fall nicely in line.

Overall, I’ve had about a month to really try this sauce, and have used it on the usual culprits- eggs, of course, and pork, chicken, boca, veggies, salad (yep-love hot sauce on my salad!).  It’s a solid enough player to go on most things, but I have to admit, I didn’t enjoy it in chili for some reason.  Maybe it’s the mustard note or my specific pre-determined sauce bias for chili, but nonetheless, it worked really well on most everything else.  Not too shabby!

So as I stare down nurse Cratchet, hand the big Indian a pillow for poor ol’ Jack, and laugh the “evil” laugh, I give Asylum a solid 3 1/2 Fiery Worlds – a very respectible rating for yours truly! Stay tuned for my take on Evil Seed’s “Big Evil” BBQ Sauce and remember, ladies and gentlemen:  It’s a Fiery World!

  Well, I can’t think of a better lineup of sauces to highlight for my re-entry in to the Fiery World blogosphere! I’ve been on this “rambo” style diet and dropped 100 pounds this year, and 90 of that since I first tasted Tom’s sauces at Peppers on the Beach in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware in May.  That put an almost instant hold on a lot of my hot sauce activity, especially tasting and cooking with great sauces, but I’m back in the saddle and can’t wait to share my feelings about Tom’s Roid Rippin’ Hot Sauce line of sauces.

There are six of them, to be exact: In no particular order we have the “Habanero Pepper”, ”Tapestry”, “Jalapeno Pepper”, “Cayenne Pepper & Curry”, “Hot Cherry Pepper & Roasted Garlic”, and last but not least, “Ouch, My Roids Hurt Habanero Sauce”!  I’m here to tell you, ladies and gentlemen, there is not a loser sauce in the batch!  Without exception, and at the risk of you not reading past this sentence, Tom Slosser is a master flavor artist, with a level of sophistication seen more commonly in gourmet restaurants and serious foodie hangouts!

For purposes of readability without needing an intermission, I’ll give you the high level overview of three sauces: “Tapestry”, “Cayenne Pepper & Curry”, and ”Hot Cherry Pepper & Roasted Garlic”! There are multiple reviews floating out and about on TRRS (I’m abbreviated to save typing! I know….lazy!), and not surprisingly, these three sauces keep coming up in reviews and Chilehead conversation! So I won’t go into the whole “3 Fiery Worlds for this, and 4 Fiery Worlds for that”, but instead, just tell you that every one of these sauces deserves a 4 to 4 1/2 Fiery Worlds in all categories but one…but more about that one exception later.

Tom Slosser must have been a heck of a cook prior to making his sauces, since his labels tell the story of his wife, Diane, giving him a hot sauce making kit as a gift, and that’s where it all began. No one has this much beginner’s luck without possessing seriously mad skills as a foodie’s foodie, master chef wannabe, flav’ o flav’ talented flavor artist, etc.!! 

Tapestry is a very fitting name for a sauce with Anaheim’s, Sweet Reds, Hot Cherry, Jalapeno, Serrano, Cayenne, Habanero, and Thai Chili peppers.  Yes, I typed correctly-that’s eight different types of peppers in this one sauce. And they are blended perfectly, with notes of sweetness from the molasses and apple cider vinegar (but just a little hint of vinegar for tang…no unsightly lip puckering vinegar moves here) and tomatos.  The peppers, secret spices, and ingredients all just kinda work together, like a…..like a……(wait for it)……Tapestry!!!! I used this sauce regularly over chicken, fish, veggies, and anything else I could think of. Well, except carbs, since I haven’t had pasta or carbs since June.  So I can’t wait to try it with pasta in a week or so, since my diet is transitioning back to all food groups! 

