Lola's Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce Review

Lola's Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce

Update: Support video available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUPrTRp-Gb4

The literal last of the line I got (all what they had in the store - I think this is maybe half of what the company produces) finally gets a turn. As the name would suggest, it is also the hottest of the four, though that heat is exceedingly mild for chileheads. Like the other 3 variations, we have some similarities. This product also requires near-constant agitation, will separately nearly immediately, and is very garlic forward. Here, though, the Reapers are enough of a match, in terms of flavor, that the result comes across as a pretty ok Cajun sauce, with hints of the characteristic Reaper sweetness peeking through. It won't fool anyone into thinking it's a good version of that style and oversaucing is still not something you want to do, particularly, though this is more of a concession to flavor rather than heat. It is kind of a delicate balance, given the runniness of this sauce, but I probably will finish this out, even though I'm probably going to reserve it just as a ramen hot sauce. 

With Cajun sauces, as I'm not a huge fan of heavy garlic overtones in my hot sauce especially, I usually only use that where the flavors can mesh. Soups are especially good for this, sometimes on pizza, but where it stands alone, such as on chicken strips, or where the taste is not as dominant, like mac & cheese, I usually invariably prefer a Louisiana-style sauce. In fact, if I don't have an open bottle of a Louisiana-style at hand, I will make a special trip to go get one, which is not really the case for any other style of sauce, excepting the custom-blend I do for Mexican style (check the FOH video series, if you're interested in that). 

Bottom line: There is not much to say about this that I haven't already said in the other 3 sauces from this line, given the continuity between them, but this is the best of the lot in both flavor and heat, edging out the Ghost Pepper, and if you see them on a grocer's shelf and are interested, start with this one.

Breakdown:

            Heat level: 2
            Flavor: 6
            Flexibility: 6
            Enjoyment to dollar factor: 4

Overall: 4