Welcome back to another sauce review here on my blog. I’ve tasted my way through 100 sauces so far. But there’s thousands out there. So, if I’m ever going to try them all, I need to keep going. 100 was just the beginning. And here, for sauce 101, I am going back to a true classic. Tabasco has featured twice so far, with the original sauce and then their Green Pepper sauce. It’s been a mixed bag in reactions so far. The original I didn’t like because it was vinegar, vinegar, and some more vinegar thrown on top. The Green Pepper sauce, however, was bright and mild without as much vinegar flavor. So, I guess the tie breaker goes to Tabasco’s Habanero Sauce. How will this one go?
First off, as I’ve said before, I originally never figured that I’d like habanero peppers. They’ve always been played up as ridiculously hot, and therefore far beyond what I ever figured I’d like on a regular basis. And yet, as several sauces have shown me, particularly Marie Sharp’s line of sauces, habaneros are actually well within my heat tolerance range, and I actually enjoy the fruity flavors it brings to the table. So, at least before I open the bottle, I’m giving this sauce a fair shot, since I did like the Green Pepper sauce and I do like habaneros.
Unfortunately, when I open the bottle, things start going downhill, as I am hit with a big scent of vinegar. Well, it is the first ingredients, after all. And let’s take a look at those ingredients, since they’re a lot more complex than on any other Tabasco bottle I’ve seen so far.
We have distilled vinegar, habanero pepper, cane sugar, and then regular Tabasco sauce which… ok… and salt, and then things get… weird (at least for Tabasco). Mango puree, dehydrated onion, banana puree, tomato paste, tamarind puree, papaya puree, spices, garlic, and Tabasco pepper mash (which they let us know is red peppers and salt).
That’s a rather long laundry list of ingredients for a Tabasco sauce, the original of which contains vinegar, peppers, and salt. Hell, this ingredient list contains that ingredient list because this has regular Tabasco in it. I know with some of the mustard sauces that I’ve seen “prepared mustard” in there before, but I think this is the first hot sauce that specifically just has another hot sauce right inside.
But, considering this one contains both vinegar and regular Tabasco, I’m not surprised anymore by the strong vinegar smell. That only intensifies as it heats up on the wings.
But while taste is mostly scent, it’s only mostly. So, I gave the sauce a try.
And, yeah, sour/bitter vinegar bite at the start. Really not a fan of that. I know a lot of people are. They like a vinegar “pop” in their greens or in their potato salad or on a sandwich. I’m not trying to call you out or tell you you’re wrong for your flavor preferences. I’m just saying it’s not for me. Though, I have to say, it’s much less a bite than regular Tabasco. And while I don’t think I can actually taste all the various purees and such that are in the sauce, I will say that it does taste like a more well-rounded sauce than the one note that is Tabasco original. As the sour flavor subsides, the resulting flavor actually isn’t half bad. It’s not anything that’s going to put it on my next Go-To sauces list, but I’m not upset about it in any way. The short sour/bitter bite actually ends up moving into what’s actually a nice sauce.
As for the heat, it’s definitely hotter than regular Tabasco. And it’s also hotter than some of the other habanero sauces I’ve had, actually. It’s not, “my mouth is on fire” hot (at least, not for me), but there is definitely more of a kick to it. Some creamy blue cheese dressing on the last couple wings was a nice relief from some of the heat.
So, while I don’t really love this sauce, I can’t say that it’s something I’ll regret having to finish off, either. I guess in the case of Tabasco as a brand, overall, they’re still batting 500, even with an odd number of sauces. I’ll call this one a tie between love it/hate it. If you’re a vinegar fan and want a little more heat to your Tabasco, I could suggest picking this up. I found it simply on the grocery store shelf.
Suggested dishes: Even with all the various ingredients, this still came across as a general pepper sauce to me, so apply accordingly to wings, pizza, eggs, and sandwiches.
Heat Level: – They typically have a Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) rating of 100,000 to 350,000 or even higher. – Tabasco peppers, on the other hand, are milder in comparison, with a range of 30,000 to 50,000 SHU. While still hot, they are considerably less fiery than habaneros.
Reviews, recipes, and all things cooking related
Welcome back to another sauce review here on my blog. I’ve tasted my way through 100 sauces so far. But there’s thousands out there. So, if I’m ever going to try them all, I need to keep going. 100 was just the beginning. And here, for sauce 101, I am going back to a true classic. Tabasco has featured twice so far, with the original sauce and then their Green Pepper sauce. It’s been a mixed bag in reactions so far. The original I didn’t like because it was vinegar, vinegar, and some more vinegar thrown on top. The Green Pepper sauce, however, was bright and mild without as much vinegar flavor. So, I guess the tie breaker goes to Tabasco’s Habanero Sauce. How will this one go?
