Following the joy of their Gold, I got stuck into Pure straight away. This is a ‘Red Habanero & Ginger Hot Sauce’ - a little less sweet than the other sauce and with a different kind of heat. The sauce is described as having a medium heat but it’s still quite robust. It rises slightly and lingers, mostly around the back of the mouth, although after a few spoonfuls it started attacking the tongue too, and that’s where it’s sitting. That might have been my fault for having a sip of water, which spread the heat about a bit.
The ginger and the habanero mash dominate, then the lime, which is an ingredient I’m sometimes wary of, but it’s okay here. It’s quite a simple recipe really - mash, vinegar, salt, lime, ginger, carrot. There’s no sugar or sweet fruit, and the carrot gives this an even more savoury feel. It actually tastes like a good everyday sauce - simple, not too challenging, tasty.
This one’s a deep orangey red in colour and very thick - so thick it wouldn’t pour - and it’s full of seeds. I think many people still associate seeds with the worst heat of peppers, so they look mean in a sauce.
The Chilli Alchemist seems to be a offshoot of Grim Reaper foods. I mentioned this Dorset company a while ago when writing about the death and arse tropes in hot sauce aesthetics. It looks like The Chilli Alchemist is the more interesting arm of their company, more playful and innovative.
If you’re buying from The Chilli Alchemist, I’d add this sauce to the basket. It’s really good. But it’s one I’d add to make up an order when buying Gold or one of their other flavour combinations, rather than one I’d go there for especially. But for an everyday sauce I will always prefer to see what’s in the local grocer's and made in the area first.
£7.50 per 150ml / £49.95 per litre
Comments