Sunday, June 26, 2016

Q2 2K16 Update




Some housekeeping from the last go-around, when I made this nifty Table Of Contents and then promptly forgot to update it. That has been corrected now, so it’s usable and up to date. I also added some more sauce bottle photos, though I still have a number that I’m working on. I hope to be able to get this wrapped up by the end of the year, but finding time is persistently an issue…

I added another 7 sauces this last quarter, which is nearly double what I did the previous quarter. Slowly by slowly starting to replenish the door shelf, though I also need to wipe about most of what is there, then go on another shopping trip in the near future as mostly what I have waiting on the on-deck shelf is superhots and I don’t, by and large, always find those suitable for everyday eating. Obviously, I like them a lot, but they tend to get overbearing and impose themselves on both the food and my taste buds and that can quickly get tiresome and unpleasant. The whole point of this is to find a happy medium of adding some nice heat, but more importantly, enhancing and elevating the food to a tastier level.

I’ve also eaten through every single one of the recent corporate “hot “offerings in the fast food world and universally, all of them are junk and not something I care to repeat. I keep debating doing a write-up on those, but then ultimately decide that, despite my temptation, they are not worth my time and effort to do that. It is nice to see Sriracha doing so well in various snack foods. Though I’ve long since tired and moved beyond the flavor, it will always hold fond remembrances and a special place in my heart accordingly and David Tran seems to me to be one of the “good guys” in the industry.

As always, if there is a sauce you want me to try, as long as it does not have either onions or extract, let me know and I’ll take a look at getting it in the queue. Thanks for dropping  in.

Monday, June 20, 2016

Sabor Hot Sauce Review

Texas Pete Sabor! Hot Sauce Review

So...Texas Pete, long a bastion of the Louisiana-style sauces and Chick-Fil-A restaurant chain, has finally decided to follow Tabasco into deviation and release some alternate-theme flavored sauces. While I find their Louisiana-style Original sauce to be a good standby, I personally think companies that do this often undertake such variation to somewhat limited results.

I don't hate this, but it's not too far off from saying "wow, you added Ancho (and possibly Arbol) chili powder to the Original sauce". Heavy vinegar sauces rarely work well in a Mexican sauce setting and here, again, while it works somewhat better than many I've had, it also falls pretty far short of being actually good. Heat is very minor and the taste is somewhat mild, so you can use a lot of it, which makes it nice not to have to waste a sauce, but what flavor is there tends to conflict a lot with the actual dishes. This is a sauce that would probably be enjoyable with some Cup O' Noodles or something until you got something better.

Trying to flavor and spike in a different style an already popular sauce in the original style is a tough gig and I really wish sauce makers would quit trying to do it. I understand there is big money involved and using the same base is a lot more efficient and cost-effective, but therein lies the difference between churning out product and a good-tasting sauce, commerce vs. art, if you will forgive me the conceit. This is clearly not art.

Bottom line: Not the worst entry into a different category by a major sauce company but not a very compelling one, either. Yet another unnecessary item competing for shelf space in the hot sauce aisle at your local grocer's, but not completely offensive and better than nothing.

Breakdown:

            Heat level: 2
            Flavor: 5
            Flexibility: 6
            Enjoyment to dollar factor: 5

Overall: 4