Torchbearer Sauces – Habanero Evil
Torchbearer Sauces, known for their all-natural lineup of extremely hot sauces, also has a range of mid-level and even mild sauces that don’t seem to get as much discussion as their monsters such as Garlic Reaper, Zombie Apocalypse, or The Rapture. I believe that’s a shame because the rest of their lineup is equally delicious, and there are some days where you just don’t want your face to be melted off.
Habanero Evil is pitched as a mid-level heat “everyday” type of table sauce by the company. While they have other sauces in the same general spice range that fit that use case such as Sultry Sauce, Tarnation Sauce, and Slaughter Sauce, all of those also contain oranges, carrots, and other vegetables for a different flavor profile than what you get with Habanero Evil, which is a more straightforward habanero sauce with just some vinegar, garlic, onions, and black pepper to round out the flavor.
In fact, on first taste it’s the vinegar and black pepper that hit first, followed by the sweetness and fruitiness of the habanero and onions, and rounded out by the savory goodness of the garlic. It’s a full flavored and full bodied sauce with a nice smooth medium thickness, and the vinegar and pepper flavors are nicely balanced well against each other so that the sauce doesn’t taste vinegar-dominant nor is this one of those scorching habanero sauces that will leave you panting for drinks to soothe your tongue. There’s some heat to make it interesting, but more of a sharp bite followed by a pleasant warmth than any real burn.
With a food-friendly flavor profile of peppers, onions, garlic, and vinegar this sauce is pretty universal in its applications. Wings? Absolutely. Sandwiches? Don’t mind if I do. Pizza? Let’s rock. Heck, this might ever be good on sushi. I can see that value of this as a good table sauce, and I personally love black-pepper forward sauces like this as I find it a flavor that enhances that vast majority of foods.
If you’re looking for a tasty habanero sauce that adds a lot of flavor and just enough heat, this is a wonderful one to try.
Ingredients: Habanero Peppers, Garlic, Distilled Vinegar, Water, Onion, Salt, Black Pepper, Garlic Powder
Heat Level: 4/10 There’s a quick initial bite of heat and some warmth following, maybe some burn for those with lower heat tolerance, but this is an easily enjoyable sauce when it comes to heat level