Haico’s Hot Sauce – Canadian Colon Cleanser

Bitter: ⭐✰✰✰✰

Salty: ✰✰✰✰✰

Sour: ⭐✰✰✰✰

Sweet: ⭐⭐⭐✰✰

Umami: ⭐⭐✰✰✰

Heat: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐✰✰✰

Quick Flavor Notes: Fruity, Fresh, Sweet

Texture: Medium and semi-chunky

Recommended: Yes

Ingredients: Chili Peppers (Carolina Reaper, Ghost, Trinidad Scorpion, Habanero), Green and Vidalia Onions, Apple Cider Vinegar, Water, Freshly squeezed Lime Juice, Maple Syrup, Garlic, Fresh Herbs and Spices

Another sauce from Ottawa’s Haico’s Hot Sauce, a brand I’ve really enjoyed from their previous sauces. Something that I appreciate about Haico’s is their commitment to using the freshest possible ingredients – even growing the vast majority of their own peppers. What started as a hobby making sauces for personal use and friends grew to the point where Haico purchased an adjacent parcel of land near his home to make his own farm so that he could keep growing his peppers to supply the demand for his sauces. The Haico’s team also organized the first hot sauce expo in Ottaway, the Heating Up the Capital event which will have its fifth iteration this September.

While hot sauce names that reference the excretory system aren’t rare Haico’s Hot Sauce Canadian Colon Cleanser is the only sauce from their line with such a name so you know you’re in for a bit of trouble. That impression is confirmed when you look at the ingredients. The first set of ingredients are some of the hottest chiles on record including the Carolina Reaper, Ghost Pepper, Trinidad Scorpion Pepper, and habaneros. Maple syrup adds some sweet to balance the heat and a variety of onions and garlic help add more savory elements. Like many other Haico’s hot sauces this sauce has no added salt. The super-hot peppers come through in the aroma which is also very fresh, almost like a summer garden. The sauce has a medium consistency and does have some nice pepper chunks inside.

I normally try to avoid hot sauces with too much of a sweet element but I’ve found that sweet does work very well with reapers. The first taste of this sauce the reapers are at the forefront but in a big fruity way that’s the best expression of that pepper, having none of the acrid bitterness that they can often have. The smoky and earthier notes of the ghost peppers come in right after and there’s a hint of that floral sinus-filling heat from the scorpions. The biggest impression I immediately had from Haico’s Hot Sauce Canadian Colon Cleanser was how fresh it tasted. The home-grown peppers play a big role there as do the green onions and fresh squeezed lime juice. I couldn’t decipher exactly which herbs and spices are used in this sauce but I have a feeling that cilantro and/or mint play a role, and likely some black pepper. The sweetness from the maple syrup does add a nice layer underneath the peppers that softens the heat a bit and made me keep wanting to come back for more. Despite the lack of salt in this sauce it never tasted like it was missing. While there’s a good amount of heat up front in this sauce, the reapers have that immediate rush, this is a sauce that keeps building in heat and that has a very long tail with the burn.

With a super fruity pepper-forward flavor and just a hint of sweetness I assumed this sauce would be flexible and it is. I tried it first with some fried rice that I made which I unfortunately made a bit too salty and the fresh bright flavors of this sauce really woke it up. It’s also excellent on sandwiches both hot and cold. There’s enough acidity that it can work with a cheesesteak and so fresh tasting that it’s perfect for a Wawa turkey sub. Mixed with a bit of mayo it’s a great dipping sauce for french fries. Brushing some on some pieces of salmon before grilling them worked beautifully as well, the sauce caramelizing a bit and adding a new dimension to the flavor and pairing very well with the fatty fish. It does of course work very well with chicken wings, though getting it on your lips as you eat will prolong that burn, and being a sauce that uses super-hot chiles you’ll always want to make sure you wash your hands well after eating anything where it gets on your fingers.

I’m happy to recommend Haico’s Hot Sauce Canadian Colon Cleanser. It’s one of the most delicious sauces that make use of super-hot chiles that I can remember having. It’s also a great option for our friends from the Great White North who have decided to support as many Canadian brands as they can (though Haico’s does thankfully also ship to the USA) as well as for those watching their sodium. If you’re in the mood for a super fruity super-fresh hot sauce that’s towards the upper end of the heat spectrum this is definitely one to check out. This sauce is also all natural with no artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, or thickeners.