Dew-Over

Welcome back, everyone! This week, I’d like to return to one of our old favourite suppliers, the Chilli Alchemist. Because they, in turn, have returned one of my old favourite items – The 💀Philosopher’s Dew!

Now known simply as their “Dew” and focussing rather more heavily on its citrus content, so I’m eager to see just how much it’s changed. But, same sauce or not, it won’t be alone in today’s review.

Russell, the current company owner, has added another new product to the range, alongside it. And this one appears to be all his own:

A “Gold” sauce which, rather than taking after the old 💀Aurum, promises to be a fruity, pineapple sriracha. Much like the redone Dorset Punch.

Let’s take a closer look at the pair, shall we?

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Sweet Alchemy

Hey folks, it’s been almost a month since the intersection of international chocolate day and national curry week, when I featured The Chilli Alchemist‘s Dark Matter Chocolate, and, in that time, I had hoped that I’d also be able to show off their sauces.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case.

Major computer problems have slowed down the release of the video in question and, while I’m working on a solution as we speak, it may still be a short while before I can properly feature the company’s main range. So, for the time being, you’re going to have to make do with their dessert toppers, instead:

An indulgent-sounding pair of chilli chocolate and salted caramel spreads, wrapped in equally dark and decadent-looking labels which have only heightened the excitement that I already had for them.

I’ve been looking forward to these two for quite some time now and, if they’re even half as good as I imagine, they’re going to be utterly amazing. So let’s see how they compare to my mental image, shall we?

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The Chocolate Curry Combo

Hey folks, today’s going to be a bit of a weird one.

You see, I’m celebrating international chocolate day, for the very last time, but it’s also the end of national curry week. The same bizarre blend of food holidays that we saw in twenty eighteen but, this time around, it falls on a tuesday.

So, instead of a recipe, I’m bringing you a thematic review. Or two, since I have nothing on hand to match both celebrations and haven’t had since Monteƶuma’s satay bar.

That said, though, I still think I’ve got some pretty exciting products to share with you today:

Fire Foods’ Tandoori Butter and The Chilli Alchemist’s Dark Matter chocolate.

One’s a blend of indian spices with a peanut butter base and the other’s a seventy percent dark chocolate with mint and popping candy, in tribute to the Alchemist’s Melliculus range. The first thing to come from the brand since Russell, of Grim Reaper Foods, took over.

Though it’s taken me a little while to get to it, because I wanted to hold off on writing about this one until its second batch.

I’ll explain why that is and why I won’t be celebrating international chocolate day again in my main post but first, I want to quickly mention the one thing that links today’s two products: Their use of ghost pepper.

Probably not a tonne of it, judging by everything else that I’ve had from Fire Foods and the Grim Reaper. Just enough to provide a pleasant, medium warmth and maybe some of that delicious, full-bodied, red chilli flavour.

Let’s have a closer look, shall we?

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The Alchemist’s Return

Happy thursday, everybody! It’s the twentieth of august and you know what that means? Absolutely nothing.

Today isn’t anything special. It’s just a normal, everyday thursday. But I do have some news for you, at last, regarding the reopening of the Chilli Alchemist. And that, my friends, is far more special than any day of the week!

NewAlchemy

As you should be able to tell from the above image, mind you, their sauces aren’t exactly as they were before and they aren’t reopening with all of them right away.

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Alchemist Arisen

Happy white day, everyone! I wasn’t planning on doing a thursday post this week but then some rather exciting news reached me and I just had to write one.

Today’s post is, as today’s holiday is, a direct follow up to this year’s valentine’s day feature on the Chilli Alchemist. Because, I’m delighted to say, that post no longer properly reflects the situation.

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A Fond Farewell

Ahoy there, maties! It’s valentine’s day and I’ve got some explaining to do after that piratical greeting but first, if you’ll let me, I’d like to be serious for a moment.

You see, this year, this very day, a company that I love is going out of business. One that’s close to my heart. One that’s been with me since the beginning.

As I mentioned in my introduction to them, the Chilli Alchemist were a real favourite of mine. Folks who made some of the most delicious and delightfully wacky products out there. Who were a big inspiration for me becoming a reviewer. And who were kind enough to help me out with popping candy samples when my own finances were at their lowest.

They were small, yet successful and have had a huge impact on both my cooking and my life as a whole but, at the end of today, they’re going away due to the owners’ declining health.

So I’d like to recommend that you slide on over to the link in my sidebar to check them out and try something from their range. Perhaps their delightful matcha sauce or the Book of Melliculus – A gift set of all four of their amazing popping candy flavours.

And, if you’re getting here after the fourteenth of february 2019, why not check out one of their parting recommendations instead? That’s what I’m going to be doing for the rest of today.

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Jalapeño Again, Yo!

Hey folks, happy new year!

Today’s the first day of 2019 and, as I did back in 2018, I’d like to kick things off with something fresh and green. Something that uses peppers as young as the year itself.

Or, to be more precise, two somethings:

19greens

The new Pablo Diablo, from Tubby Tom, and the rather older, more well-established Philosopher’s Dew from the Chilli Alchemist. Both jalapeño sauces but both very different takes from the green srirachas that I showed you last time.

And, for that matter, from each other.

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Liquid Gold

Alright, everyone, if you’ve been paying attention to my twitter account (@spicefreakblog) then you might already know that I recently got another bottle free from The Chilli Alchemist.

This time, however, it’s not a review sample. Their latest gift came with any purchase at Reading Chilli Fest because the product in question has been discontinued. They are nolonger making their Elixir Orientem.

So, while I have been enjoying that sauce on my macaroni cheese, it’s not what I’m here to talk to you about today. No, today’s product is the new one that takes its place:

2017-06-21 14.38.50

Their mango and aji amarillo chilli sauce, quite simply named “Aurum” after its golden colour.

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