Hot Sauce Guide Vol. 5: Sahara
Apple Bonnet
I was expecting the apple to sneak in as some sort of aftertaste, but upon the first trial, I was very surprised to find that it was immediate in its presence, even with smell. It was like an apple sauce that revealed itself to be a Scoville boobytrap. Waves of heat with this one, considerably shy of the Carolina Reaper sauce from the last guide, but beyond most I’ve had by quite a bit. I’ve seen apple used in hot sauces before and it did strike me as odd, but it is was a fun concept and I enjoyed it.
7/10
Buffalo
I’ve had the standard brand before, and I believe it’s generally centred around vinegar and cayenne pepper. I’m usually a fan of it, it would be a 6 or 6.5 out of 10 if I was judging it. This stuff was made from the ground up, fermented for months, made with recognisable ingredients as opposed to some periodic table on the back, and it tasted like it. The taste itself was considerably better. The tang, the moderate but palpable heat, and the base red pepper flavour were all there. However, what made this quite a bit better than store-bought was the fact that it tasted fresh, and you felt better before, during, and after consumption. I never would have noticed or mentioned in a review that I felt slightly weighed down if I had a lesser quality sauce. Enjoyed perhaps, but felt a bit cranky afterwards; like with junk food. The feeling after both of these sauces but more so this one was a light and positive one. A first for me.
8/10
