**Unofficial Review**
"Z - nothing beyond" from CaJohns Fiery Foods.
Ingredients -
Vinegar, Habanero Peppers, Pepper Extract, Tomatoes, Mustard, Papaya, Guava, Pineapple, Banana, Water, Sugar, Passion Fruit Juice, Guava Juice.
Labeling / packaging -
The label design is excellent. A large letter 'Z' adorns the front of the bottle, printed in gold against a red background, with red veins running through the gold. The words 'nothing beyond' sit in the middle of the design, printed quite small and in a plain font without embellishment; clearly the intent being understatement. At the base of the label the words 'Extremely Hot Sauce', included so that no one is left in any doubt as to the bottle contents.
On the right side panel sits a bright yellow box with a cautionary statement - "Contains 4 Million SHU". It goes on to suggest the sauce should be used as a food supplement only, one drop at a time.
On the left panel, "It won't kill you but you'll wish it had".
Ok so I'm terrified, you've done your job Mr. or Mrs. packaging designer, I'm suitably impressed and equally concerned for my well being. Now lets see if this sauce can live up to the hype on the label.
Color -
Z has a nice deepish red color, accentuated by the red and gold in the label. The fruit/pepper oils tend to separate after only a short period of standing without use, evident by the dark layer of oil atop the liquid and the oily veins within the body of the sauce. It looks just a little like something has curdled, but it all clears quickly with a good shake. (There's a little residual oiliness on the lips too, after tasting).
Aroma -
In reaction to the labeling hype I remove the top and retreat 10 paces before taking my first whiff, only to find that my caution was uneccessary. You can get your nose up to the top of the bottle without concern and take in a deep sample of the aromatic delights without tearing up or having any other negative reaction. It smells great, but what about the 4 million SHU's? Why am I not wheezing? I replace the cap and shake it furiously for a minute then start over, with no change to the outcome.
The initial aroma from Z sauce is tomatoes. Search deeper into the mix and you'll find the aromas of the different fruits and the vinegar, the latter being surprisingly less prominent given its position at the top of the ingredients list.
But I can't really find the Habanero scent on the nose. Sure, the blend of the Papaya/Guava/Pineapple/Banana comes through with a nice fruitiness, but where are the peppers, where are the heat clues?
Consistency -
Z has a medium thick consistency with a fine puree. I don't see anything but the slightest evidence of pulp in the mix - it's a sauce and not a relish, I'm quite happy with that. There's a good cling to the inside of the bottle but the sauce releases itself through the unrestricted opening with relative ease. No complaints whatsoever about the consistency of Z.
Taste and Heat -
I'm feeling a little indignant at this point. All of the label hype hasn't really been supported by the simple nose test, so perhaps the usual teaspoon taken neat is in order?
After I come to my senses I pull out the trusted pack of large plastic cocktail spears and set to work.
With just a good coating over half the body of the spear I take my first taste of a 4 million SHU extract based sauce.
I should say at this stage that I'm not a fan of extracts. Granted, I haven't had the opportunity to try anything from Defcon, and they boast a certain purity of process when it comes to creating their extracts, which is said not to impact negatively on flavor and on the senses. That may be the case, but every other extract based sauce I've tried has left me cold....err, hot. I don't care for anything I've tried from Dave's, their 'Ultimate Insanity' being at the top of my 'avoid like the plague' list, and the dozen or so other extracts I've tried in recent memory haven't really floated my boat either. With that disclaimer out of the way, I can safely say that 'Z-nothing beyond' is different. Sure it burns, but it doesn't have that acrid, chemical taste that becomes so prominent on the palate with the other extracts I've tried. The word 'extract' implies something artificial, and I don't sense anything artificial in this sauce. And, it's actually packed with flavor, a good depth of flavor.
Huh...what what was that? Oh hell yes it's hot!
After I let the burn develop and subside a little, around 10 minutes or so, I try a large dollop of Z on a piece of mild cheddar. Oddly enough I automatically reach for cheese whenever I'm tasting fruit based sauces, there's something about the synergy of fruit and cheese that sets me on autopilot dashing to the fridge.
