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review ChimouliS Pineapple Ghost Chilli

This week I bring you another of ChimouliS' sample sauces, the first and mildest of their superhot ones. Here's the review, coppied over from my blog:
 
Hello again spice lovers, this week we're going to look at another of my sample sauces from ChimouliS but this one's a little different.
Instead of being hot like their Scotch Bonnet sauce or fruity like their Pear one, today's offering is both. It's their Pineapple Ghost Chilli sauce.
 
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Packaging-wise, the company prove themselves as consistent as ever, with the same faded map background, the same font style and layout and even the same bold red word “Hot” to warn people.
 
The blurb at the bottom has changed from usage notes to the slogan “Savour the flavour, Hello to the Heat!” and the shadow on the name has changed to yellow but, apart from that, this label looks just like the one on their Salty Hot Scotch Bonnet sauce. These two changes do tell us a lot though.
 
From the shadow colour we can see that the pineapple is, in fact, intended as an integral part of the experience, while the new slogan makes it clear that yes, this is a powerful chilli product but that that's also not its purpose. It's about the flavour, not the heat, and so is intended for people who can still taste it despite the ghost pepper fire.
 
To that end, I have to question the logic of marketing these little bottles as “wedding favours” unless this sauce is secretly as mild as the last ghost one I was sent for review. I have never met a large group of people who would all be able to appreciate something as hot as your average ghost sauce and would be surprised if everyone at a wedding would even know to be careful with one.
 
What I can see this particular size of this sauce being used as is a taster for those who don't want to commit to the large bottle right away, a more exciting than average travel sauce or, since it's coming up to that time of year, a wonderful chilli stocking filler.
 
That's enough on the logic behind the packaging, though. It's time we moved on to what's inside.
 
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The first spoonful is a little pulpy and hard to get out but, fortunately, that issue eases up as you work your way down.
Even after you get going, though, this sauce is still pretty thick. More so than either of the other two we've seen.
 
We can also make out a lot of little flecks and fibres mixed into it. The flecks are spices; cinnamon, ginger and turmeric; while those other bits you see are an assortment of vegetables like garlic, onion and carrot.
 
A lot of different ingredients go into this sauce besides the ghost pepper and pineapple and you can tell from the taste. The complexity of this sauce and assortment of spices used give it an almost curried flavour that I never would have expected from something that's 48% pineapple.
 
What I expected was something sweet and fruity, with some vague similarity to thai sweet chilli. What I got instead, however, has a definite sweetness to it but tastes more like a savoury sauce. The pineapple is there but it's balanced out by distilled malt vinegar, salt, lime juice and even the chillies themselves.
 
And, while the pineapple may be the main ingredient, the others are strong enough that it's not the main flavour. The taste of pineapple merely forms the base on which this rather unique sauce is built.
It's not what I thought it would be but, with the cinnamon, turmeric and garlic coming through quite strongly, I think that's for the best. I find it a lot more usable this way than it would be were it sweeter.
 
Exactly how usable this product is, though, will definitely depend largely on you, what with this being a good strong ghost pepper product. It's fairly mild in the mouth but don't be fooled, once you swallow it becomes an intense upper back of the throat fire I can only call a
[SIZE=300%]5/10[/SIZE]​
[SIZE=300%]Heat[/SIZE]​
 
[SIZE=medium]It's not the most ridiculous burn ever but it's still a lot more than most people are used to, ranking up alongside the first ingredient ghost offerings of other companies, despite focusing more on its unusual flavour.[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium]And again, five out of ten might not sound all that but, if you remember, most restaurants don't go above a three and a half. The only reason it's not higher is because the hottest natural sauces around these days are completely insane and the upper limits of my scale must be saved for them.[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium]I'm really quite happy with this sauce but your average person wouldn't be. This is a sauce for a serious heat lover, not just anyone so, as mentioned above, I wouldn't give it away to people who aren't familiar with the ghost pepper.[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium]For those who are, however, this will go great with toasted cheese sandwiches and similar cooked cheese dishes, liven up curries beautifully, add a certain special something to hot dogs, make an excellent marinade for chicken or even just get dropped onto something like a bolognese after serving. It's an brilliant sauce for those who can handle it.[/SIZE]
 
Just a little addendum: I had the last of this with a jamaican style spiced pasty the other day and man did those flavours mix amazingly. Best use for it I've found!
 
Do feel free to share if you ever have a cool use for anything I review, though.
 
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