Product Name: High River Sauces Rogue
Style: Caribbean Fruit Sauce
Manufacturer: High River Sauces
Country of Origin: USA
Website: http://highriversauces.com
Ingredients: Apple Cider Vinegar, Blood Orange Concentrate, Pears, Apple Sauce, Scorpion Peppers, Brown Sugar, Jolokia Peppers, Red Serrano Peppers, Lime Juice, Ginger, Garlic
Label/Packaging: The label is very catchy. Different color scheme, the name definitely stands out. For me, the company name should be a little larger, but that is nitpicking. I like the scorpion tail in the name of the sauce, and the scorpion pepper in the background.
Appearance/Aroma: The appearance is a nice deep red color with lots of chunks of fruit, both pepper and otherwise, some skins, and a few seeds. Seems a little thin, but it coats the side of the bottle after turning it upside down. The aroma is a little tough to pinpoint. I do get the apple cider vinegar, but it is not powerful. The scorpion is present, but the fruit is kind of all lumped together, nothing jumps out on its own. It has a pleasant smell, but doesn't really give away what the taste will be. I really do not get a sweet smell at all, which surprises me based on the ingredients.
This sauce claims to be a blend of the hottest peppers on the planet with unique flavor combinations. Will Rogue stand out or just be another member of the pack?
Body of Review:
I have reviewed High River Sauces several times before, and have really enjoyed all of them. This one is very different from the previous sauces. Seems to be headed for a little more of a gourmet angle. I can't say that I have ever had blood orange in a sauce before, but I have made drinks with them. They tend to be sweeter than the average orange. This along with the pears, apple sauce, and brown sugar have me expecting a really sweet sauce. Believe it or not, it really is not nearly as sweet as I expected. I mean, you have bit of sweetness from the apple sauce and pear, but it is immediately balanced by the acidity of the lime and blood orange and tartness of the vinegar. The flavor of the combination of peppers, the smooth serranos, the stinging scorpions, and the slow burning jolokias work very well together. This is an extremely well balanced sauce. The aftertaste leaves you with a slightly sour citrusy pepper taste. The scorpions and the blood orange really star.
The heat is interesting. As I mentioned above, the serrano has a smooth, kind of upfront hit that is very mild and is followed by the stinging in the lips and tongue of the scorpion. Then, finally, the sweat under your eyes and the back of your head kind of slow burn from the jolokias. Another good balance. I poured a spoonful and had about three tastes of it to get the flavors, then I finished it and by then the heat was pretty strong. It is not a ripper by any means, so you can enjoy the flavor for quite a while before the heat catches up to you. Now, what in the world to do with this sauce?
Heat Level: 8
Applications: I used it kind of like a BBQ sauce for kielbasa. I think it would be good on chicken, pork, fish, shrimp, or to kick up some sauces or relishes. It is great on its own, though it will get to you if you eat enough.
Appearance Score: 4.5
Aroma Score: 4.5
Taste Score: 5
Mouthfeel Score: 4.5
Heat Accuracy Score: 4.5
Overall Score: 4.6
Notes: Rogue is a little different from what I was expecting. It's not as sweet as many fruit sauces. It is well balanced, both with the flavor combinations and the different ways the heat hits you. I guess it does stand out after all. Well done Steve.
Style: Caribbean Fruit Sauce
Manufacturer: High River Sauces
Country of Origin: USA
Website: http://highriversauces.com
Ingredients: Apple Cider Vinegar, Blood Orange Concentrate, Pears, Apple Sauce, Scorpion Peppers, Brown Sugar, Jolokia Peppers, Red Serrano Peppers, Lime Juice, Ginger, Garlic
Label/Packaging: The label is very catchy. Different color scheme, the name definitely stands out. For me, the company name should be a little larger, but that is nitpicking. I like the scorpion tail in the name of the sauce, and the scorpion pepper in the background.
Appearance/Aroma: The appearance is a nice deep red color with lots of chunks of fruit, both pepper and otherwise, some skins, and a few seeds. Seems a little thin, but it coats the side of the bottle after turning it upside down. The aroma is a little tough to pinpoint. I do get the apple cider vinegar, but it is not powerful. The scorpion is present, but the fruit is kind of all lumped together, nothing jumps out on its own. It has a pleasant smell, but doesn't really give away what the taste will be. I really do not get a sweet smell at all, which surprises me based on the ingredients.
This sauce claims to be a blend of the hottest peppers on the planet with unique flavor combinations. Will Rogue stand out or just be another member of the pack?
Body of Review:
I have reviewed High River Sauces several times before, and have really enjoyed all of them. This one is very different from the previous sauces. Seems to be headed for a little more of a gourmet angle. I can't say that I have ever had blood orange in a sauce before, but I have made drinks with them. They tend to be sweeter than the average orange. This along with the pears, apple sauce, and brown sugar have me expecting a really sweet sauce. Believe it or not, it really is not nearly as sweet as I expected. I mean, you have bit of sweetness from the apple sauce and pear, but it is immediately balanced by the acidity of the lime and blood orange and tartness of the vinegar. The flavor of the combination of peppers, the smooth serranos, the stinging scorpions, and the slow burning jolokias work very well together. This is an extremely well balanced sauce. The aftertaste leaves you with a slightly sour citrusy pepper taste. The scorpions and the blood orange really star.
The heat is interesting. As I mentioned above, the serrano has a smooth, kind of upfront hit that is very mild and is followed by the stinging in the lips and tongue of the scorpion. Then, finally, the sweat under your eyes and the back of your head kind of slow burn from the jolokias. Another good balance. I poured a spoonful and had about three tastes of it to get the flavors, then I finished it and by then the heat was pretty strong. It is not a ripper by any means, so you can enjoy the flavor for quite a while before the heat catches up to you. Now, what in the world to do with this sauce?
Heat Level: 8
Applications: I used it kind of like a BBQ sauce for kielbasa. I think it would be good on chicken, pork, fish, shrimp, or to kick up some sauces or relishes. It is great on its own, though it will get to you if you eat enough.
Appearance Score: 4.5
Aroma Score: 4.5
Taste Score: 5
Mouthfeel Score: 4.5
Heat Accuracy Score: 4.5
Overall Score: 4.6
Notes: Rogue is a little different from what I was expecting. It's not as sweet as many fruit sauces. It is well balanced, both with the flavor combinations and the different ways the heat hits you. I guess it does stand out after all. Well done Steve.
