Char Man Pinya Hot Sauce Review

Char Man Pinya

Fatalii is probably a pod that's been around longer than it seems, but to me, it seems a relatively new pod on the scene, because it's only been in recent years that I've encountered it. I've tended to think of it as a superhot, but that may not be the case and perhaps indicative of my unfamiliarity. I tend to think this because it seems to have a bitterness to it relative to superhots and it also has a floral nature that I associated strongly with Scorpions, an aspect I care less and less for over the years. Yet, I do also fully admit that may be both a combination of my own ignorance and the setting I've had it in. I say this because in this sauce, which is both very fruit-forward and very sweet, there is a fruitiness that is distinctive to pods, right before the bitter and floral hammer come screaming in. Possibly I've undersold these, but also they are used so infrequently it seems, that it's small work to avoid them. 

As to this sauce, I will say directly that this is exactly the kind of pineapple flavor I always hope for in a hot sauce. It is absolutely delicious and I can't think of another sauce where the pineapple is done any better. Now, I will also say that I wish a different pod was used. I know that Scotch Bonnets and Habaneros are used a lot and are tired and all sauce makers want to differentiate themselves, but even though this sauce is perhaps my favorite application of Fataliis and puts them in perhaps the best possible light, I still wish a better-tasting pod was used. 

This has not prevented me from loving this sauce and using it happily, though. This is the kind of thing I want in my pineapple sweet-hots, for sure. This thing is a gem on pizza and on meats of all kinds, including and perhaps particularly on burgers, chicken, of course, and I finally got my long-sought dream of getting pina colada shrimp to work, by careful application of this on coconut shrimp. The flavor cancellation with several of those foods works to great effect and dramatically reduces both the bitter and floral parts, leaving the inherent fruitness of the pod working with the wonderful pineapple. But, it's a balancing act, of course. If the sauce is used a bit too heavily, those start to rear their heads again. Sauces are meant to work with foods and this one does, to great effect with judiciousness. 

Now those aspects may be more limited to me and my palate, but in a way, I guess it also could be a positive, as I definitely am cautious to try to avoid those other flavor notes and thus elevate whatever food I'm using this with. I don't think I've ever had a Fatalii sauce, again in my limited exposure, where it hasn't read as a superhot and I think the heat here can possibly take some users aback, particularly if non-chileheads. It does dissipate somewhat quickly, though, so I think it potentially makes a nice bridge or intermediate sauce.

Bottom line: This is not quite a tale of two sauces for me. It has the best pineapple, but a pod where I wished a different one were used. Still, if you are a fan of pineapple sweet-hots, I unreservedly recommend you give this one a shot.

Breakdown:

            Heat level: 2
            Flavor: 9
            Flexibility: 8
            Enjoyment to dollar factor: 9

Overall: 7