Silk City Aztek Attack Hot Sauce Review

Silk City Aztek Attack

Note: Support video available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2wDRR2cm_I

Silk City is one of my favorite hot sauce companies and it's always a delight to see what's cooking up over that way. That is not to say that I think all of the sauces are great. There are a few here and there that I wind up liking less and fewer still that come through as what I feel are missteps. While there are a greater number that I find myself liking quite a bit (this company seems to always have good odds they will be in SOTY contention, sadly, I must report that this sauce is among that latter group, that of missteps.

It is not because of the flavor. Indeed, the combination of Jalapeno, Habanero, Cherry, and Serrano, along with an undercurrent of garlic, is a good one. The heat, I will say, is a bit on the lower side, but that doesn't tend to ruin my overall enjoyment of a sauce. No, it is, like the Ram Skull (reviewed elsewhere here) before it, an issue more with consistency that sort of ruins the enjoyment for me and with both of them, they are quite watery. In this case, I suspect the liquid is a combination of water and vinegar, but it makes the sauce a bit difficult to use.

I am probably understating things a bit. When sauces are this loose, it's like adding water to something, which means it can run everywhere, of course. When it has the additional effect of diluting the flavor, as it does here, you have the dilemma of trying to add enough to get the flavor, but without also making a soup of the whole proceedings. This would probably work pretty well in drinks, but it's a shame as I find the flavor to be quite good...when I can get a grip on it. There is a very light and subtle sort of pepper flavor that I find pretty enticing, but unfortunately, there is not a lot of depth to it. It's like a whisper on the air, there for a moment and then gone.

Bottom line: Most green sauces tend to have a more medium body, which helps to stick to food, and this sauce would have benefited greatly from following that lead. Despite an excellent flavor, this one is overly challenging to use.

Breakdown:

           Heat level: 1
           Flavor: 7
           Flexibility: 2
           Enjoyment to dollar factor: 5

Overall: 4