The second round of tasting produces greater heat and a sudden feeling of regret - why the hell did I just do that? - as the sweat forms under my eyes and my throat contracts, forcing a chain of sputtering coughs.
Now I know that it's the pain and suffering and the subsequent endorphin rush which excites many chileheads, but when you can add great flavor to the list of desirables it becomes a more complete package. With Z, the depth of flavor is unusual for one of the hotter sauces, particularly extract based, where you often get heat and nothing but the heat. The ingredients suggest a flavor profile with a strong vinegar base and high sweetness from the sugar content of the various fruits and fruit juices. But it isn't vinegary at all, and it isn't sweet. Its most prominent flavor is from the tomatoes, then the fruit, and lastly the vinegar, but as with the nose test, I'm not really picking up on the Habaneros.
Yes Z is is hot. I probably couldn't handle a teaspoon of it neat without crying like baby and I certainly don't feel the need to prove anything by trying to. Z just gets itself into all the little oral nooks and crannies that you didn't know you had, then pokes around in there with a sharp stick. With some sauces there's a delayed feedback at play, with Z, the feedback is instant, the pain follows the path the sauce takes through your mouth, throat, esophagus, and screams at you in real-time each step of the way....it's bloody hot!
Thinking that this has the potential to be a morning-after nightmare, a toilet roll is placed inside a zip-lock bag then into the fridge, in preparation. (Burn baby burn....when you gonna learn?).
It should be noted that the fade-out from Z is amazing - after the pain had subsided to sensible levels it left me with a big stupid grin on my face (a bigger one than usual), a little light-headedness and an unfathomable longing for more of the same!
So what about the label and do the contents live up to the hype?
Actually no, I don't think so. While 'Z-nothing beyond' may contain an extract rated at 4 million SHU, the important factor is what percentage of the volume of the sauce is actually extract? In other words, it's going to get diluted down to a lower heat level as an aggregate of the non heat bearing ingredients. I shouldn't be surprised if the heat is somewhere around the 500,000 SHU level, perhaps even less, which should in reality be hot enough for anyone. But I think the label is misleading, when you state that there's "nothing beyond", you'd better be prepared to explain yourself when you're pitching it in with many competing sauces which measure much hotter.
So I think CaJohn Fiery Foods have taken a slight misstep in the way they've pitched/marketed their sauce, but it's the only bit of negativity I can come up with.
Conclusion -
I'm not a reviewer or any kind of authority on hot sauce, I'm just an average Joe consumer who likes to share an experience with other like minded consumers. So I forgive the labeling gaffe and I'll enjoy this sauce for what it does best - provide great flavor with intense heat.
It's a versatile sauce too, it has a bold richness and fruitiness which blends well with the light acidity of the vinegar and the heat from the capsaicin. The vinegar base does not overwhelm the sauce at all, in fact it's surprisingly neutral, so it should sit well with a wide variety of foods.
This might be the ultimate sauce to spice up any Mexican food, its flavor profile seems like a perfect fit for anything south of the border. To prove or disprove the theory, I made a quick and easy enchilada sauce over the weekend by placing fresh tomatoes, a red bell pepper, Guajillo chiles, garlic, onion and cilantro in the blender, then cooking it for 10 minutes with a teaspoon of Z in the mix. When you make something simple and pure like this from the freshest ingredients, any 'alien presence' that might manifest in the shape of a chemical extract is going to be instantly noticeable as it upsets the balance and purity of flavor. But the result was excellent, as it was with the freshly prepared Z-salsa and Z-chicken enchiladas.
This is definitely a keeper sauce for me, one of maybe three or four super-hots that need to be retained in the fridge for regular duty.
Whatever alchemy is at work in Z, the wizards at CaJohns have come up with a perfect coupling of the potency and heat from capsaicin, and the earthy base flavors of tomatoes and fruit - the essence of a good hot sauce. And they've accomplished it without the harshness of excess vinegar or the sourness of limes. It tastes really, really good, though I never did find the Habaneros.
