Men Pa’w – Original Gourmet Hot Sauce Reserve Special

Bitter: ⭐⭐✰✰✰

Salty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sour: ⭐✰✰✰✰

Sweet: ⭐⭐✰✰✰

Umami: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰

Heat: ⭐⭐✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰

Quick Flavor Notes: Salty, Savory, Curry, Garlic, Onion

Texture: Thick, chunky, oily

Ingredients: Apple Cider Vinegar, Olive Oil Blend (Canola Oil, Olive Oil), Onions, Water, Chocolate Habanero Pepper Mash (Chocolate Habanero Peppers and Vinegar), Red Habanero Pepper Mash (Red Habanero Peppers, Salt), Fatalii Pepper Mash (Fatalii Peppers and Vinegar), Tropical Seasoning (Salt, Dehydrated Garlic and Onion, Spices, and Paprika), Soul Spice (Salt, Paprika, Garlic, Onion, Curry Powder, Black Pepper, Celery Chili Powder, Red Pepper, Parsley Orange Habanero Pepper Mash (Orange Habanero Peppers, Salt), Cayenne Pepper Mash (Cayenne Peppers, Salt), Garlic, Red Scotch Bonnet Pepper Mash (Red Scotch Bonnet Peppers, Salt), Granulated Garlic, Onion Powder.

Recommended: Yes (Conditional)

Men Pa’w, a Haitian creole phrase meaning “Here’s Yours” is the brainchild of Carline Phanor. Immigrating from Haiti as a young girl Carline returned to the island after college where she opened her own restaurant and created her hot sauce. When the political and social instability of Haiti drove her away and back to Miami she decided to recreate her sauce and sell it to the world. Offering several different hot sauces as well as a spicy ketchup and a spicy mustard the company has grown. I found this sauce on the shelf of a new Latin market that opened in my city and decided to give it a go.

This particular sauce, the Men Pa’w Reserve Special, doesn’t currently show up on the company’s website, but appears to be a variation of their Red Sauce with the addition of Orange Habaneros to the existing Red Sauce mix of Chocolate Habaneros, Red Habaneros, and Fatalli Peppers, Cayenne Peppers, and Red Scotch Bonnets. In addition to the cornucopia of peppers present the sauce includes apple cider vinegar, olive and canola oils, and a bevy of spices (see full ingredients list above). The texture is very thick with a lot of chunks, with the oil in the sauce giving it a somewhat greasy texture as well. The dry spices are evident both in the aroma and the texture.

On the first taste of this salt my initial reaction was “wow, this is really salty”. At 130mg per teaspoon its on the high side but I think the spice blend is really amplifying the feeling of saltiness. Despite the large number and variety of peppers used the dry spices also dominate the taste, especially the curry, celery seed, and onion and garlic powders. The spice blend reminds me some of a liquid version of a Cajun spice rub though the curry elements coming through do take it in a new direction. I wish there was more fresh pepper flavor from all of the chiles used, and while some does peak through, the overall flavor of this sauce is salty, dark, and very savory from the dry spices with just a little bit of fresh chile in the background.

Men Pa’w Reserve Special does have a nice bit of umami to it, adding a depth of flavor to foods that many sauces do not. There’s also a hint of sweetness from the spices and perhaps some of the peppers. The heat level is fairly low in this sauce, there’s some warmth, but nowhere near as much as you’d expect with the number of chiles in the ingredients list.

The saltiness of this sauce did limit its pairing options – food that already had more than an average amount of salt resulted in salt overload for me. I did find it was nice to use as a sauce for cooking in lieu of salt in the recipe, and it made for some tasty sauteed shrimp. I also enjoyed it to turn some fettuccini alfredo into a pseudo-cajun tasting pasta dish. Being a sauce from a big rice and beans island I also tried it out to spice up that dish and again it worked well adding a great savory depth.

In terms of recommending this sauce or not it will depend a lot on your salt tolerance. I do wish it was more pepper forward and that the sodium level was perhaps a quarter to a third of what it is, but it’s still a unique flavor and it does work well in certain applications. This salt is all natural with no artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, or thickeners.