Review - Wicked Cactus Sauce Head Hunter's Paradise
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Pineapple and habanero peppers. They're a brilliant combo that's been done exceedingly well many times. My most recent encounters with spicy pineapple sauces have been a pair of video reviews: one with Sailor's Swagger Mighty Pineapple Hot Sauce, and the other covering Ring Sting Habanero Sauce. Both are great products and I highly recommend scoping them out and picking up a bottle of each for yourself.
As good as they are, I think I've found the pinnacle of pineapple infusion with Wicked Cactus Sauce's Head Hunter's Paradise Hot Sauce. This is an elixir that has absolutely floored and wowed me to no end. With me being a fanatic of sweet and heat, this sub-genre of fruit-based hot sauces is thankfully getting a strong foothold, and with a great sauce like Head Hunter's Paradise taking the helm, I predict these sauces will grow exponentially.
Ingredients:
Pineapple, Apple Cider Vinegar, Habanero, Oranges, Red Bell Pepper, Salt and Spices.
Aroma:
4.5 out of 5. Sweet, fragrant pineapple dominates with a beautiful interplay of light, fruity scents from the apple cider vinegar and oranges. Vinegar and habanero chiles are also present with little hints of tartness but are by no means pungent.
Appearance and Texture:
3.5 of of 5. This is a muddy tan/orange colored mix with a fairly thin consistency. I would have preferred for it to be a touch thicker. One interesting aspect is that while it's runny, there is a pulpy bounce to it that clings to the sides of the bottle. Not surprisingly, an occasional "string" from the oranges can be found (not to worry, as these are still very edible).
Head Hunter's Paradise had a flow restrictor tip on the end of the bottleneck. The opening appeared to be smaller than most I've seen. Not only was there a problem with this tiny hole being insufficient at getting a healthy amount of sauce out, but there was one in the fact that this tip was on there at all. Manufacturers, if you want your customers to use large quantities of your sauces, do not put these on the end of your bottles! Let them decide on how much should come out of the bottle. Chances are they'll use more and go through the product quicker, prompting more frequent sales.
Taste Straight Up:
5 out of 5. Dazzling is not a word I use a lot - it's not very manly and quite honestly not a term I use - but it just came into mind after a take a sample of this on a spoon.
I first sensed a dead-on amalgamation of fresh pineapple and rich orange/tangerine-like flavor. It wasn't too sour, acidic and puckery and wasn't overly sugary and saccharine, either. You know those days where you've gone hours without a beverage and come home can grabbed your favorite fruit juice out of the icebox? It is SO good going down the gullet and hits the spot ever so eloquently. I liken Wicked Cactus Sauce Head Hunter's Paradise to that sensation.
A mere split second into the experience, the wondrous habby heat and vinegar twang rush out and warm and perk up the tongue. The dual fire/punch remain strong while the fruit/veggie elements gingerly ebb away, leaving your mouth slap happy and dying for more.
Another comparison to a beloved fruit juice I will give you...Head Hunter's Paradise Hot Sauce is so well balanced and delicious that I could nearly eat it by itself. Other than some blatant spicy dessert sauces and pepper jellies, I can't recall any hot sauce, condiments or spreads I could say that about.
Taste on Food:
4.5 out of 5. This isn't a highly versatile sauce, yet I would still recommend substituting your everyday condiments with this to see how much your mileage varies.
First, I applied generous amounts of Head Hunter's Paradise to some steamed white rice and grilled chicken chunks. While it complimented the chicken terrifically, I thought some of the positive characteristics got buried somewhat with the rice.
Next up was some pizza at home with pepperoni, pork sausage and chopped red bell peppers (the last of which was used for texture and flavor). Bingo! This made for a yummy sweet pizza. The habaneros supplied great smoldering kick and flavor that I like with pizza and a beautifully complimentary fruit presence. I'm not a fan of adding pineapple chunks to pizza as I think they pack too much tartness with each bite they're on. Adding a pineapple sauce such as this is a nice alternative.
Heat:
2 out of 5. There's less heat than a lot of other habanero pepper sauces on the market. Mild mouths may still consider this a bit too warm for them but if you like a bit of spice with your meals this provides a good medium-level thrust.
Overall:
For dishes this sauce is good on, this is tip-top. I highly recommend Head Hunter's Paradise sauce.
Get the goods at wickedcactussauce.com. Wicked Cactus' Head Hunter's Paradise comes in a 5 oz. bottle for $6.00 plus shipping.
Related Articles:
Spicy Food Reviews - Hot Sauce Reviews, Hot Snacks, Hot Wings, Seasonings, BBQ Sauces, Condiments, and More
Comments
2010-06-20 22:03:41
2010-06-21 20:30:15
2010-06-21 23:21:48
2010-06-22 06:25:01
2010-06-22 13:17:06
2011-04-17 09:14:13
2011-11-13 07:59:33
Cheers.
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