Recommended.
"Z - nothing beyond" from CaJohns Fiery Foods.
Ingredients -
Vinegar, Habanero Peppers, Pepper Extract, Tomatoes, Mustard, Papaya, Guava, Pineapple, Banana, Water, Sugar, Passion Fruit Juice, Guava Juice.
Labeling / packaging -
The label design is excellent. A large letter 'Z' adorns the front of the bottle, printed in gold against a red background, with red veins running through the gold. The words 'nothing beyond' sit in the middle of the design, printed quite small and in a plain font without embellishment; clearly the intent being understatement. At the base of the label the words 'Extremely Hot Sauce', included so that no one is left in any doubt as to the bottle contents.
On the right side panel sits a bright yellow box with a cautionary statement - "Contains 4 Million SHU". It goes on to suggest the sauce should be used as a food supplement only, one drop at a time.
On the left panel, "It won't kill you but you'll wish it had".
Ok so I'm terrified, you've done your job Mr. or Mrs. packaging designer, I'm suitably impressed and equally concerned for my well being. Now lets see if this sauce can live up to the hype on the label.
Color -
Z has a nice deepish red color, accentuated by the red and gold in the label. The fruit/pepper oils tend to separate after only a short period of standing without use, evident by the dark layer of oil atop the liquid and the oily veins within the body of the sauce. It looks just a little like something has curdled, but it all clears quickly with a good shake. (There's a little residual oiliness on the lips too, after tasting).
Aroma -
In reaction to the labeling hype I remove the top and retreat 10 paces before taking my first whiff, only to find that my caution was uneccessary. You can get your nose up to the top of the bottle without concern and take in a deep sample of the aromatic delights without tearing up or having any other negative reaction. It smells great, but what about the 4 million SHU's? Why am I not wheezing? I replace the cap and shake it furiously for a minute then start over, with no change to the outcome.
The initial aroma from Z sauce is tomatoes. Search deeper into the mix and you'll find the aromas of the different fruits and the vinegar, the latter being surprisingly less prominent given its position at the top of the ingredients list.
But I can't really find the Habanero scent on the nose. Sure, the blend of the Papaya/Guava/Pineapple/Banana comes through with a nice fruitiness, but where are the peppers, where are the heat clues?
Consistency -
Z has a medium thick consistency with a fine puree. I don't see anything but the slightest evidence of pulp in the mix - it's a sauce and not a relish, I'm quite happy with that. There's a good cling to the inside of the bottle but the sauce releases itself through the unrestricted opening with relative ease. No complaints whatsoever about the consistency of Z.
Taste and Heat -
I'm feeling a little indignant at this point. All of the label hype hasn't really been supported by the simple nose test, so perhaps the usual teaspoon taken neat is in order?
After I come to my senses I pull out the trusted pack of large plastic cocktail spears and set to work.
With just a good coating over half the body of the spear I take my first taste of a 4 million SHU extract based sauce.
I should say at this stage that I'm not a fan of extracts. Granted, I haven't had the opportunity to try anything from Defcon, and they boast a certain purity of process when it comes to creating their extracts, which is said not to impact negatively on flavor and on the senses. That may be the case, but every other extract based sauce I've tried has left me cold....err, hot. I don't care for anything I've tried from Dave's, their 'Ultimate Insanity' being at the top of my 'avoid like the plague' list, and the dozen or so other extracts I've tried in recent memory haven't really floated my boat either. With that disclaimer out of the way, I can safely say that 'Z-nothing beyond' is different. Sure it burns, but it doesn't have that acrid, chemical taste that becomes so prominent on the palate with the other extracts I've tried. The word 'extract' implies something artificial, and I don't sense anything artificial in this sauce. And, it's actually packed with flavor, a good depth of flavor.
Huh...what what was that? Oh hell yes it's hot!
After I let the burn develop and subside a little, around 10 minutes or so, I try a large dollop of Z on a piece of mild cheddar. Oddly enough I automatically reach for cheese whenever I'm tasting fruit based sauces, there's something about the synergy of fruit and cheese that sets me on autopilot dashing to the fridge.