Next up is the “Hot Cherry Pepper and Roasted Garlic” sauce.  My how I’ve longed for a piece of pizza the last 5 months doused in this sauce! Don’t get me wrong – I’ve loved it on eggs, veggies, boca patties, chicken, fish, etc.  But there really isn’t much of an etc.! What  I just listed is pretty much all I’ve eaten since June, so not much variety.  Why is that important, you ask? Okay, so you’re not asking, but I’ll tell you anyway…. When all you eat is low carb, high protein, limited vegetable fare for a prolonged timeframe, something with as much flavor as this sauce makes you put it on it’s own little pedestal, shining a spot light on it and touching it lovingly as you walk by (see photo!). With the obvious title ingredients coupled with the simple additions of salt, honey, tomato, lime juice, etc., you get a delicate, sophisticted flavor profile that could grace any Italian chef’s ingredient shelf!

And that brings us to what was my surprise star of the show, the Cayenne Pepper and Curry. If you like curry, even just a little, you’ll love this sauce.  Coupled with the playful heat of the Cayenne peppers, with some Serrano’s and Habanero thrown in for heat balance, this sauce is a delight.  Light, but bursting with a bold flavor. A soft, front end heat that teases your tongue and palate.  And that unmistakeable uniqueness that only curry can bring to the party!  Yes, this sauce also went on the sauce pedestal, paying it homage by transforming my boring, simplistic diet fare to new exotic flavor heights!! You gotta get you some of this….I’m just sayin’!

Okay, this is a review, so what’s the downside? Where’s the problem areas? It can’t be all rose colored glasses perfect, now can it?  Well, as it relates to flavor and quality….yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!……and he does sometimes bring flavor gifts like Tom’s sauces.  But if there’s one suggestion, one area I would do differently, it would have to be the company name and label.  Not that it’s not graphically pleasing, catchy, cute, and well executed. It is.  But the novelty genre name and label don’t do this line of sauces justice. While perfect for most hot sauce shops and souvenier type places, I think Tom could benefit from doing what other sauce makers do…bottle the same sauces with two sets of labels, one of which being high end with gourmet styling and appearance. I just bet he could sell them to Williams Sonoma, or any other high end “fru fru” cooking store or specialty shop that ordinarily wouldn’t take a “novelty label” sauce seriously. But that’s about my only constructive comment about his whole lineup of products. 

Now the other three sauces I didn’t highlight are just as good, just as flavorful, just as noteworthy, and just as amazingly “foodie-esque” in their recipes and execution, so don’t leave them out of your introduction to Tom’s Roid Rippin Hot Sauce. 

I am delighted to be back in the bloggin saddle.  So stay tuned, ladies and gentlemen, thanks for reading, and remember…….It’s a Fiery World!

I gotta tell you….There are a LOT of hotsauce companies out there these days!  With the spicy food industry being the 8th fastest growing industry in the country, it seems like every time you turn around someone is throwing their hat into the saucemaker ring.  And that’s not a bad thing, at all. The more the merrier.  However, in a recent discussion with a saucemaker who’s been around a while, they commented that lots of budding hot sauce companies don’t survive their first year.  Well, ladies and gentlemen, I’m here to tell you that the company I’m profiling here won’t be in that category. Rarely have I seen a more creative, well designed, well executed line of sauces than Jeremy Walsh’s Big Fat’s! His line of sauces, with simple, easy to remember names (108, 208…ending with 808) definitely have what it takes to establish themselves as a trusted, steady name in the whole big fat hot sauce industry!!

Instead of a traditional sauce review, I thought I’d do something a little different and just profile six of Big Fat’s sauces as a group. One reason is to show how Big Fat’s packages their product line and the other is because I learned that the flavor profiles of one sauce often compliment another in the lineup, which lends to mixing them together to achieve new flavors and unique uses.

As you’ll see in the pictures, Big Fat’s markets their sauces mostly by number, with the unique product name directly underneath, accompanied by a numeric marker, which serves to identify the number and the heat level. Very, very clever! You all know I’m big on labels, and lots of small batch sauce makers could learn from Big Fat’s labels. Catchy font styles, uniform look, company name very prominent, great shelf appeal, and clever product descriptions and catch phrases all set this sauce line up for success. Every label sports the catch phrases “Big Fat’s Got Your Number!” and usage instructions, “1.Shake it 2.Use it 3.Love it 4.Repeat”! The “got your number” is a very clever word play on a popular phrase but alluding to the fact that they have a number sauce to meet any tastes. I was impressed before I opened the first bottle.

