After loving Trodden Black’s Sea Buckthorn & Habanero I thought I’d try another of theirs, The Heretic. The cover art on this one is great fun, with its woodcut tarot-style image of what appears to be a drunk monk burning down a church or monastery. (Weird message, maybe, but good aesthetic.)
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The sauce is a similar colour to the Sea Buckthorn, a bright orangey red, although a good deal thinner. It also has its own surprise ingredient: Buckfast Tonic Wine. This is the caffeinated stuff developed by Benedictine monks at Buckfast Abbey and most frequently associated today with anti-social behaviour. Hence the rowdy arsonist monk on the label.
So I wasn’t sure what to expect from the sauce and was braced to be surprised again. But actually I’m a little stumped. I can’t identify the Buckfast Tonic flavour in there, nor the second ingredient listed, which is ‘black grapes’. It just smells sweet and peppery to me - like an everyday hot sauce. That’s no bad thing, of course, and this one has a good, sharp, tongue-scolding heat. I like it and it will definitely get used - it’s appropriate for just about everything - and with the design it’s a fun gift, but I’ve been spoiled by the Sea Buckthorn and was hoping for something more distinct and surprising in the flavours, especially with such an unusual ingredient listed as defining the sauce.
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I’m loving these experiments with flavours and ingredients. Flavourwise this one may not be the most exciting, but I’ll be back to Trodden Black later in the season when they’ve got more. There’s a plum and Naga I like the look of...
£7.00 per 150ml / £46.66 per litre