Product Name: Knepper's Peppers Seventh Circle Hot Sauce
Style: Extreme Fruit Sauce
Manufacturer: Knepper's Peppers
Country of Origin: USA
Website: http://knepperspeppers.com/
Ingredients: Pineapple, Strawberry, Yellow 7 Pod Peppers, Parsnip, Lemon Juice, Water, Brown Sugar.
Label/Packaging: This has interesting artwork, but for me the colors are all wrong. I don't picture hell being a gray place. I think a darker background with some brighter lettering might make it more eye catching.
Appearance/Aroma: The appearance of this is interesting. While the sauce is kind of a dull yellowish-brown color, the consistency looks good. Upon opening the bottle the aroma is intense. The 7 Pod smell jumps right out of the bottle at you in a threatening way. You know you are in for something intense.
Well, this has my attention. Lets take our own trip to the Seventh Circle and see if this sauce can deliver the heat as promised...
Body of Review:
This is the latest and possibly the hottest product I have tried from Brian Knepper of Knepper's Peppers (I'll get to Johnny Scorpion in a later review). Brian, or Justaguy as he is known here at THP, has a knack for pairing peppers and fruit to make some wonderfully tasty creations. I have met the man in person and there is NO doubting the passion he puts into each of these sauces.
Upon reviewing the ingredients, this sounds like it is going to be delicious. I expect a sweet, smooth start with a building heat. That is exactly what you get for about ten seconds. The strawberries and pineapple meet you to start before the delicious, fruity yellow 7 pod makes its presence known. I am intrigued by the use of parsnip. I don't know if this is mainly used as a filler or if it lends a little to the flavor profile. I eat parsnips, but I usually expect to see them in a root veggie stew rather than a hot sauce. Interesting. I will have to think more about this.
As I mentioned before the aroma of this sauce is intense. So is the heat. It starts slow and steady kind of like a runaway train car that has come uncoupled at the yard. Slowly... slowly... slowly... building until before you know it, it is out of control and you don't know how to stop it. It is not unbearable, but it does not stop. This one burns right up front on the tip of my tongue. It is also a dripper. What I mean is you eat it and you will be dripping in sweat. I have been torn about how to use this sauce with food. Lets give a few things a try.
Heat Level: 9
Applications: I tried this sauce as a glaze on some pork loin chops and it is great for that, but probably too hot for most folks. I found that this one is delicious mixed with a bbq sauce or mayo. The flavor profile works with most proteins. I also love it with cheese.
Appearance Score: 4
Aroma Score: 4.5
Taste Score: 4.5
Mouthfeel Score: 4.5
Heat Accuracy Score: 5
Overall Score: 4.5
Notes: The only real flaws I see in this sauce (and this is nit picking) is that the label could be a little more catchy and the color of the sauce could be a little brighter. Other than that, it is a great sauce. Another win for Knepper's Peppers.
Style: Extreme Fruit Sauce
Manufacturer: Knepper's Peppers
Country of Origin: USA
Website: http://knepperspeppers.com/
Ingredients: Pineapple, Strawberry, Yellow 7 Pod Peppers, Parsnip, Lemon Juice, Water, Brown Sugar.
Label/Packaging: This has interesting artwork, but for me the colors are all wrong. I don't picture hell being a gray place. I think a darker background with some brighter lettering might make it more eye catching.
Appearance/Aroma: The appearance of this is interesting. While the sauce is kind of a dull yellowish-brown color, the consistency looks good. Upon opening the bottle the aroma is intense. The 7 Pod smell jumps right out of the bottle at you in a threatening way. You know you are in for something intense.
Well, this has my attention. Lets take our own trip to the Seventh Circle and see if this sauce can deliver the heat as promised...
Body of Review:
This is the latest and possibly the hottest product I have tried from Brian Knepper of Knepper's Peppers (I'll get to Johnny Scorpion in a later review). Brian, or Justaguy as he is known here at THP, has a knack for pairing peppers and fruit to make some wonderfully tasty creations. I have met the man in person and there is NO doubting the passion he puts into each of these sauces.
Upon reviewing the ingredients, this sounds like it is going to be delicious. I expect a sweet, smooth start with a building heat. That is exactly what you get for about ten seconds. The strawberries and pineapple meet you to start before the delicious, fruity yellow 7 pod makes its presence known. I am intrigued by the use of parsnip. I don't know if this is mainly used as a filler or if it lends a little to the flavor profile. I eat parsnips, but I usually expect to see them in a root veggie stew rather than a hot sauce. Interesting. I will have to think more about this.
As I mentioned before the aroma of this sauce is intense. So is the heat. It starts slow and steady kind of like a runaway train car that has come uncoupled at the yard. Slowly... slowly... slowly... building until before you know it, it is out of control and you don't know how to stop it. It is not unbearable, but it does not stop. This one burns right up front on the tip of my tongue. It is also a dripper. What I mean is you eat it and you will be dripping in sweat. I have been torn about how to use this sauce with food. Lets give a few things a try.
Heat Level: 9
Applications: I tried this sauce as a glaze on some pork loin chops and it is great for that, but probably too hot for most folks. I found that this one is delicious mixed with a bbq sauce or mayo. The flavor profile works with most proteins. I also love it with cheese.
Appearance Score: 4
Aroma Score: 4.5
Taste Score: 4.5
Mouthfeel Score: 4.5
Heat Accuracy Score: 5
Overall Score: 4.5
Notes: The only real flaws I see in this sauce (and this is nit picking) is that the label could be a little more catchy and the color of the sauce could be a little brighter. Other than that, it is a great sauce. Another win for Knepper's Peppers.