But I know it’s about the sauce, so what about them? The 108, which has been frequently reviewed on various sites, is the entry level, habanero sauce. It has more flavor than most hab sauces and with more complexity. I instantly pick up the onion and garlic, and a slight, slight hint of sweetness from the tomato and the basil. But I didn’t lose the flavor of the habaneros, which I enjoy. Also, as with all their sauces, the 108 has only 20mg of sodium (salt). When I asked Jeremy about this, he said it was purposeful, allowing the user to determine how much salt they wanted on their food. Very smart! And the 108 doesn’t list vinegar as an ingredient! it has lime juice to provide the necessary acidity to pull out the various flavors. Very nice hab sauce that goes with almost anything, from eggs, to pork, beef, mexican, veggies, etc etc etc!!!! The only constructive comment I could give about this sauce, and a couple others, is that they are very thick and takes a couple thumps on the bottom of the bottle to get the pour started! But that’s a minor, minor element in the big fat picture we’re painting here!!!

The 208 is a bajan sauce, with an obvious inspiration from Barbados, in the West Indies. A not so typical caribbean style, mustard based sauce, it picks up the habanero based heat another notch (remember…108, 208, etc etc!?) and uses yellow mustard with just the right blend of onions, carrots, garlic, and vinegar (way down on the ingredient list) to round out this bright, island inspired sauce that pairs extremely well with pork, veggies, black beans, and also in combo with the 308 garlic ginger sauce for a nice salad dressing. Speaking of the 308, this sauce didn’t last long in my supply,and I desparately need a refill!! I reviewed this sauce for ILoveitSpicy, so catch that review for more info on the 308. As a brief refresher, it is Thai influenced and uses an ingenious mix of habaneros combined with the ginger and garlic, carrots, apple cider vinegar, sea salt and lemongrass. This sauce makes a mean pork marinade, salad dressing (by itself and with the 208). It is an excellent sauce with again, increased heat.

The 408, or jerk style sauce, was the surprise for me. I’m picky about my jerk sauces, so I was a little skeptical, but became a believer. the use of green onion, habaneros, and brown sugar combined with pomegranate molasses make this sauce an outstanding compliment for chicken, pork, and shrimp (that’s what I used it on). The pomegranate molasses is a very clever flavor move, since you get the slight bittersweet of a molasses combined with a slight tangy zing from the pomegranate. And here’s a surprise – On their website, Big Fat’s says that this sauce makes a great iced coffee. I almost laughed out loud at the thought and as I was prepping the review I did on this sauce for ILoveitSpicy , I tried the iced coffee trick! And can I tell you it was outstanding!!! It was that moment that really caused me to appreciate Jeremy Walsh’s creative genius behind his sauces.

The 508 is a habanero based chipotle sauce and sets itself apart from the plethora of chipotle hab sauces with a clever spice blend and use of tomatoes, cilantro, and enough habanero peppers to make you wake up and say, “WHOA”!!! It pairs with everything from eggs to fajitas, to steak (add it to some steak sauce!! Just sayin…..), chicken, shrimp, cheese, cardboard, asphalt, etc etc etc. It’s that good!

I haven’t had the 608 Pineapple Habanero Hawaiian inspired sauce yet, but the reviews I’ve read have been excellent. I’m not surprised. I need to try some soon. The chile garlic 708 sauce is due out in the fall, and I can’t wait to try both of these sauces.

