THE GREAT SCORCH OFF: ROUND TWO
Louisiana’s Pure Crystal Hot Sauce
Origin: New Orleans, Louisiana (no kidding!)
Buy it: http://www.crystalhotsauce.com/
Scorch
2
This hot sauce is halfway between mild and medium. If you expect something to catch your tongue you’re going to half to pour quite a bit on whatever it is you’re eating. There just is not much there but enough to warrant a 2.
Flavor
3
This sauce is very flavorful, as the scorch level is low and allows for the taste to be the most prominent aspect. It is (pun alert) crystal clear that this sauce comes from one of the world’s hot sauce capitals, Louisiana, where a very traditional buffalo style zest is a staple. Crystal is probably not the perfect fit for Spanish or Mexican foods, but is more appropriate for Cajun/Creole style foods.
Linger
3
Crystal is considered a rather basic and generic hot sauce. Just Add Hot Sauce sees things differently and would rather agree with the “pure” adjective slapped right on the label. Crystal may contain basic ingredients and have dozens of copycats out there, but it is an original sauce and unique to this contest as it serves as a condiment to an entirely different sect of cuisine. Absolutely deserving of a 3 rating here, as Crystal will be a pleasure to have again and again.
Extra info:
Crystal manufacturer Baumer Foods has been stocking shelves with the sauce since 1923. Last year the company was forced to move its facility outside of New Orleans city limits when they suffered serious damage at the hands of Hurricane Katrina. The disaster put Crystal production to a complete halt but Baumer promised to prevail and began producing their signature product their new facility just outside of the area within a few months.
Final Score:
8
Frank’s Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
Origin: Buffalo, NY
Buy it: Target Stores, pretty much anywhere
Scorch
2
For claiming to be, “the perfect blend of flavor & heat” this sauce might risk a false-advertising lawsuit. We’ll tackle flavor next, but in terms of the heat, this sauce packs weaker punch than the first jobber on Mike Tyson’s Punch Out. The hotness just doesn’t show its chest hairs. This sauce lands a 2, barely.
Flavor
5
Now perfect is starting to be a bit more acceptable as the taste redeems Frank’s concoction. This stuff is good. Damn good in fact. The sauce is a little thicker in consistency and uses a blend of cayenne peppers to achieve its distinct flavor. You may have heard of Frank’s or think it tastes eerily familiar, that’s because Frank’s is a product of Buffalo New York and was the main ingredient for the sauce lathered onto the first Buffalo wings ever created there over 80 years ago. Damn! That is perfection. We owe so much to Frank!
Linger
4
Every home, restaurant, and nursing home should have a bottle of Frank’s in the cabinet. Price alone means you could even keep a backup around; we’re talking .89 a bottle at major retailers such as Target. This sauce doesn’t have an obvious bite, but it is the very foundation for buffalo wing sauces throughout history and that distinction is rewarded with a 4. Also good in chili or baked bean recipes.
Extra info:
Origin: New Orleans, Louisiana (no kidding!)
Buy it: http://www.crystalhotsauce.com/
Scorch
2
This hot sauce is halfway between mild and medium. If you expect something to catch your tongue you’re going to half to pour quite a bit on whatever it is you’re eating. There just is not much there but enough to warrant a 2.
Flavor
3
This sauce is very flavorful, as the scorch level is low and allows for the taste to be the most prominent aspect. It is (pun alert) crystal clear that this sauce comes from one of the world’s hot sauce capitals, Louisiana, where a very traditional buffalo style zest is a staple. Crystal is probably not the perfect fit for Spanish or Mexican foods, but is more appropriate for Cajun/Creole style foods.
Linger
3
Crystal is considered a rather basic and generic hot sauce. Just Add Hot Sauce sees things differently and would rather agree with the “pure” adjective slapped right on the label. Crystal may contain basic ingredients and have dozens of copycats out there, but it is an original sauce and unique to this contest as it serves as a condiment to an entirely different sect of cuisine. Absolutely deserving of a 3 rating here, as Crystal will be a pleasure to have again and again.
Extra info:
Crystal manufacturer Baumer Foods has been stocking shelves with the sauce since 1923. Last year the company was forced to move its facility outside of New Orleans city limits when they suffered serious damage at the hands of Hurricane Katrina. The disaster put Crystal production to a complete halt but Baumer promised to prevail and began producing their signature product their new facility just outside of the area within a few months.
