Hello again folks. I wasn’t going to post anything today but, mere moments before typing this, three sauces arrived at my door:
Freebies from the East Coast Chilli Company – One of their choice and two of mine. I must say, I’m excited.
I’ve had my eye on these guys since their appearance in the Lick My Dip box – Before it even changed to Flaming Licks – but I’ve been swamped by freebies and festival finds for a while now. I’ve not had chance to give them the attention they deserve.
Thanks to their generosity, however, I’m now left with no choice but to squeeze them in. You’ll be hearing about these sauces shortly.
East Coast Chilli Co seems to be, like so many of the other companies I’ve worked with, a small, two person business built by someone with a passion for spice as strong and genuine as my own. Someone who really cares about the flavours of fiery food.
Yet, even among those, the owner, Tim Chapman’s focus on flavour is something out of the ordinary.
He has a great taste award on his reaper sauce, for god’s sake – Something that I naïvely assumed was impossible with a pepper so hot.
From all his marketing and from the reactions to their Lick My Dip inclusion, I’m not expecting anything from the East Coast Chilli Company to blow my head off. Their sauces look to be a little mild compared to most small producers.
But, quite frankly, that doesn’t bother me.
They should still have more than enough firepower to satisfy the average chilli lover and, while I do love something stupid strong on occasion, I’m happy with just about any heat in my daily life. Assuming that the taste is there, of course.
The flavour first mentality of this producer gives me faith that it will be and this thought process really shows itself in their reaper sauce.
It’s not the hottest of their range, despite being the hottest pepper they use (and arguably still the record holder). Instead, their Midnight 21 looks to be quite asian-styled. Almost a teriyaki.
Completely different to the sixtyish percent ones that people pushing heat put out.
The real test, however, will be their “Passion”. A mild mango sauce intended to be fruity, tropical and indulgent, with the taste of chilli but very little heat.
From what they’ve said, it’s going to be a more accessible sauce for friends and family but will it really have the taste to sway the masses?
And then there’s their third sauce. Their least unusual, yet apparently their best seller.
Garlic and habanero with a tomato base doesn’t sound like anything too special but it’s a tried and true flavour combination with plenty of food uses. If they’ve cooked everything to perfection, it’s going to be delicious!
So, as you can see, I have high hopes for this company and can’t wait to start talking about them. I hope you’re just as interested in hearing my thoughts.
Tune in on tuesday for my next review and who knows, it might even be one of these three.
Spicefreak 