Last but not least, we have the 808 naga jolokia sauce. Not just a straight heat, vinegar, yada yada..blah hot blah…ghost pepper…yawn sauce, Big Fat’s honored the naga jolokia pepper’s origins, and used Indian inspired flavor profiles. Very, very nice and very, very hot, this sauce packs a mean heat punch but not a knockout punch, making it suitable for folks not in the “I want to kill myself with the hottest thing I can find” category! This sauce also has a little ancho chile in the mix for a flavor twist, allowing for a nice layering effect with the heat profile. I would use this sauce to compliment an Indian dish, or to jazz up a pot of something on the stove, but do be careful just pouring it on a steak or….(oops! Indian flavor profile! Scratch the beef reference!!) chicken, pork, shrimp, etc etc etc. Not surprisingly, this is the only one of the six sauces I have that still has a lot left in the bottle!

So there you have it! I have to apologize to Jeremy for taking so so long to profile his outstanding lineup of sauces, but it has allowed me to experience them in my daily journey of flavor and heat, so I feel pretty well equipped to comment….and to brag on him! So like I said, folks…. Jeremy Walsh’s Big Fat’s Hot Sauce gives you Big Fat Flavor, Big Fat Heat, Big Fat Creativity, and makes for a Big Fat success in the hotsauce world!!! Thanks for reading and remember, It’s a Fiery World!

Check out what some of the best spicy food bloggers out there (okay, so I hang with the “cool” crowd!) had to say about blogger influence, a Chilehead hall of fame, Peppers on the beach, and lots of other stuff. Thanks to Brian and Marilyn Meagher of Hot Sauce Daily/Weekly for setting the roundtable up, Buddah for videoing, and Scott Roberts, Firehead Thomas Gately, and Steve ‘the Machine” Smallwood for sharing their perspective and wisdom.  I had a great time!!  Hope you enjoy and thanks to Iloveitspicy.com for the share!

Blogger’s Round Table: 2012 Peppers at the Beach.

I was talking about how POTB is a hot sauce and spicy food show sponsored by Peppers, one of the largest East Coast spicy food stores, and located in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. In it’s third year, the show is the brainchild of John and Maggie Dilley of Defcon Sauces. Now boasting a major co-sponsor, Mountainaire Chicken, the weekend long event will boast a virtual mountain of chicken wings being cooked, judged for competition, and served up in a variety of styles. Judges will be chosen from the audience, which gives a nice “people’s choice” bent to the competition. Over 33 spicy food companies will be in attendance, serving up cooking demos and samples of their best products, and over a dozen restaurants from around the region showing off their specialties and pleasing the crowd with culinary delights.

Chip Hearn, Pepper’s owner and host for the weekend, opens his store for the throngs of spicy food lovers, and some of the industry’s premier bloggers. Brian and Marilyn Meagher, known for their well respected blogs, Hot Sauce Daily and Weekly, will be hosting bloggers roundtable and podcast from the show. Other big name bloggers are Scott Roberts of ScottRobertsWeb fame, home of the most frequently referenced Scoville sauce and pepper scale on the Internet, and Al “Buddah” Goldenberg, editor in chief of I Love It Spicy and undeniably one of the biggest ambassadors for the spicy food industry. Other bloggers will be there, including video review blogger Firehead Tom Gatley and yours truly. And last but not least, the crew from the Internet’s most raucous spicy food channel, Eat More Heat, will be broadcasting live all weekend. James Wreck and John Scrovak are sure to entertain and inform all those who want to live vicariously at POTB for the weekend!!

The weekend will include Johnny McLaughlin’s famous Chilehead Rockaria Karaoke contest and an attempt to beat three (count em- Three!!!) Guiness World Records in pepper eating as Steve “The Machine” Smallwood brings his iron clad stomach to POTB for the occasion! I swear the man has no pain receptors in his mouth, throat, or anywhere else!

And as I mentioned in the title, the weekend includes a prayer. Maggie Dilley had emergency surgery the day before the show (Thursday, the 17th), and will be recovering in the hospital for the weekend! That means the folks whose inspiration started the whole thing won’t be there. So I lift Maggie up with prayers for a speedy recovery! You guys will be missed.

