Maritime Madness Simple Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce Review

 Maritime Madness Simple Scotch Bonnet

The last sauce of a wave of Maritime Madness sauces I bought earlier in the year. In some ways, it wound up being a case of in advertently saving the best for last...though, to be fair, I’m not sure if this or the Frig That’s Hot (reviewed elsewhere here) is my favorite sauce overall. I think this one tastes the best, but that one had a very good flavor as well and an additional heat push, so I might have to give the nod to that one.

In any case, this one serves as an outstanding introduction to one of the better-tasting pods out there, the Scotch Bonnet. Here, you can get a really good grasp of the flavor, which takes at least a pass at cousin Habanero, but is much better, as well as fruitier. If you had this and the Simple Tropical Habanero (also reviewed elsewhere here) side by side, that would give you a pretty full picture of the difference between them to compare and contrast. For me, I definitely prefer this one, but it is no secret which has been my strong preference for quite some time now.

This one also comes in the sort of squeezable clear plastic bottle, a packaging choice I definitely do like, and the sauce itself is very smooth. I find it quite flavorful overall, with a bit of body added with the carrots and a bit of amping up of the fruit notes with the mango. Yet, for all that, it is definitely the flavor of the Scotch Bonnet which is prominent and indeed, those others are there as grace notes, if at all. This one is a touch on the vinegar-forward side, though, it should also be noted. The sort of medium thickness might lead you think of it more as a sweet hot, but it is definitely not that.

I found this to be pretty interesting on a variety of things, though it is a bit too fruity to be useful on things like cream dishes. I found it to be a nice change of pace on pizza, though not something I’d want regularly. It particularly excels when used on things like fried foods and it is there I found it to be most fitting, though it was pretty fun to kick it around on other items. It’s delicious enough to be intriguing on many of them, though ultimately, I don’t know that I’d consider this a particularly flexible sauce. Heat-wise, given the Scotch Bonnet, it’s on the lower side.

Bottom line: One of the better Scotch Bonnet sauces out there, due largely to the strength of that flavorful pod, and for those not familiar, it would be hard to think of a better introduction than this sauce.

Breakdown:

           Heat level: 1
           Flavor: 8
           Flexibility: 6
           Enjoyment to dollar factor: 10

Overall: 6