Zaaschila Habanero Hot Sauce Review

Zaaschila Habanero Hot Sauce

If you're like me, if you happen to be shopping at a place that has food, inevitably you'll hit the clearance rack or perhaps make it a point, which would be more like me. Case in point, this little gem, which I found at Wal-Mart for a buck. A buck for a new and untried hot sauce adventure is nearly always a gamble I'll take and though this one was not any great shakes, I've also had a lot worse.

This is another, like the Panola I reviewed here earlier, that I'm leaning towards calling Louisiana-by-way-of-Mexico style sauces in that they rely heavily on vinegar, but instead of using peppers like Cayenne or Tabasco, they're using orange habanero. Orange habanero, as well we know, has a very distinctive taste and they mostly just let it go here. There's a good amount of water, to thin things out beyond the vinegar and some carrots, to smooth out the harshness of those orange habs, but there's no mistaking what you're eating.

Despite this being the hottest in Zaaschila's line, there is nothing to give any chilehead worry or even the slightest of pause. This is relatively tame, around the level of El Yucateco Green (also reviewed elsewhere in this blog) but nowhere near that great flavor. It seems to work acceptably, again, not great and not bad, on a variety of foods, but it's not a sauce that will take a day-in, day-out pounding, like one would need in a go-to sauce. This is more like a "ok pick up at the clearance rack" type sauce. Nice to have on hand, but nothing world shattering if not and if you have something better in your refrigerator door, odds are you'll be reaching for it.

Bottom line: Yet another in an increasingly long line of "will do in a pinch" sauces. If it had slightly more heat, it would be basically an across the board average to slightly above average sauce. As it is, it's not anything I will be looking to replace when I run out. I'll enjoy it moderately while it's here and when it's gone, it's gone.

Breakdown:

         Heat level: 2
         Flavor: 5
         Flexibility: 7
         Enjoyment to dollar factor: 7

Overall: 5