Product Name: Wicked Cactus Sauce Aliento del Diablo
Style: Ghost pepper sauce
Manufacturer: Wicked Cactus Sauce
Country of Origin: USA
Website: http://wickedcactussauce.com
Ingredients: Apple Cider Vinegar. Water, Habanero, Ghost Pepper Powder, Serrano, Fresno, Lemon Juice, Carrot, Salt, and Sugar.
Label/Packaging: The label is very vibrant and colorful, the name stands out, and the logo is cool. It is a cactus that looks like it was drawn in crayon.
Appearance/Aroma: This sauce looks scary. It kind of laces like a beer when you turn it upside down. The thicker bits of pepper menacingly hanging on as they drift down to the depths of hell inside the bottle. I do see seeds, which worries me a bit about the consistency. I hope they aren't hard. Oh boy, does this smell hot. It has that pungency of ghost peppers that is unmistakable, surprisingly since it only has ghost powder and not fresh pods. That is all I can smell.
This spring at Peppers at the Beach, I watched Mike from Wicked Cactus eat Pure Evil drops straight on his tongue on camera. If a guy that crazy has a sauce called Diablo (devil) should I be scared of it? We're gonna find out...
Body of Review:
I filled about half of a teaspoon and tried this sauce. The flavor is definitely habaneros and ghost peppers. I do not taste the other ingredients. It has a very earthy flavor. Kind of smoky. The peppers do not say that they are roasted, but I would almost guess that they are. The vinegar is almost not noticeable, it is simply a vehicle to get all that heat to your throat! I was hoping to get more of a taste of the serranos and fresnos, but no such luck. If you like ghost pepper powder this is the sauce for you. It does not taste of fresh peppers even though the habaneros are fresh. I can tell this because the bits that you get in the sauce are habs, I could really taste it when I got a bigger bit, but the overall taste is of ghost powder. The heat hits you faster than expected. I mean WHAM! HELLO! Almost faster than you can discern the flavors it starts hammering the tip of your tongue, like a chain gang pounding in railroad spikes back at the turn of the 20th century. Then it's on to the throat. The main heat wave doesn't last too long, but there is a dull burn that hangs on and on and on. Those seeds I was worried about were not noticeable after all. Now how the heck am I going to use this on food?
Heat Level: 9.5
Applications: I do not recommend eating this sauce straight unless you are a serious chilehead that likes extreme heat. Instead, I would say use it to heat up sauces, soups, or anything else that needs an extra punch. I mixed some in my queso and that was good. I also liked it mixed with marinara for cheesesteaks or pasta, and in a wing sauce.
Appearance Score: 4.5
Aroma Score: 4
Taste Score: 4
Mouthfeel Score: 4
Heat Accuracy Score: 5
Overall Score: 4.3
Notes: This sauce is good for what it is, an extreme sauce, and the hottest in their line. It has limited applications, and I think the taste could be better if they used fresh ghost peppers rather than powder, but overall it is a good sauce.
Style: Ghost pepper sauce
Manufacturer: Wicked Cactus Sauce
Country of Origin: USA
Website: http://wickedcactussauce.com
Ingredients: Apple Cider Vinegar. Water, Habanero, Ghost Pepper Powder, Serrano, Fresno, Lemon Juice, Carrot, Salt, and Sugar.
Label/Packaging: The label is very vibrant and colorful, the name stands out, and the logo is cool. It is a cactus that looks like it was drawn in crayon.
Appearance/Aroma: This sauce looks scary. It kind of laces like a beer when you turn it upside down. The thicker bits of pepper menacingly hanging on as they drift down to the depths of hell inside the bottle. I do see seeds, which worries me a bit about the consistency. I hope they aren't hard. Oh boy, does this smell hot. It has that pungency of ghost peppers that is unmistakable, surprisingly since it only has ghost powder and not fresh pods. That is all I can smell.
This spring at Peppers at the Beach, I watched Mike from Wicked Cactus eat Pure Evil drops straight on his tongue on camera. If a guy that crazy has a sauce called Diablo (devil) should I be scared of it? We're gonna find out...
Body of Review:
I filled about half of a teaspoon and tried this sauce. The flavor is definitely habaneros and ghost peppers. I do not taste the other ingredients. It has a very earthy flavor. Kind of smoky. The peppers do not say that they are roasted, but I would almost guess that they are. The vinegar is almost not noticeable, it is simply a vehicle to get all that heat to your throat! I was hoping to get more of a taste of the serranos and fresnos, but no such luck. If you like ghost pepper powder this is the sauce for you. It does not taste of fresh peppers even though the habaneros are fresh. I can tell this because the bits that you get in the sauce are habs, I could really taste it when I got a bigger bit, but the overall taste is of ghost powder. The heat hits you faster than expected. I mean WHAM! HELLO! Almost faster than you can discern the flavors it starts hammering the tip of your tongue, like a chain gang pounding in railroad spikes back at the turn of the 20th century. Then it's on to the throat. The main heat wave doesn't last too long, but there is a dull burn that hangs on and on and on. Those seeds I was worried about were not noticeable after all. Now how the heck am I going to use this on food?
Heat Level: 9.5
Applications: I do not recommend eating this sauce straight unless you are a serious chilehead that likes extreme heat. Instead, I would say use it to heat up sauces, soups, or anything else that needs an extra punch. I mixed some in my queso and that was good. I also liked it mixed with marinara for cheesesteaks or pasta, and in a wing sauce.
Appearance Score: 4.5
Aroma Score: 4
Taste Score: 4
Mouthfeel Score: 4
Heat Accuracy Score: 5
Overall Score: 4.3
Notes: This sauce is good for what it is, an extreme sauce, and the hottest in their line. It has limited applications, and I think the taste could be better if they used fresh ghost peppers rather than powder, but overall it is a good sauce.
