This is one of those few sauces that I feel fortunate to have stumbled across. It is easily the best sweet-hot Asian style sauce I've ever had, very deftly combining stunning flavor with a very pleasant amount of heat, definitely more substantial than Zenso or any of the other sauces in that vein, but not so hot as to overshadow the tremendous flavor. Though it has been since surpassed as reigning SHU champ, the Jolokias and I seem to get along very well and there are not very many sauces that come to mind with it as the main heat driver that I haven't like and quite a number where I found it to be a vast improvement, such as this one. It definitely works very well in Asian style sauces and I again find myself surprised there are not more of those floating around. In many respects, this is a lot like the Pure Death in that the sauce itself is so good, I have trouble finding things it doesn't go well with, aside from things I dislike sweet in, such as ramen or Mexican food.
That leaves a pretty solid myriad of choices, though. It works fantastically on meats, with cheeses. It even works in a PB & J sandwich or as a dipping sauce or on pizza. Where it shines, of course, is where you would naturally use it, in various Asian dishes. I didn't love it on a few of those things, but it wasn't awful or inedible, but more unusual in a way that made me think it was an interesting experiment, but would be a waste of sauce to continue along that path.
Heat-wise, it definitely blows everything else in that style out of the water, but the very thick nature of it does some odd things to the consistency of heat. No change to that stellar flavor, but I'd find pockets where the heat was a very robust warmth, much past anything else out there, and a few places where it was more similar to the other sauces, wherein the heat is minimal. No agitation would change that and it wasn't a huge bother, just more something to observe. There are also a lot of largish particulates suspended in the sauce, besides the usual red pepper and pepper seeds, which is again not a bother for me, but bears noting.
Bottom line: Easily the best of the Asian style sweet-hot sauces I've had and the new peak of what that kind of sauce can be at its finest. It is also not only another candidate for SOTY, but is now the new frontrunner.
Breakdown:
Heat level: 3
Flavor: 10
Flexibility: 8
Enjoyment to dollar factor: 10
Overall: 8
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