Onima – Il Mig+

Bitter: ⭐⭐✰✰✰

Salty: ⭐⭐⭐✰✰

Sour/Tangy: ⭐⭐⭐✰✰

Sweet: ⭐✰✰✰✰

Umami: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰

Heat: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰✰✰✰✰✰

Quick Flavor Notes: Fruity, rich, vegetal, umami, smoky

Recommended: Yes

Texture: Medium-thin and silky

Ingredients: Habanero Pepper Puree (Habanero Peppers, Salt), Sherry Vinegar, Water, Onion, Garlic, Olive Oil, Rice Koji (Rice, Aspergillus Oryzae), Paprika, Salt, Coriander Seeds

Onima, which is Amino (as in amino acids, the building blocks of proteins and the element responsible for many of the flavors we taste in foods) is a hot sauce company based out of Sheridan, Wyoming. Owner Tyler Mains became fascinated with fermentation after working at traditional lambic breweries in Belgium and later creating his own garum (an ancient Roman fermented fish sauce) during the covid pandemic. Il Mig+ is the second generation of his Il Mig hot sauce (the first was cayenne based) and appeared on Hot Ones season twenty four in the number six position.

Inspired by Spanish flavors Il Mig+ starts with a fermented habanero base and uses sherry vinegar, quite popular in Spain, and a vinegar you don’t often see used in hot sauces. The expected onions and garlic are present but the most interesting ingredient here is rice koji. Rice koji is rice that’s been inoculated with koji mold, also known as aspergillus oryzae. It breaks down the starches in the rice into umami-rich amino acids as well as other fermentation byproducts and is used as the starter culture for making miso, soy sauce, sake, traditional pickles, and more in Japan. Il Mig+ also contains olive oil for added richness as well as paprika, another common spice in Spain, and coriander seeds. The consistency is medium-thin and very smooth, the sauce even comes with an orifice reducer. The aroma is complex – I pick up peppers, vinegar, garlic, and perhaps a bit of smoke as well.

The initial flavor hit of Onima Il Mig+ is intense habanero. The habanero flavor in this sauce reminds me a lot of Trader Joe’s Habanero Hot Sauce – a big bold combination of fruitiness, vegetal flavors, and just fresh habanero taste along with a quick biting heat. When I reviewed the Trader Joe’s sauce I noted that two sauces from Torchbearer also had similar heat and flavor presentations with the addition of oil being the common denominator. Here too there’s oil in the sauce which not only adds richness but carries fat-soluble flavor elements you don’t get from straight vinegar alone. On the topic of richness Il Mig+ has the richest and silkiest mouthfeel I can recall from any sauce. Even though the consistency is on the thinner side it feels positively luxurious on the tongue. The flavor also develops after that initial habanero wave. There’s a deep rich umami backbone, the rice koji here, that’s amplified by a slight smoky flavor from the paprika and the savory garlic and onion. You get bright, fruity, and vegetal up front then a developing umami and savory richness with a hint of smoke. The acidity level is excellently balanced and I love the use of the sherry vinegar which brings a hint of woody nutty flavor and which is a great compliment to the other flavors. The heat is surprising for a habanero sauce, very similar to Trader Joe’s Habanero and Microsaucerie Piko Peppers Volkano and even has a bit of a linger to it.

Even though the flavors are Spanish inspired the basic flavor profile at work here is very flexible. The heat and umami rich flavor pair wonderfully with meat and I enjoyed this on some grilled pork chops as well as some grilled king trumpet mushrooms. With the rice koji element I found this to translate well with Asian flavors as well and Il Mig+ was great at kicking up some ramen broth as well as improving the dipping sauce for some gyoza. Some air fried chicken wings I made with this sauce turned out to be some of the best I’ve ever made.

I’m happy to recommend Onima Il Mig+. I think Onima hit an out-of-the-park home run with this sauce with a wonderful flavor, an approachable but still noticeable level of heat, and some of the most luxurious texture I’ve ever felt in my mouth from a sauce (seriously, I’ve eaten too much of this bottle just with a spoon standing over my kitchen counter). This sauce is also all natural with no artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, or thickeners.