Well, the captain has issued the “fasten your seat belts, it’s time to land” warning, so I’ll sign off. Stay tuned for more this weekend as I experience a weekend of spicy food, hot sauce, good friends, fun times, and wings wings wings!! And always remember, ladies and gentlemen, It’s a Fiery World!!!!

My original review of Chai Sweet Chili Sauce is re-posted below.

Michele Northrup, who puts the Intense in Intensity Academy, told me I just had to try out her new sauce.

She proceeded to share that the sauce was dedicated to her mom, Barbara Northrup, who Michele lost not long ago. And even cooler still, Intensity Academy donates a portion of the profit from sales of their Chai Sweet Chili Sauce to different charities. And then, later that night, this sauce won a Golden Chili in the Asian sauce category. And with that as our backdrop, let’s give Chai Sweet Chili a ride around the block and see what’s under the hood.

Ingredients: Organic brewed Chai Tea, Thai pepper puree, distilled vinegar, garlic, rice wine vinegar, tapioca starch and natural spices.

Texture/Appearance: – This is a medium thickness sauce with a nice, reddish hue that gives away its Thai Pepper pedigree. The texture is varied, believe it or not, due in large part to the pepper pieces and parts you get when you eat it. Now mind you, I’m eating spoonfuls of this sauce before and during my review, and the difference in texture wouldn’t really be noticed in regular application. Now, the fresh pepper flakes in your teeth might give your friends a feel for texture (not really….well, okay, one did make an ugly display between my teeth, but a quick water rinse nipped that little problem pepper in the bud!) The pepper puree and the tapioca starch give the sauce some body, which is useful when using it as a glaze for salmon, chicken, etc. And as you can see in the picture, the appearance of Chai Sweet Chili is attractive when mixed with the stir fried shrimp I cooked.

Taste/Flavor Straight Up: – While the first taste might lead you to believe that this is a normal asian style stir-fry sauce, the Chai tea quickly jumps up and says, Hey You!! You taste me!? That’s right! Chai Tea is in the house! Do we have a problem? I swear that’s what I heard! Okay… not really, but it could have been. However, the Chai tea did not come in as the upfront flavor. That distinction came from the sugar and spices, who won the footrace to be first flavor out the bottle. The cool part of this sauce and its hipster Chai Tea influence is that the tea is almost an afterthought flavor… a middle note surrounded by a chorus of flavor. But you can hear it, loud and clear, and it’s a clean note-fresh, unassuming, and amazingly bright. I tried this sauce on my home made stir-fried shrimp and veggies, and it tasted as good as the accompanying picture looks. I put it on fish, veggies, and started to drink it on the rocks, but then I remembered about the pepper flake in the teeth incident, and decided to back off of that idea. The Thai pepper influence, however, is apparent, but in a subdued, muted horn sort of way. You’d expect something a little different, which brings us to heat.

Heat Level: – Please don’t take this rating as a negative, because this sauce wasn’t designed to be hot. But on a 5 star scale, I can’t muster more than a level 2 in heat. And that’s what is kinda neat and unique about it. One of the major ingredients is Thai Pepper puree, and while it gives a fun little zing that hits your taste buds on a slight delay, it’s a muted zing. And no zang. And definitely no zowee! Go back to that muted horn thing. Here you have a huge horn section (work with me here- thai pepper is a major ingredient that equates to a large horn sec… oh never mind… you get the picture), and you’re expecting hot Thai Pepper notes that sound loud and bold like a good Chicago tune. But no – the heat is subtle, muted, and blended seamlessly into the other flavor profiles that I enjoyed so much.

Label/Graphics: – I liked the label, and loved the little write up on the side about Michele’s mother, Barbara. It is inspiring and pleasing, and I liked the pink background mixed with the grass and muted sun. The peacock on the label is a great representative for this sauce, and not just because it is a beautiful bird on a sauce honoring a beautiful lady. If you know anything about Peacocks, you know that they are loud and fearless and will get up in your face if you threaten them and scare the beejeezus out of you. They weren’t used to guard palaces for nothing, you know! I can’t help but think that this is Michele’s tongue in cheek trophy to her beautiful, protective, strong mom, Barbara.

