Caribbean

Balefire Curry

Spicefreak3 Comments

Hey folks, how’s it going?

For me, life’s been pretty good lately. But, sadly, the same cannot be said for our last few sauces. Since, as much as I liked the taste of rocoto in The Wicked Chilli’s Roco Loco, it still didn’t express the pepper’s unique heat as well as I’d hoped. And the other two that I tried these last couple of weeks were similarly disappointing.

So, this time around, I think I’m going to play it safe with a company who’ve already really impressed me once before: Balefire.

We saw their Get Schwifty a while back and, aside from the name, I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of that sauce. So, today, I’m going to take a look at two more in the hopes that their Tortuga and Critical Masala are just as stunning.

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Dalston Double

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Hello again, everyone. Today, we’re looking at a sauce that’s been gaining a lot of traction, lately, but that I still hadn’t heard hide nor hair about until it arrived on my doorstep. A gift from my aunt, in london, to whom this week’s product is quite local.

This is Common Sanity’s Dalston Sunshine – The name of the sauce telling you exactly what borough its company are based in and their own hinting at an interest in mental health. With a portion of the company’s profits going to charity for that very reason.

Yet the common “Common Sanity” name, as a whole, is apparently a play on commensality, the act of communal eating. Not anything to do with the word “Common”. Which is just as well because, as much as it may look like a common caribbean mustard sauce, their Dalston Sunshine’s main ingredient is actually the fatalii chilli. An african relative of the habanero which, despite growing popularity in recent years, is still far from “common”.

And it’s not today’s only unexpected fusion flavour, either, since my little care package also contained a second item from the company:

Not a sauce, this time, but a chinese or filipino-style crispy oil. Filled with mexican chillies, seeds and nuts for a beautifully rich sounding, yet equally unorthodox blend that they call Fuego Greeze.

I’m very eager to try them both out.

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Jerk Trio

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Hey folks, I hope you’re ready for another heaping helping of hot because, this week, I’m back with not one, not two but three fiery jerk blends, featuring everything from the traditional scotch bonnet to one of the UK’s absolute hottest. And every single one of them comes from a company that I know and love!

Hot Pods, Alkemio Kitchen, Daddy Cool’s and even Cliff, the Devon Chilli Man, are all represented among today’s trio and I’m looking forward to the lot. But, even so, one particular product stands out. And not just in its appearance…

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Haskhell’s Curry

Spicefreak3 Comments

Hey folks, how’s it going?

I’ve just got the one product for you, this time, but it’s the long awaited third and final Haskhell’s sauce and I’ve saved their best for last. Or at least their most popular:

This is their pineapple curry and, aside from having a two word name, its label looks identical to Haskhell’s others. Yet that warm, golden, yellowy-brown, around its edges, sets it apart from the rest of the range. As well as almost anything else that I’ve ever had.

It’s a unique, beautiful and enticing shade, when seen through the sides of the bottle. But how is it when it’s not behind glass?

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A Tropical Chart Topper

Spicefreak3 Comments

Hello again, heat eaters!

Today, I have a rather unusual feature for you all. One which, unlike most of my finds, comes from a local supermarket and a very well known brand.

You see, I got a bit of a tip-off, recently. One of my readers mentioned that they’d seen a new carolina reaper sauce, in the wild, from one of Encona’s caribbean-style rivals. And I got curious.

But what really sold me on this particular product was actually its ingredients list:

Carolina Reaper Peppers (60%), Water, Sugar Cane Vinegar, Salt, Onion, Limes, Garlic, Antioxidant: Ascorbic Acid, Thickener: Xanthan Gum

Sixty percent reaper, at big brand prices, is completely unheard of! So, if Tropical Sun can deliver on everything that the number implies, this isn’t just going to be a hell of a hot sauce. It’s going to be a complete game changer!

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Wild Finds

Spicefreak5 Comments

Welcome back, everyone, to yet another review of a generous company’s free samples.

This week, they’re from Foraged Fire, who, unlike my last two features, are entirely new to me. A company that I’d barely heard of, before their owner got in touch, but one that I’m super excited to show you.

Every single one of their products contains at least one major talking point. And I have three of them!

Each of these items is easily special enough to warrant its own post and, at any other time of year, I’d definitely split them up. But we’ve just entered into december and it’s mere days until my christmas recap. So I’m taking this opportunity to talk about all three because, if they’re as special as they sound, they’ll all deserve my holiday recommendation.

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Piratical Pineapple

Spicefreak1 Comment

Arrr, me hearties, it be talk like a pirate day again* an’ the sun be o’er the yard arm somewhere.

Which spells good winds fer this ‘ere recipe, as we’ll be hittin’ the grog hard in a mo’.

Yer see, today’s bounty hails from the pirate isles an’ were plucked from me hold fer her thematic relevance. She be laden t’ the brim wi’ enough rum an’ pineapple to satiate any sea dog or marooned scallywag!

Aye, they be the mainsails o’ today’s vessel. O’ our golden, spice-glazed cure fer scurvy.

She be a real blossomin’ beauty, this un!

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From Pirate, With Love

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Greetings, spice lovers, today is talk like a pirate day again* and I’m sure it’s late enough to drink somewhere in the world.

Which is good news for this particular recipe, since we’ll be using a fair bit of booze.

You see, today’s treat comes from the caribbean and was chosen specially for its connection to today’s theme. Since it features both rum and pineapples – Favourites of pirates and castaways, alike.

Indeed, those are the main ingredients of today’s golden, spice-glazed fruit.

And it’s a face-reddening delight!

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The Second Spirit

Spicefreak4 Comments

Hey folks, don’t stop me if you’ve heard this one ’cause, today, we’re looking at Chilli of the Valley’s Calypso.

NewCalypso

Now it’s been over a year since we first saw this sauce and a lot has changed in that time. It looks far more enticing in its swanky new, pirate-themed bottle but, more importantly, its makers have informed me that they’ve changed the vinegar to a far more fruit-friendly, white wine variety.

So, since the overpowering nature of spirit vinegar was my only issue with its previous incarnation and I do so like to preach the benefits of picking the right acid for your sauce, I think it’s only fair that I reward the company for taking my feedback on board by giving it a second shot.

Yes, folks, this is a thursday special to re-review Chilli of the Valley’s product. Partially to ensure that the info on my site is up to date and partially because it’s an interesting, real world example of just how much difference vinegar type can make.

It would be unfair of me to let it take the normal tuesday spot away from something newer but I do feel like it deserves this metaphorical air-time, nonetheless.

Here goes!

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Can I Try Some Mangoes?

Spicefreak4 Comments

So, now that we’re back onto sweet sauces, what do you lot say we take another look at one of my favourite fruit?

CanIPlay

This, here, is Can I Play with Mangos – A product that I promised to talk about back when I tried Rock A Doodle Do’s other, more mythology-themed sauces. Because, while that pair highlighted their irish heritage, the company’s origins lie elsewhere. In classic rock and metal puns.

But, truth be told, I’ve felt no urgency in getting to their Iron Maiden-inspired mango and habanero sauce because, hard as such a pairing is to screw up, Rock A Doodle Do’s last feature didn’t exactly fill me with confidence.

So, just in case they have gone that extra mile somehow, I’m going to throw in another couple of mango sauces alongside theirs. Both with rather more exciting chillies.

Charibbean&Lemon

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