First off, as I’ve said before, I originally never figured that I’d like habanero peppers. They’ve always been played up as ridiculously hot, and therefore far beyond what I ever figured I’d like on a regular basis. And yet, as several sauces have shown me, particularly Marie Sharp’s line of sauces, habaneros are actually well within my heat tolerance range, and I actually enjoy the fruity flavors it brings to the table. So, at least before I open the bottle, I’m giving this sauce a fair shot, since I did like the Green Pepper sauce and I do like habaneros.
Unfortunately, when I open the bottle, things start going downhill, as I am hit with a big scent of vinegar. Well, it is the first ingredients, after all. And let’s take a look at those ingredients, since they’re a lot more complex than on any other Tabasco bottle I’ve seen so far.
We have distilled vinegar, habanero pepper, cane sugar, and then regular Tabasco sauce which… ok… and salt, and then things get… weird (at least for Tabasco). Mango puree, dehydrated onion, banana puree, tomato paste, tamarind puree, papaya puree, spices, garlic, and Tabasco pepper mash (which they let us know is red peppers and salt).
That’s a rather long laundry list of ingredients for a Tabasco sauce, the original of which contains vinegar, peppers, and salt. Hell, this ingredient list contains that ingredient list because this has regular Tabasco in it. I know with some of the mustard sauces that I’ve seen “prepared mustard” in there before, but I think this is the first hot sauce that specifically just has another hot sauce right inside.
But, considering this one contains both vinegar and regular Tabasco, I’m not surprised anymore by the strong vinegar smell. That only intensifies as it heats up on the wings.
But while taste is mostly scent, it’s only mostly. So, I gave the sauce a try.
And, yeah, sour/bitter vinegar bite at the start. Really not a fan of that. I know a lot of people are. They like a vinegar “pop” in their greens or in their potato salad or on a sandwich. I’m not trying to call you out or tell you you’re wrong for your flavor preferences. I’m just saying it’s not for me. Though, I have to say, it’s much less a bite than regular Tabasco. And while I don’t think I can actually taste all the various purees and such that are in the sauce, I will say that it does taste like a more well-rounded sauce than the one note that is Tabasco original. As the sour flavor subsides, the resulting flavor actually isn’t half bad. It’s not anything that’s going to put it on my next Go-To sauces list, but I’m not upset about it in any way. The short sour/bitter bite actually ends up moving into what’s actually a nice sauce.
As for the heat, it’s definitely hotter than regular Tabasco. And it’s also hotter than some of the other habanero sauces I’ve had, actually. It’s not, “my mouth is on fire” hot (at least, not for me), but there is definitely more of a kick to it. Some creamy blue cheese dressing on the last couple wings was a nice relief from some of the heat.
So, while I don’t really love this sauce, I can’t say that it’s something I’ll regret having to finish off, either. I guess in the case of Tabasco as a brand, overall, they’re still batting 500, even with an odd number of sauces. I’ll call this one a tie between love it/hate it. If you’re a vinegar fan and want a little more heat to your Tabasco, I could suggest picking this up. I found it simply on the grocery store shelf.
Suggested dishes: Even with all the various ingredients, this still came across as a general pepper sauce to me, so apply accordingly to wings, pizza, eggs, and sandwiches.
‘Pepper X’ Creator Ed Currie Tries 32 Hot Sauces | Epicurious
FAQ
What pepper is hotter than a habanero?
Which hot sauce is the hottest?
Is jalapeno hotter than Tabasco?
How hot is Habanero sauce?
Is Tabasco hotter than a habanero?
Compared to our reference point, the jalapeño, the tabasco pepper ranges from 4 to 20 times hotter, so it has a bit of a kick. Though, it’s nowhere near the spiciness of a habanero (100,000 to 350,000 SHU) or any of the hottest peppers in the world.
Which hot sauce is hotter Tabasco or habanero?
Habanero-based hot sauces – if you’re craving a spicier kick, go with a hot sauces made from habanero peppers. They clock in at 150,000 – 575,000 SHU, making them far hotter than Tabasco peppers. Popular brands include Yellow Bird and Marie Sharp’s.
Does Tabasco habanero sauce scare away peppergeeks?
While it does take Tabasco original to the next level, it isn’t going to scare away any true PepperGeeks. To put it simply, Tabasco Habanero sauce has a Scoville rating of 7,000+ SHUs. The ‘+’ may seem indecisive, but each batch may vary slightly based on the harvest of Habanero peppers.
How many MG is Tabasco habanero?
Tabasco Habanero has 120 mg per teaspoon serving, which is 5% of your daily allowance. That’s very high compared to the brand’s Original Red (35 mg). Habanero peppers sit at the top of the range among true culinary peppers — 100,000 to 350,000 Scoville heat units (SHU).