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Hot sauce review advice needed!

Aroma
Appearance/Color
Texture/Mouth-feel

So I guess everyone is in agreeance that these 3 should count to the score, and not just discussed, right? Do these matter to you? Flavor and heat are key do you care about the appearance? The aroma? The texture? (seedy, grainy, smooth, etc.)

Please let me know.
 
Those 3 for sure, and Taste, of course, and I like the expected heat level also.


I'll see if I can round up some more input for you. Hang on a day or 2~
SL


Edit- just did a notice to a few people about this thread to get some more input.
 
balance. There needs to be a heat to flavor balance score. as in, one shouldnt overpower the other. If you have a bunch of heat up front but then the flavor of the oranges kicks in and overpowers it. As in, "well, the label says it has a blend of spices, but they couldve left them out, because the brain strain totally covered up the cardamom."

Unless the point of the sauce is to so overpower you with heat that you cant tell what kind of meat you put it on two minutes ago, there should be a complimentary balance. I like my sauces really hot, but I dont use them just for heat. Balance is what I look for in everything I taste.
 
A balance score, nice. Too sweet, too tangy, etc. I'll think that one over. Any input on the already mentioned?
 
Aroma
Appearance/Color
Texture/Mouth-feel
Taste
Expected Heat

That is all that is needed in my opinion. I think though that extract sauces should have a heat handi-cap of at least 4. That will be reflected through the taste though. Maybe have two seperate taste scores.
 
If we are talking about reviews and expectations then I think that the type of heat should also be a consideration. I mean there are immediate heat types and those that sort of take a minute to hit you. Not really a point scale I guess but definately a consideration.

As far as packaging goes...I agree that packaging / Label could be included as a seperate score but still a score. I'll be the first to admit that I have tried sauces and salsas because the label "caught my eye".

Usage shouldn't be included in the score IMO. I think it's great to know the intended use of a sauce or salsa but in the end I'm certain that many of us (here especially) put certain sauces or salsas on many things others would question.
 
Novacastrian said:
Aroma
Appearance/Color
Texture/Mouth-feel
Taste
Expected Heat

That is all that is needed in my opinion. I think though that extract sauces should have a heat handi-cap of at least 4. That will be reflected through the taste though. Maybe have two seperate taste scores.
Click to expand...
Yeah I think we're good with these. I thought about balance but that's Taste. When you taste it you are thinking about the flavor, and balance of flavors, etc. That's why it's Taste, not Flavor. It encompasses more. As far as the balance of flavor to heat Celeste mentioned that's just going to have to be considered in Expected Heat and Taste combined. That will work. If it's so hot you can't taste anything, you can knock Taste down. If you expected more heat, knock EH down. Expected Heat works better than balance I feel, because some face melters will definitely be off-balanced but it is expected. ;)

Plus I like having 5 criteria. Good number.

Thanks guys and gals.

JayT is chomping at the bit to do some reviews so I know he's hoping this is decided. ;)
 
salsalady said:
Here's an idea to consider. :idea:  

How about you have 4-5 reviewers all review the same product to kick things off, just to see how each person interprets the rating system and see if anything needs tweeking or clarifying.  

I'll :gulp: volunteer the Ghost Fire.    :halo:
Click to expand...

I too am with SL on multiple reviews.
 
I am more for giving marks for contents than container or lable.

One catagory may be discussed is "OVER ALL VISUAL APPEAL" and it can be "Good"  or  so So"  and the sauce either gets 1 mark or none at all for Visual Appeal"

NJA
 
I agree with Celeste. When I eat ANY food, I like to be able to taste as many ingredients as I can. There is a dish at a local mexican restaurant that I buy every single time I walk in there. I have lived here long enough, and gone there enough times, to have tasted just about everything on the menu. The dish is called "Tacos de Asada." They give you CORN tortillas, a tomatilla sauce, rice and beans, and a cilantro/onion mix. When I make each one, I can taste all of the ingredients separately. Sorry to get a little lengthy on ya'll there, but the overall taste is EVERYTHING. If nothing else, that maybe needs to be the highest priority on that list. Maybe even have a bit different scoring system. Like the others can give you a max of 5 points, but TASTE can give you a max of 10 points.
Obviously if we are into HOT peppers, then most of us want heat. Personaly, for me to empty a bottle, I have to like ALL aspects of the sauce. There are a LOT of variables here. I mean, some may have water based sauces, some vinegar based, etc. (Maybe a "sub" group for taste-testing?) I am for sure in aggreance that we cant really rate on the "uses" of a sauce. Kinda like the ketchup-on-eggs debate. Personally, I HATE ketchup on scrambled egss. But my wife LOVES it. So some people are gonna put sauces on some weird crap.

Just my $.02.

p.s.If you need another US taste tester, I'd be down.
 
and a last call is to make it a 10 point scale instead of the 5 point scale. The 5 point scale just does not lend itself to all the nuances a sauce can offer and there are references to a 3.5 score...which would be a straight 7 on the other scale...

In my humble opinion, a 5 point scale does not give enough latitude for the reviewer to express what they are tasting/reviewing.
 
It can be 10, 50, twatever, ya know?
I was kinda thinking, as an example, doing the "living up to the expectations," like one of those surveys that you have 5 circles to check, fill in, etc. REALLY like, like, neutral, dislike, REALLY dislike. But, on the other hand, taste being on a 10-scale, a 1 SUCKS, and a 10 is WOW that was AWESOME!

Just my $.02
 
Hi Boss,

I’ve been really busy and haven’t logged in for a week or so, but I was asked to provide some thoughts, so hope it’s not too late.

In addition to what you’ve already got, here are a few other things you might want to consider:

Packaging - It certainly relates to marketability, but it’s more than just the label. It’s the overall package (bottle/seal/box/etc). Does it LOOK good? Most folks may not care, but my guess is it’s very important to collectors.

Expectation – Based on the name, ingredients and looks, how did the product actually compare. If a sauce is named ‘Fruiti Fatalii Fire’ and its ingredients are Fatalii, mango and pineapple, I expect it to be hot with a nice fruity taste, not green, sour and taste like grass.

Ingredients – Does the flavor(s) of the different ingredients actually come out in the product. One of the first things I look at is the list of ingredients, trying to get an idea as to taste. If the main ingredients in a sauce are fatalii and mango, it should not taste like tomatoes and vinegar.

Intensity/Duration– How intense is the flavor and how long does it last.

Consistency – You asked ‘What do you want to know when you read a review’? When it comes to hot sauce, I want to know about consistency. I think there can be definable scale for thickness, although it doesn’t indicate “good” or “bad”. I still think it’s worth noting during the review however. i.e. Juice(thin) 0 -3, Sauce 4 - 7, Spread(thick) 8-10

What I’d like to be able to do is “search” the reviews for certain criteria. I might want a nice looking sauce to give as a gift, or a thick sauce to use as a finishing sauce on a pork loin on the grill.

Just a few WATs. :)
 
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