JayT

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I guess El Yucateco has a contract with Walmart because that is where I finally found this.  I'll give a short "unofficial" review.

 

Packaging/label/appearance:  black and black they want to make a point!  The whole thing is black.  The appearance of the sauce is a pretty good consistency, it flows easily as I turn it over and over again.  This is the darkest non extract sauce I have seen.  

 

Aroma:  This stuff smells smoky as hell!  They must have roasted everything in this sauce.  I hope its not liquid smoke.  I can smell something sweet, that must be the habaneros.

 

Ingredients:  water, habanero peppers, salt, citric acid, acetic acid, xanthan gum, garlic, onion powder, sodium benzoate, and calcium disodium.  No mention of liquid smoke or surprisingly food coloring.

 

Taste:  The taste is a bit off-putting.  It is smokey, but in a char kind of way.  Like the skin of a piece of chicken that had a flare up on the grill.  It really leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.  I can taste the habs and the garlic-onion combo, but it is the char that I am greeted with immediately, and it is the lasting impression in my mouth.  It is a little salty as well.

 

Heat:  the heat is pretty minimal to start, it does build a bit as you keep eating it.  A spoonful left me with a warm feeling all over my mouth, but not much more.  A couple spoonfuls and I am nearing a bead of sweat.  Lips are warm, but still not really hot overall.

 

Applications:  I would probably not use this sauce by itself.  MAYBE with steak in a quesadilla or taco.  I think the best use for this sauce is probably to mix in with a marinade or bbq sauce to add smokiness to it.

 

Notes: I like the concept of the dark sauce/black label.  Normally, I like smoky sauces, but this one has a very bitter taste. I guess it can be used with food for some applications, but I would not use it as a direct condiment.  The heat is decent for El Yucateco.  If I were scoring this one, it would rate around a 3.3 out of 5

 

 

Watch for official THP reviews to return shortly after New Years!

 Something you had as a kid, something only made and served at that island resort you went to, that favorite company that went out of business, maybe something from before you were born.  If you could have that one magic bottle, which one would it be?

 

I actually can think of a couple.  For history's sake, I would like an original bottle of Tabasco.  I would like to try true Thai table sauce.  And from THP, I would LOVE to try Bentalphanerd's PAIN or PAIN 2.

 

What are yours?

Product Name: Fat Cat Purry-Purry Sauce

Style: South African



Manufacturer: Fat Cat Gourmet Foods

Country of Origin: USA

Website: http://fatcatfoods.com/

Ingredients: Onion, water, apple cider vinegar, canola oil, tomato paste, ginger, garlic, pequin peppers, sea salt, sugar, paprika, natural vegetable gums.



Label/Packaging: I have been drawn to the Fat Cat line for a while now. I actually sought this sauce out rather than the other way around. One of the reasons why was the catchy labels. They are very colorful, easy to read, and for whatever reason, drew me in.



Appearance/Aroma: The appearance is that of a thick curry looking sauce. Very vibrant yellow-orange color. The aroma is a mix of spices, carmelized onion, and the pequins. Very authentic, different smelling sauce.

Will this sauce make me purr or hiss and growl?

Body of Review:

A husband and wife team from FL has come up with this line award winning (THP Award Winner) gourmet hot sauces.  This is just one of many including a curry sauce, a papaya sauce, a scorpion sauce, and several others.  My first question when I heard of Fat Cat was, "how did they come up with the name?"  I am always curious about stuff like that.  Turns out it was Tiggy, their 20 lb cat sprawled on the floor one day while they were watching TV that inspired the name.  I saw a picture, and Tiggy IS one FAT CAT!
 
Upon tasting the sauce there is a slight smokiness to it from the onion, a richness from the tomato paste,  a bit of sour from the apple cider, and the great flavor of the piquins.  This is not your mama's hot sauce.  This is as gourmet as it gets.  What is piri piri sauce you ask?  Well it is originally Portuguese in origin, and was taken to South Africa.  Piri piri is the Swahili word for pepper pepper.  The original was a bird pepper.  The sauce made with it generally had crushed chiles, citrus peel, onion, lemon, garlic, salt, and spices.  This sauce has replaced that with their own version using a pequin that is somewhat similar in flavor and size.  I have had a couple of other piri piri sauces, such as Nandos and Acid Rain, and this is by far the best example of the sauce I have had.  I do wonder what the lemon would add to it, but it is certainly great as it is.  I am definitely left with the aftertaste of the onions and garlic.
 
The consistency of the sauce is both good and bad for the same reason.  It is thick.  Not so thick that it won't pour, but very thick.  This is good because there are lots and lots of bits and chunks in there of the peppers and vegetables.  It is bad because there are also bits of hard seeds.  I suppose the good outweighs the bad though as I keep eating spoonfuls of it.
 
The heat is what I would call very mild.  I guess there is some heat there, but it is the ginger level of heat.  No mouth burn whatsoever.  I guess for Joe Public, it might have a bit of warmth to it, but to a chilihead it could definitely use more heat.  That being said, it does not claim to be a hot sauce, but a gourmet sauce, and that it most certainly is.

Heat Level: 1.5

Applications: Fat Cat recommends using the sauce on grilled meats, as a spread on sandwiches, wings, even mixed with oil and vinegar as a salad dressing. I cannot argue with any of that, and would add that it would be good with meatballs as well.

Appearance Score: 5
Aroma Score: 4.5
Taste Score: 4.5
Mouthfeel Score: 4
Heat Accuracy Score: 3

Overall Score: 4.2

Notes: I am a sucker for a good gourmet sauce. I think this one is terrific. I wish it had a little more heat, and would love to see if a little lemon could balance out the dominance of the onion, but it is great as it is.