Overall Impression: – This is an excellent asian style chili sauce. I would even call it fun. That’s partly why I infused some fun into my review. It just seemed to fit this sauce and Intensity Academy overall! If you know Michele Northrup and her husband Tom, you know that these folks have fun with their products. But they’re all business when it comes to flavor. This sauce can be serious on stir fry, casual on plain green beans, classy on fish, and always fun. While I don’t know for certain, I have to think that when Michele created this sauce, she was in the kitchen reminiscing about her mom, and thinking about how Barbara Northrup could be funny, serious, classy, not so classy (hard to be classy running after kids, wiping dirty noses, and cleaning bathrooms), and look as good in jeans as she did in sequins. I never met Michele’s mom, but that’s the image I get. How cool is that? And how cool to create something unique, fun, and amazingly tasty. Chai Sweet Chili is just that cool. Get you some. Enjoy. And if you’re blessed to still have your momma, call her up and tell her you love her.

About the company: Intensity Academy opened for business in 2007 in the Tampa, Florida area. According to their website, they have won multiple awards for their diverse line of sauces, including Scovies, Golden Chiles and Fiery Food awards. Check out their website at http://www.intensityacademy.com and be greeted by a school motif (the name is Intensity Academy, after all). Use the contact info on the website for questions that the site doesn’t answer.

About the author: Ken Alexander is a self-proclaimed Chilehead, with a love of spicy food, hot sauce, and the zest of life. An avid Andy Griffith fan (can you find the hidden Barney Fife reference in the review?), Ken lives in Baton Rouge, LA, in the heart of Cajun Food country, and enjoys experiencing new tastes and flavors from all over the world. He is a staff reviewer and festival reporter for I Love it Spicy and a regular contributor to HotSauceDaily. Ken also likes humming TV theme songs, playing Yahtzee, and quoting old Kris Kristofferson lyrics.

Categories: hot sauce, reviews
Tags: chai, hot sauce, tea, thai

Since the major chile blogs had such a great sale prior to the Super Bowl, Al “Buddah” Goldenberg of I Love It Spicy! thought why not do one for the Spring. Traditionally Memorial Day Weekend is the start for the opening of beaches, picnic gatherings, and at home, the unofficial start of the grilling season (although we BBQ and griller fanatics do it year ’round).

With this sale, we let any company selling their products to join in on the promotion even if they were not spicy. We are here to help them succeed and giving them a platform like this can only assist them get their products to places where they would not normally be found. Please take a hard look at what is being offered. Think about enhancing your grilling experience or something you can add to a gathering of friends and/or family. Perhaps something to share with your co-workers or neighbors. Help support these small companies, and at the same time taste some great products while doing so.

Click on the company name if interested and it will take you to where you need to go. Happy Shopping, and be sure to stock up!

Joy Peppers: Through Memorial Day, any three Joy Peppers (Original, with Garlic, with Pickles, with Olives, or Garlic with Peppers) for $20 plus shipping. Mix and match.

Global Warming Salsa: We will offer our Salsa special for 40.00, delivered. It includes one of each four award winning Global Warming Salsa flavors: Mild, Medium, Hot and one of our unique Global flavors (Japan or India, please specify when ordering) and we will also include a genuine ceramic Tabasco Salsa bowl and spoon AND a signed copy of the book we co-authored called “Breakin’ Down the Barriers”…all for an even 40.00. We only have about 60 of the bowls, so we recommend people jump in if they’re interested!

Benito’s Hot Sauce: We are offering the following specials for the grilling season: Vermont Maple Chipotle BBQ Rub (2011 Scovie Award Winner), Chipotle Infused Maple Syrup (2012 Scovie Award Winner) and our Habanero Infused Maple Syrup (2012 Fiery Food Challenge Winner) all for $20 (includes shipping)! Email us at: benitoshotsauce@gmail.com to take advantage of this offer!

