Pain 100%
There are some extreme hot sauce enthusiasts who insist that it is the heat factor of their favorite sauces that provide the flavor they so enjoy. This is not a sentiment that I share. While I very much enjoy many of the hotter sauces I've sampled I do not classify a burn sensation in the same category as sweet, savory, tangy, pungency or other characteristics typically associated with flavor. The folks at Original Juan Specialty Foods seem to agree.
Original Juan Specialty Foods is a Kansas based producer of a variety of rubs, snacks, condiments and sauces, including the very distinctly labeled Pain 100%, a habanero based hot sauce that emphasizes heat factor over flavor. Grouped among a line of sauces designated according to percentages the labels note "The higher the % the more pain and less flavor." This sauce, rated for 100% pain delivers on its promise. As such, despite a very commendable "kick to the face" pepper burn this sauce provides, I find I'm not a fan of its flavor.
Packaged into a sturdy flask-shaped glass bottle with a black stencil on tan label, Pain 100% is bold and distinctive. Pepper heat is packed predominately into the list of ingredients through a habanero mash, blended with a tomato paste for thickness, and rounded out with capsicum and habanero powder for extra nasal-clearing burn. This effectively brings the fruity taste of the habanero pepper to the fore, but the minimal list of ingredients also lets the metallic aftertaste of the capsicum linger on the tongue even as the burn settles in. The burn, though perhaps not for the novice hot sauce enthusiast, brings an endorphin inducing pain that many chili-heads enjoy. Rated by the manufacturer at 40,600 Scoville Heat Units it is at the modest end of the "super hots", and may prove an effective waypoint for hot sauce consumers looking to build up heat tolerance. But Original Juan is very "up front" about their labeling. Pain 100% is more heat seeking missile than flavor bomb. If you prefer a sauce that emphasizes flavor they have lower percentage offerings such at Pain 95% and Pain 85%, which tone down the pain factor in favor of flavor options that may be more to your liking. (Note to self, those ingredient lists look especially enticing and I'm looking forward to reviewing those in due course.)
As for Pain 100%, though it doesn't work for me as a primary condiment, its straightforward emphasis on scorching heat finds this sauce especially useful when measured into a pot of chili, stew or pasta sauce to add an extra kick to your meal. If this kind of pain sounds like a perfect fit for your next meal, buy a bottle for yourself, or for a friend, or even for an enemy by clicking here, or via the Amazon Affiliate link below.
To learn more about Original Juan Specialty Foods and their wide range of sauces, rubs, snacks and condiments, visit them online at www.originaljuan.com or follow them on Twitter at twitter.com/originaljuanfan.