The second round of tasting produces greater heat and a sudden feeling of regret - why the hell did I just do that? - as the sweat forms under my eyes and my throat contracts, forcing a chain of sputtering coughs.
Now I know that it's the pain and suffering and the subsequent endorphin rush which excites many chileheads, but when you can add great flavor to the list of desirables it becomes a more complete package. With Z, the depth of flavor is unusual for one of the hotter sauces, particularly extract based, where you often get heat and nothing but the heat. The ingredients suggest a flavor profile with a strong vinegar base and high sweetness from the sugar content of the various fruits and fruit juices. But it isn't vinegary at all, and it isn't sweet. Its most prominent flavor is from the tomatoes, then the fruit, and lastly the vinegar, but as with the nose test, I'm not really picking up on the Habaneros.
Yes Z is is hot. I probably couldn't handle a teaspoon of it neat without crying like baby and I certainly don't feel the need to prove anything by trying to. Z just gets itself into all the little oral nooks and crannies that you didn't know you had, then pokes around in there with a sharp stick. With some sauces there's a delayed feedback at play, with Z, the feedback is instant, the pain follows the path the sauce takes through your mouth, throat, esophagus, and screams at you in real-time each step of the way....it's bloody hot!
Thinking that this has the potential to be a morning-after nightmare, a toilet roll is placed inside a zip-lock bag then into the fridge, in preparation. (Burn baby burn....when you gonna learn?).
It should be noted that the fade-out from Z is amazing - after the pain had subsided to sensible levels it left me with a big stupid grin on my face (a bigger one than usual), a little light-headedness and an unfathomable longing for more of the same!
So what about the label and do the contents live up to the hype?
Actually no, I don't think so. While 'Z-nothing beyond' may contain an extract rated at 4 million SHU, the important factor is what percentage of the volume of the sauce is actually extract? In other words, it's going to get diluted down to a lower heat level as an aggregate of the non heat bearing ingredients. I shouldn't be surprised if the heat is somewhere around the 500,000 SHU level, perhaps even less, which should in reality be hot enough for anyone. But I think the label is misleading, when you state that there's "nothing beyond", you'd better be prepared to explain yourself when you're pitching it in with many competing sauces which measure much hotter.
So I think CaJohn Fiery Foods have taken a slight misstep in the way they've pitched/marketed their sauce, but it's the only bit of negativity I can come up with.
Conclusion -
I'm not a reviewer or any kind of authority on hot sauce, I'm just an average Joe consumer who likes to share an experience with other like minded consumers. So I forgive the labeling gaffe and I'll enjoy this sauce for what it does best - provide great flavor with intense heat.
It's a versatile sauce too, it has a bold richness and fruitiness which blends well with the light acidity of the vinegar and the heat from the capsaicin. The vinegar base does not overwhelm the sauce at all, in fact it's surprisingly neutral, so it should sit well with a wide variety of foods.
This might be the ultimate sauce to spice up any Mexican food, its flavor profile seems like a perfect fit for anything south of the border. To prove or disprove the theory, I made a quick and easy enchilada sauce over the weekend by placing fresh tomatoes, a red bell pepper, Guajillo chiles, garlic, onion and cilantro in the blender, then cooking it for 10 minutes with a teaspoon of Z in the mix. When you make something simple and pure like this from the freshest ingredients, any 'alien presence' that might manifest in the shape of a chemical extract is going to be instantly noticeable as it upsets the balance and purity of flavor. But the result was excellent, as it was with the freshly prepared Z-salsa and Z-chicken enchiladas.
This is definitely a keeper sauce for me, one of maybe three or four super-hots that need to be retained in the fridge for regular duty.
Whatever alchemy is at work in Z, the wizards at CaJohns have come up with a perfect coupling of the potency and heat from capsaicin, and the earthy base flavors of tomatoes and fruit - the essence of a good hot sauce. And they've accomplished it without the harshness of excess vinegar or the sourness of limes. It tastes really, really good, though I never did find the Habaneros.
Recommended.
