The Great Debate! Capsaicin Crystal or Pure Extract?

On my website "Hot Sauces From A to Z" (www.hotsaucesfromatoz.com), I make the comment that fans of hot sauce have a tendency of being a little extreme. After all, it takes a fairly over-the-top personality to blindly try a product that claims it'll burn your face off (i.e. - Big Dawg's Burn Ur Face Off Salsa). I've found another common attribute of hot sauce fanatics is a natural passion for debating which hot sauce (or pepper, or salsa, etc.) is the best. Or, as if often the case - which is the HOTTEST! So, the purpose of this post is to distinguish why I acknowledge The Source Hot Sauce as being the hottest sauce available in the U.S. First of all, The Source registers a whopping 7.1 million Scoville Units (S.U.), and that's nothing to sneeze at, in fact, you need to use extreme caution when using this sauce. Hold on! Before all you Pepper Heads race to your computer to argue your case that hotter sauces exist, let me offer further explanation for my choice. There is a product on the market call Blair's 16 Million Reserve that tops the charts at, you guessed it, 16 million S.U. Now, I might not be a mathematicien, but 16 million is a far cry bigger than 7.1 million. However, after much deliberation I chose not to heap the "Hottest Sauce" honors on this product because by definition, it's not a sauce. Blair's 16 Million Reserve is pure capsaicin - in otherwords, it doesn't get any hotter than this. But, I repeat, it is not a sauce, it's pure capsaicin in crystal form. Now let's examine The Source Hot Sauce. I suppose technically one could make the assertion that it is not a sauce either. The Source is a pure pepper concentrate extract - that's all it is, nothing else is added. Without actually referring to Mr. Webster, in my opinion, the number one prerequisite for something to referred to as a "sauce" is that it be a liquid. Therein lies my reason for giving the dubious honor to The Source as the hottest hot sauce in the U.S. To be fair though, a more detailed definition of "sauce" might require that it be a combination of ingredients in liquid form. If I were to have gone by this definition I'd have given props to Mad Dog 357 Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce. This is an incredibly hot sauce (500,000 S.U.) made with Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Pepper), Habanero peppers, Peri Peri peppers, chile extract, garlic, onions, vinegar, evaporated cane juice, and spices. Mmmm! Tasty! Stay tuned for my next post which will offer a more detailed examination of the Naga Bhut Jolokia - the hottest pepper in the world! Until then - "Pepper Power".

What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

Every day for the last several weeks I find myself pondering the same question, "What the heck have I gotten myself into?" My wife, two boys and I just recently moved to the state of Wyoming to be closer to our daughter, son-in-law and brand new grandbaby. I gave up my job of 24 years, and my wife left the job she had held for the past 20 years in order to make this move happen. My wife started her new job about two weeks ago, yet I'm trying everything I can not to jump back into the rat-race. Thus - the reason for this Blog! I just launched a brand new website called "Hot Sauces From A to Z" (www.hotsaucesfromatoz.com). Now, if you knew me you'd be pulling yourself up off the floor after hearing that news because, well let's just say, I'm not the most technological person when it comes to computers, etc. To say the learning curve I've been through in the last few weeks has been a little extreme might just be one of the worlds BIGGEST understatements. To put things in perspective, not only did I just finish creating and launching my own website (with no help whatsoever), but this is also the first Blog I've hosted - and frankly, this is the first post I've ever made - on ANY blog, let alone my own! So, back to my website Hot Sauces From A to Z. The reason I built the site is really quite simple - I don't want to re-enter the workforce (at least not yet). My website is all about hot sauces and salsas, and on my site you'll find several relevant sponsor links that will enable you to order product(s). My hope is that there are LOTS of hot sauce fanatics just like me, and while browsing my site, maybe, just maybe they'll find a product or two that they absolutely must try. If that's the case, all a person has to do is click on one of the sponsor links and, Eureka, I get a tiny commission and stay gainfully employed from the comfort of my own home. Seriously (not that I was kidding), even though I suppose my website is relatively simple compared to others - I really am proud of it. If you're a fan of hot sauces, chili peppers, salsas and BBQ sauces, then I think you'll enjoy my site. Check it out at www.hotsaucesfromatoz.com. The subject of my next post will include a discussion of Blair's 16 Million Reserve, The Source Hot Sauce, and Mad Dog 357 Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce. Until then, remember to live by these simple words - "Pepper Power"!