JACS Tailgaters: We will run a 15% coupon the Month of May. Put SGTCARTER in the coupon code.

Cajun Heat: We have our “specials” running all year long. You basically create your own; the more you buy the more you save! Buy any 2 products and save 10% coupon code CAJUN10 Buy 3 or more products and save 15% coupon code CAJUN15 Buy 6 or more products and save 20% coupon code CAJUN20

Prehistoric Wing Sauce: From 4/23/2012 til 5/31/2012 we will sell our Medium, Hot or Volcano Prehistoric Sauce for $5.95 a bottle + shipping.

Pirate Jonny’s BBQ Rubs & Seasonings: is having a Spring Winners sale. We are proud winners in the 2011 and 2012 NBBQ and Hot Pepper Awards for our Rubs and Seasonings. Buy 2 of our Gold Medal winning BBQ rubs or Seasonings and get a third winner FREE. See our website for details we ship anywhere in the country thru the USPS.

Chili Pepper Madness: I’d like to offer discounts on my jalapeno pepper cookbooks, purchased directly through the printer. 25% Off. Here are the links with discount code: “Jalapeno Madness: Jalapeno Recipes Galore!” – https://www.createspace.com/3414951 “Jalapeno Poppers and Other Stuffed Chili Peppers” – https://www.createspace.com/3770631 Discount Code: D5BZWKJT

HoneyBlaze Wing Sauce: All 16oz bottles of Original & HOTTTT are now $6

Texas Creek Products: We are offering a buy 4 get one free with the products on our website. And we’ll throw in another something extra for you. Pure Evil Capsaicin Drops don’t qualify for the free item, sorry, but can be one of the purchased items. Just make a “note to seller” at checkout with your free item choice.

Fat Cat Foods: We’d like to offer a limited time offer: Order a five-sauce sampler pack and get a free T-shirt (S-XXXL)! Click the top item in our online store to order.

Madison Chocolatiers West: Buy any 3 and we will include a special treat free. No coupon or code needed. Valid from April 28, 2012 to May 19, 2012. Only valid on purchases from our Facebook store.

Intensity Academy Sauces: We are offering any 5 products for only $20! (excluding shipping) use coupon code: Any5bottles_online I highly suggest the Garlic Goodness, Chai Sweet Chili & Hot Cubed!

Coal Gulch Trading of Madrid New Mexico: Buy any 2 products get a free “Miner’s Habanero Mustard” with your order…grilling time is upon us, so take advantage of this offer and spice up that grill. Happy Food!!! Happy People!!!! = Peace

Hellfire Hot Sauce: Buy any two regular priced sauces and receive a free bottle of our seasoning & spice rub….your choice XXX HOT, HOT or MILD. Get the 3 pack of our three top selling gourmet sauces(Blueberry Hell, Pure Hell, & Devil’s Blend for $24.95 plus shipping. Also get 5 free bottles of hot sauce with the purchase of any large 2011 Collectible Devil Reserve Bottle! Offers will be good through Memorial Day!

Race City Sauce Works: For the entire month of May, use coupon code: SofiGold and get 25% off before shipping. Plus spend $25 or more (before shipping) and get a bottle of our Pestilence chocolate habanero Rub with dark chocolate and roasted coffee powder.

Volcanic Peppers: For the month of May buy any 2 or more LAVA BBQ sauces and receive a free LAVA Chocolate Lightning Hot Sauce. No code needed, this will be an automatic addition to your order.

Dragonfire Hot Sauce: Here it is, 20% off all products for the month of May, also free shipping on orders over $45.00. Coupon codes will be displayed on the main page of our website.

Carolina Sunshine BBQ: We had our April facebook special that went so well, here is what we will do ! Through May we will offer a free “Wing Sauce” with any sauce or rub order from Carolina Sunshine. Enter “I love me some free stuff” in the shipping instructions so I know where you came from!