Reaper

Pure Desire

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Hey folks, guess what? This week we have another last minute addition to my review line-up but, unlike the previous one, it’s not because of some seasonal tradition. It’s because, just last thursday, I received something special and unexpected from one of my favourite producers.

Along with my latest order from The Chilli Alchemist – The intended contents of which you’ll be seeing quite soon – was a product so new that it isn’t even on their website yet:

The company’s “Venus” mayo, made with the legendary carolina reaper and set to grace the Alchemist’s web store in the next few weeks.

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A Local Last Dab

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Just the one, this week, my friends, but it’s sure to be a right doozie. ‘Cause, today, we’re looking at Singularity Sauce Co.’s Reapers & Mangoes. The only independent number ten to grace Hot Ones’ table since the advent of 📽️The Last Dab📽️.

Unlike most of the show’s line-up, however, this isn’t another pricey, american import. And, while I’m grateful to Hot-Headz for stocking so many of those, it’s also nice to see Hot Ones showcase a product made here in the UK. In scotland. The country of my birth.

It’s a rare, local highlight, in amongst their otherwise states-centric assortment, and its spot as the final sauce affords it great clout. So, throw in one of my favourite fruits and you just know I had to get my hands on a bottle.

Yet it wasn’t nearly as quick of a pick up as I’d hoped. Because I wasn’t the only one aboard the hype train.

It was going far, it was going fast and it was going… to take months for the next batch to ferment, back when I got in touch.

I’m afraid that it just wasn’t possible to write this review, back when it first saw that january feature. But it is now and I’m eager to make up for lost time.

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Death Brownies

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Sup folks, it’s white day today and, if you haven’t heard of the holiday before, you might think that it sounds a tad controversial. But, in reality, it’s just the japanese holiday where people give back to those who gave them valentine’s chocolates.

No, the real controversy, today, is going to come from my recipe. Because, while I’m following the white day tradition of cooking up chocolate-based sweet treats, I’m also going to be adding in black garlic. As suggested by the Isle of Wight Garlic Farm.

I know that that’s going to raise eyebrows, at the very least, because most people seem to think that garlic should never go with sweets. And normally, those people would be correct. But this isn’t normal garlic.

Raw, cooked or even caramelised, the bulb has an intense, aromatic and sometimes almost fiery quality to it, which belongs as far away from chocolate cake as one can possibly get. But, by cooking it low and slow for a whopping fourteen days straight, the act of turning garlic black gets rid of every last ounce of that pungency. Leaving behind only rich, earthy undertones, a dark, balsamicky sweetness and a slight hint of anise.

And I don’t know about you but that sounds like perfect brownie material to me!

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A Tropical Chart Topper

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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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Carolina Chocolates

Spicefreak3 Comments

Happy halloween, everyone!

This year, the haunted all hallows eve falls on one of my recipe days and I’m bringing back an old favourite to celebrate. A little something with a lot of heat, once posted on my (now abandoned) Imgur account, several years ago.

Yet these white chocolate and carolina reaper truffles never made it to my site properly. Only an 💀edited version💀, making use of Grim Reaper Foods‘ old chipotle and orange extract.

So, now that my skills and understanding have both had time to improve, I’m going to right that wrong and bring you an update on my favourite recipe for working with the current world record holder. And, more specifically, for enjoying its flavour at a somewhat more manageable heat.

Even if it is impossible to tame the reaper completely.

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September Smoke

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Sup dudes.

Now that it’s september, summer is practically over but I reckon that we can still eek out a just a touch more time from our british barbecue season. Which is great because I just got my hands on two new sweet and sticky sauces from Hot Headz:

But, if I’m wrong and the recent rain is here to stay, they should still pack enough smoke of their own to bring the barbecue indoors, metaphorically speaking.

I love sauces from this genre over ribs, chicken, baked beans and macaroni cheese, to name just a few uses, so they certainly won’t go to waste. Not even out of season.

And, after how much I enjoyed Hot Headz’ medium barbecue blend, I am super excited to see what they do with their mild and extreme versions.

I have very high hopes for today’s review items. Let’s see if they can hold up to them, shall we?

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Triple Chocolate

Spicefreak3 Comments

How’s it going, fellow fiery food fans? It’s been three weeks since world chocolate day, making this post quite disappointingly late, but here it is: The promised confection!

PricesChocolates

Not one, not two but three whole bars from Prices Spices, who’s delay in shipping them out to me apparently stems from a chronic inability to keep up with demand. So many people want Michael Price’s chocolate that he just can’t keep it in stock and he seems to have to make each batch to order.

So it would seem that these are some seriously well-liked bars. But is their popularity truly warranted?

Let’s find out!

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The Reaper’s Plague

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Hey folks, It’s less than a week until my birthday and I’d love to celebrate with you all but I’ve got the plague. Though maybe not the one that you’re thinking of.

Today, I’m talking about this little thing:

BDBottle

The Black Death, from Chilli of the Valley. A special little something that they sent to fill the gap before my traditional, yearly suffering.

It’s a sinister blend of carolina reapers and black garlic, intended to serve as the appetiser to next monday’s main event. Something crazy hot and full of darkness, yet also rather more natural and flavour-focussed than what I’ll be doing for my special day.

And, while this one may have been a freebie, I had my eyes on it long before they sent this bottle over. So you’d better believe I’m excited to crack it open!

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Can I Try Some Mangoes?

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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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Tri-Garlic Time

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Hey folks, I’ve had this review in the back of my mind for a while now and, with so much sweet stuff on the site lately, I reckon now’s the perfect time for it. The ideal moment for the savoury garlic comparison that I’ve been planning ever since a garlic sauce proved my favourite in my tri-ginger tournament.

So, let’s meet the contestants, shall we?

GarlicTrio

On the left, we have Torchbearer Sauces’ Garlic Reaper, as seen on Hot One’s eighth season. Probably the hottest of the bunch and definitely the palest, creamiest looking.

Then, on the right, we see Fire Foods’ Fire Garlic, with its equally to the point name and the bold, yet uninformative, branding that we’ve seen on all of the company’s products.

And finally, in the middle, lies Chilliscrumptious’ First Date. A sauce who’s packaging could say everything or nothing, depending on how much you’re willing to turn the bottle. Here it is from a couple different angles to show you what I mean:

FDPair

The art, company name and sauce name are all on different sides, making this bottle a real pain in the neck to display, but the garlic bulbs in the background certainly ram home what it’s all about and I did love their coffee sauce.

So I have to know, how does this little scotch bonnet number stack up against the ghost and reaper of its equally garlic-themed competitors?

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