Djablo Original & Power Jab Hot Sauces Review

Djablo Original
Djablo Power Jab

Note: Djablo Power Jab appeared in Season 22 of The Hot Ones.

There is a very long and convoluted story about the Power Jab, of which the Original is also a part (and the Smoked would have been also, if I could have found it). Much of this will be covered in the accompanying video, but suffice to say that I loved the name “Power Jab” and earmarked it for the next available quarterly Wing Thing (those videos have their own playlist at right). When I opened the bottle, I was so taken with the flavor, which I found a fascinating spin on things, that I immediately looked up all the other sauces Djablo made. Seeing there were only three and they seemed related, I might just as well track down, if possible, some Filipino food, in a way similar to what I did in the Turmeric Bomb (reviewed elsewhere here) video. This, however, sent me on a bit of a rabbit hole journey and was far from clear cut.

To the sauces, the Power Jab both did and didn’t live up to its name. It is certainly hotter than the Original, which has precious little heat to speak of, but it also used the Scorpions in a way that accentuated the flavor nicely, no mean feat considering the floral nature, for which I have a general healthy disdain. This has a good balance of the peppers and garlic and some of the more herbaceous notes of the Original. It also flows very nicely, whereas the Original is quite thick and a bit grainy overall. All in all, I think the Power Jab is decently approachable.

Both of them are very interesting approaches to sauces, but for me, who is not so in love with herbs generally, the rather green and vibrant nature of the Original, which reminds me quite a bit of a green curry, is of considerably less interest. They are, all in all, dramatically different sauces, so combining them into one (partially because it was a bit of a struggle to find some Pinoy cuisine at all) review made a lot less sense once I got into the video filming and did them head to head, but by then it was far too late to turn back. The Power Jab I not only liked better, but found a lot flexible, as it not only worked well on most meats I threw it at, it was flavorful enough that it provided an interesting flavor note to several other foods as well. I don’t know that I would make either of these a “regular” per se, but I did enjoy the adventure aspect considerably.

Bottom line: I don’t know enough about Filipino food to comment on how these relate, but the Power Jab, as long as one likes garlic, is a quite excellent and distinct approach.

Breakdown Original:

            Heat level: 0
            Flavor: 5
            Flexibility: 3
            Enjoyment to dollar factor: 3

Overall: 3

Breakdown Power Jab:

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

Overall: 6