Review - Knepper's Peppers Tongue Wrapper

KneppersPeppers.com - "Tongue Wrapper"

Online Order - Yes - arrived quickly via Priority Mail, well packed.

Ingredients -
Carrot, Naga Jolokia, Lemon Juice, Blueberry, Sugar

Color -
The first thing that sets this sauce aside from most of the others is its deepish red/purple color. It has the combined hue of blueberry and red peppers, a really nice and appealing color that tells you that the contents of the bottle are going to be something different than you've experienced before.

Aroma -

The initial aroma from this sauce is a combination of Nagas and blueberry. It really throws off the senses, normally you'd expect to have to dig through layers of vinegary aromas to try and make sense of what lies beneath, but this hot sauce just gives it to you right away - Naga Jolokia and blueberry. Dig a little below the surface and the lemon juice comes through as a very subtle backdrop to the fruits, as does the carrot. This sauce has a great nose, it's a complete surprise but it really sets the pace for what's to come.

Consistency -
The Tongue Wrapper has a medium consistency with a fairly fine puree. It leaves a layer of thin pulp residue on the glass as you invert the bottle then set it upright, which takes 30 seconds or so to clear. So for me this is close to perfect for a good consistent pour, without having to beat it out of the bottle with a stick.

Taste and Heat
This is where the Tongue Wrapper hot sauce gets very interesting. Right away your senses pickup on the blueberries and you wonder what the heck is going on. Should I be eating this with ice cream, on pancakes or what? Then about a microsecond after the blueberry comes the heat, and you're left in no doubt whatsoever that this is a serious hot sauce!

Missing is the overpowering acidity and vinegariness of most sauces and the washed-out flavor. Present is a starburst of flavor and heat as the thing explodes on the tongue. It's intense, but cleverly subtle at the same time. Heck, I don't know what it is, I just know that it's good, great in fact!

Could one describe it as having a "nicely balanced flavor profile"? - I don't think so. It's stacked with fruit, some fruitiness, and then a little more fruit.....and heat. It does have a really nice balance of sweetness and acidity - the blueberries taste a little on the tart side, the lemon and sugar proportions bring it right to where it needs to be.

Taken neat by the full teaspoon the heat is just a little bit too much for me. But that isn't how one is supposed to eat hot sauce. It gives a good burn all over the tongue and onto the lips within 10 or so seconds, then moves slowly to the back of the throat after 30 seconds or so. The heat stays around for about 4-5 minutes then gently starts to drift away, leaving you with a nice endorphin high to savor. As the heat reduced I was drawn to taking another shot just to reinstate the flavor of the blueberries on the tongue, not a full teaspoon, but just enough to bring back the taste sensation.

I think the food options need to be considered carefully with this sauce, more so than with most. It's kinda like a fine wine, a claret or a nice burgundy, you wouldn't want to pair them with deep-fried fish or mac 'n cheese, and you wouldn't want to do that with this hot sauce either. 

My first food sampling came with some nice Danish blue cheese on crackers. The hot sauce works beautifully with the powerful flavor of the blue cheese and the fruity flavor profile worked well also.

Later came a Greek style wrap - feta, lettuce, cucumber, black olives, shredded cabbage and drizzle of olive oil - again, perfect with the Tongue Wrapper hot sauce. You might think that the heat and the intense fruity flavors would overwhelm cold salads and wraps, but it really doesn't. Think about having a raspberry dressing on a salad, with fresh hot peppers in the salad, and that kinda gives you the perspective on flavors.

Over the course of a week I've used the sauce on a variety of foods and find that it actually works best with lighter faire, where the fruitiness is allowed to shine. I've tried it on steak and chicken and it worked ok, but I preferred it on the actual salad that accompanied the meal, rather than directly on the meats. 

Note to self: I must try this on a good vanilla ice cream, soon....real soon.

Conclusion -
I can't think of anything out there that comes close to the Tongue Wrapper. It's a shame in a sense that the level of heat from the Nagas probably puts it too far outside the mainstream for the wider, non-chilehead public to enjoy. But for me, I love this sauce. It will come out on special occasions when I'm cooking lighter Mediterranean foods, Tapas, Greek Salad, Tapenade etc. I haven't had the opportunity to try it with pizza yet, maybe a version of a Hawaiian pizza, I'll bet that would be delicious too.

Highly recommended.

Ratings -
Aroma 4.5 from 5
Consistency 4.5 from 5
Color 5 from 5
Taste 5 from 5
Heat Balance  4 from 5