Review - Sunshine Sauce Sweet Hot Habanero Mustard
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Today's review subject is a gem of a condiment I first sampled at the most recent Fiery Foods Show in Albuquerque. The name of it is Sunshine Sauce Sweet Hot Habanero Mustard. As I've often mentioned, I'm very choosy about mustards; one has to strike the optimal balance of sweet and savoriness with a dash of chile pepper flair, and have it rest on a superb core mustard foundation in order for me to really crave it. But if it has any wide deviance or harshness, it will instantly turn me away from it.
I was initially impressed from my brief trial at the FFS, but after tasting a hundred or so products on the floor show, even some very good offerings from vendors become lost in the mental shuffle of what I rated positively and what I didn't. Obviously, I regarded this to be worthy of further consideration, so I cracked this baby open at home to see if this would be something I would use regularly.
Ingredients:
Vinegar, Mustard Seed, Brown Sugar, Fresh Habanero Peppers, Water, Salt, Paprika, Spices
Label:
2.5 out of 5. The label's paper contains a nice metallic sheen but even with the black, red and gold/silver colors this is a fairy boring bottle wrapper.
I notice that they really hype the chipotle aspect of this sauce. The word "Chipotle" is plastered in a large oval, and even this copy is printed on the side of the label:
"SunShine Sauce is a savory blend of Mustards, fresh Habanero Peppers and Chipotle Spices that will brighten the taste of your favorite foods."
And yet "chipotle" isn't explicitly mentioned in the ingredients. We have to assume then that the "chipotle spices" fits in under the "spices" category in the ingredients list.
Aroma:
3 out of 5. Clean, mild and sweet.
Appearance and Texture:
3 out of 5. This sweet and spicy concoction is a lovely golden color, and not any weird variances of an ugly dung-brown or an abnormally whitish-tan hue that I don't like to look at.
One attribute that might have knocked this down a point or two in my rating was the relatively consistency. If this would have been a straight-forward hot sauce, Sunshine Sauce Sweet Hot Habanero Mustard would have been spot-on in thickness and would be perfect for pourability from its 5 oz woozy bottle.
This is a mustard (or a mustard sauce) after all, and I would have preferred a slightly denser condiment out of this. This is not a major flaw by any means, but one large anough to notice.
Taste Straight Up:
4 out of 5. First up after taking the initial taste was a warm, inviting, easy-going brown sugar presence that quickly lead into a smooth performance from the mustard seed. A minor sparkle of vinegar gave the flavor depth, while just enough habanero taste and fire gave through on the back-end. Simply put, this mustard really shined.
Taste on Food:
4 out of 5. I applied some Sunshine Sauce Sweet Hot Habanero Mustard to a couple of dogs. Fantastic and supremely complementary, the sauce provided just enough zesty oomph to make these ordinary grilled wieners a standout lunch.
Heat:
2.5 out of 5. Sunshine Sauce's Sweet Hot Habanero Mustard has a warm, lingering burn that would appeal to fair weather fans of heat and to the hardcore fire freaks will exude something more comfortable on a medium level of pungency.
Overall Rating:
It appears that Sunshine Sauces have overhauled their label design since I've obtained this bottle of Sweet Hot Habanero Mustard; even from the photos on their website. While you're the site, be sure to order yourself a bottle of this, especially if you want a scrumptious little mustard with bite and sass.
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Spicy Food Reviews - Hot Sauce Reviews, Hot Snacks, Hot Wings, Seasonings, BBQ Sauces, Condiments, and More
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