My Favorite, Hottest Hot Sauces

for the Spice Lords

When I was growing up, my dad and brother had a bottle of Frank’s Hot Sauce that came out primarily for eggs. For a long, long time, I thought that I did not like hot sauce. Then, husband, who is Puerto Rican, introduced me to pique, a sauce made from chiles, vinegar, and oil, and I enjoyed adding that to my meals sometimes.

For Christmas 2022, I got Julio a Hot Ones gift set and interviewed him in the “wings of death” style of the show for our little-used YouTube channel. Friends, it turns out I just did not like Frank’s. We were both surprised by how high my heat tolerance is and by how much I liked the sauces. Something that I was kind of nervous about became a new hobby for Julio and me. In this phase of life, we do not get to go out much, so we are indulging in a lot of hot sauce. Here are some of our favorites.

Tumeric Bomb by Chile Lengue de Fuego

Heatonist scale: 6/10

This sauce is my most favorite. It has a thick texture and is not vinegary. Made with Scotch Bonnet, chocolate ghost pepper, and jalapenos it is pretty spicy, but will not burn your face. The ginger and turmeric make it a great addition to curry, black beans, and pizza. We use hot sauce a lot on pizza night.

Unique Garlique by Puckerbutt Pepper Co

Heatonist scale: 9/10

We got the Hot Ones Season 19 box and this was the second hottest sauce. It has a real burn factor, but the flavor is amazing. The Carolina Reaper, Trinidad Scorpion, and 7-Pot Primo peppers are balanced by a nice garlic base. I started using this in my salad dressing, which I make each day for lunch. Mixed with tahini and olive oil, it makes such a delicious, spicy sauce.

Los Calientes Barbacoa by Hot Ones

Heatonist scale: 4/10

Julio loves this one. It has a rich, smoky, salty flavor with jalapenos, chipotles, and habaneros. It’s great on tacos, beans, and mushrooms. It adds a big boost of flavor without a ton of heat.

Peaches N Scream by Ginger Goat

Heatonist scale: 6/10

This sauce is hard to explain. It’s just so good. I love it on pizza especially. It uses chocolate scorpion pepper, peaches, and maple syrup and has a decent medium-high heat factor. The sweetness pairs well with salty dishes, in my opinion.

Sichuan Gold by Fly by Jing

Heatonist scale: 5/10

This sauce is Julio’s favorite. He puts it on the soba noodles he eats for lunch most days, as well as lentils, and fried rice. This is an oil-based sauce and it is kind of messy, but is also makes your mouth tingle. It uses Sichuan rapeseed oil, chili peppers, and Sichuan peppers.

Taco Vibes Only by Butterfly Bakery of Vermont

Heatonist scale: 9/10

Truly, every time we use this sauce we comment on how we can’t believe it’s from a bakery in Vermont. This sauce is super hot from a combination of Carolina Reapers, serrano peppers, and ghost peppers, but it is excellent on tacos. We use it on any Mexican-inspired dishes we make, and it is fun to have around for guests who try just a dab and light their mouths on fire.

A couple of weeks ago, I was teasing Julio about having a higher heat threshold than him (which was silly) and he put an extra layer of Taco Vibes Only in his taco and so, I had to also. Then he got out The Last Dab: Apollo (11/10) and I added that too. The Last Dab: Apollo has such a nice flavor but it’s also like 2.5 million Scovilles. I was so cocky in the moment, but dang, there was fire in my belly. So much heat, so much flavor.

Mushroom Mayhem by Torchbearer Sauces

Heatonist scale: 6/10

This sauce uses habanero, scorpion pepper, and mushroom powder. It is kind of thick so our bottles of it have tended to get clogged, but it adds a hot dash of umami to our dinners and is great on portabello gyros or other mushroom dishes.

Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce by Brooklyn Delhi

Heatonist scale: 5/10

This is a little more vinegary than I like, but it has a nice tomato base and a good kick. I like it on black beans, pizza, and quesadillas.

Collards N Ghost Hot Sauce by Hot N Saucy

Heatonist scale: 6/10

This is another sauce that is good in salad dressings, because it is kind of high on the vinegar. It uses ghost peppers, collard greens, apple cider vinegar and has a bright flavor and a nice medium heat factor.

Dreams of Calypso by Angry Goat Pepper Co

Heatonist scale: 7/10

This sauce uses 7-pot peppers, mango, pineapple, lime, and mustard, which is kind of an odd combination, but it has a really summery vibe.

By the way, I still don’t like hot sauce on eggs.

How is your heat tolerance? What is your favorite hot sauce? Or, do you have a favorite Hot Ones episode?