I thought I'd step out of my comfort zone of music, movies and gigs, and write about something a little different.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I love hot sauces and spicy food in general. My addiction has got to the point where I have Mr Naga (legendary hot pepper pickle) with pretty much everything I eat. I also have a ridiculous collection of hot sauces, as I'm at that age now where I regularly go to food festivals and buy my body weight in cheese, alcohol and flaming hot condiments!
Naturally, when I found out that CJ, lead guitarist from one of my favourite bands The Wildhearts, had his own brand of hot sauces, I had to try them.
Mojo! is advertised as 'the mild one', and it is just
that. It's tasty, with a rich smoky flavour, but it's not hot at all.
I'd go as far as to say that it's almost devoid of heat altogether. It
is nice though, and ideal for people who whine and cry at the thought of
hot food. I'll be honest, I gave it to my girlfriend who likes mixing
it with mayo and putting it on some healthy whatever.
Original is fantastic. The first thing that struck me is how hot it is. The jump from Mojo! to Original is monumental. Knowing that there was an 'Extreme', I expected it to be a fairly hot sauce, but Original is way hotter than the vast majority of hot sauces on the market. I really like this one as it contains naga chilies, and there's a lovely smoky barbecue and beer taste to it too. I've tasted plenty of super-hot sauces that sacrifice flavour for brutality, but this isn't one of them. I think CJ has the heat to flavour balance just right on this one. Be warned though, if you're not used to real heat, you may not like it. Door's that way, bitch.
Now for the Extreme. Jesus fucking Christ. I have no words, probably because I no longer have much of a tongue. Seriously though, this is a lovely sauce. It's similar in taste to the Original but way hotter. Initially, I thought it was just too fucking much, but after a few days, I've grown some kind of unholy dependency on it.
It's worth noting that there are plenty of sauces out there with labels like 'extreme' or 'extra hot', which just aren't (especially looking at you Nandos!). CJ's Extreme Devilspit is, however, worthy of such a title. If you get sauces from 'specialist' places (not a mainstream supermarket), there are some very hot ones out there, but I can't think of many that have as much flavour as this.
Extreme is not a wise choice for dipping your chips in, unless you want a visit from the red eyed ninja. I've started cooking with it, and it really comes into its own when used in a chili or a stir-fry.
CJ sells these at gigs as well as on his website. I'll definitely pick up some more at some point!
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