Final Score:
8
Frank’s Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
Origin: Buffalo, NY
Buy it: Target Stores, pretty much anywhere
Scorch
2
For claiming to be, “the perfect blend of flavor & heat” this sauce might risk a false-advertising lawsuit. We’ll tackle flavor next, but in terms of the heat, this sauce packs weaker punch than the first jobber on Mike Tyson’s Punch Out. The hotness just doesn’t show its chest hairs. This sauce lands a 2, barely.
Flavor
5
Now perfect is starting to be a bit more acceptable as the taste redeems Frank’s concoction. This stuff is good. Damn good in fact. The sauce is a little thicker in consistency and uses a blend of cayenne peppers to achieve its distinct flavor. You may have heard of Frank’s or think it tastes eerily familiar, that’s because Frank’s is a product of Buffalo New York and was the main ingredient for the sauce lathered onto the first Buffalo wings ever created there over 80 years ago. Damn! That is perfection. We owe so much to Frank!
Linger
4
Every home, restaurant, and nursing home should have a bottle of Frank’s in the cabinet. Price alone means you could even keep a backup around; we’re talking .89 a bottle at major retailers such as Target. This sauce doesn’t have an obvious bite, but it is the very foundation for buffalo wing sauces throughout history and that distinction is rewarded with a 4. Also good in chili or baked bean recipes.
Extra info:
The bottle comes with a convenient drip top for ease of control when applying to your favorite foods.
Final Score:
11
Final Score:
11
La Victoria Salsa Brava Hot Sauce
Origin: Chino, CA
Buy it: http://www.lavictoria.com/
Scorch Level
1
So Weak. This stuff should be banned from hot sauce manufacturing for using the term “hot”. In fact, this is ketchup. Somehow this stuff has been made since 1917. We’re going into business right now if it’s that easy.
Flavor
1
Yuck! Just about spit it out. The “salsa” part of the name explains the consistency, but it is just too thick to serve as a sauce. The funny part is that the bottle for La Victoria resembles a classic Heinz ketchup bottle and that is what it tastes the closest to. You could smash a few tomatoes in a bowl, add a half cup of water, and stir some spit into it and you’d be making La Victoria at home. La crap.
Linger
2
Huge scoring burst here because you won’t forget La Victoria. You won’t forget how terrible it is. Even though it is less than a $1.00 to buy, save that buck and use it to buy a pack of Rolos.
Extra info: Who cares.
Final score:
4
Dave’s Gourmet: Temporary Insanity Hot Sauce
Origin: San Francisco, CA
Buy it: http://www.davesgourmet.com/
Scorch Level
4
Literally hiccupped violently after swallowing this sauce; it hits quick. An on bottle graphic of a thermometer reads “insane” and speaks the truth. This isn’t “Ron’s ‘Nuckin Futs” novelty insane. It is a scorching yet strangely pleasurable kind of insane. Wow.
Flavor
2
There is pretty decent taste in this style of Dave’s, but too hot to use more than a few drops of. This sauce is probably more suitable in recipes, specifically barbeque. Drop it onto a shredded pork sandwich or some ribs and you’re set.
Linger
3
Temporary insanity hangs around on your palette. The spiciness nears euphoric proportions, a welcomed trait. It might not be something to regularly buy or go bragging to friends about, but it is something worth splurging on once in awhile. A good option for serious hot fans.
Extra info:
This sauce actually got its start on the campus of the University of Maryland in a small burrito joint. The company now produces dozens of products outside of the hot sauce genre and has received acclaim in both national press and world competitions.
Final Score:
9
ROUND TWO WINNER: FRANK'S RED HOT ORIGINAL CAYENNE PEPPER SAUCE
Final Score:
9
ROUND TWO WINNER: FRANK'S RED HOT ORIGINAL CAYENNE PEPPER SAUCE
After two rounds:
Cholula- 11
Frank's Red Hot- 11
1 comment:
I'm eating pizza with Frank's Red Hot Original cayenne sauce and it's wonderful indeed. Just a pinch of spice at 8:43 am melds wonderfully with the flavor of the pizza...muy bien! I enjoyed your hot sauce competitions, so much so that I looked this up when I bought the bottle yesterday.
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